How to write cold emails | Steps to writing a perfect cold email | Ankur Warikoo
Summary
TLDRIn this Varick queue episode, the host emphasizes the importance of crafting effective cold emails in a world where social media has democratized access to anyone. By sharing personal experiences and a proven pattern, the host provides a framework for writing compelling subject lines, simple language, and context-specific asks. The key takeaway is that personalized, well-researched emails that resonate with the recipient's context are more likely to elicit a response, setting the sender apart from the masses.
Takeaways
- 📧 The importance of cold emails in today's connected world where you can reach out to anyone, including CEOs and celebrities.
- 🤔 The philosophy that if you don't ask, the answer is always no, which encourages proactive communication.
- 🔍 The significance of a compelling subject line that generates curiosity and increases the chances of the email being opened.
- 👀 The need to keep the language simple and understandable, aiming for clarity even to a 5th standard student.
- 📝 The necessity to establish the purpose of the email quickly and attach the ask or question to it right away.
- 🏷️ The use of a 'headline' at the beginning of the email to catch attention and set the context for the message that follows.
- 🙅♂️ Avoiding flattery or excessive praise, which can be off-putting and does not contribute to effective communication.
- 🔗 The importance of tailoring the email to the recipient's context, showing that you've done your research and understand their needs.
- 📈 Matching your offer or request to the recipient's context to create a connection and show that you've put in the effort to understand their business or interests.
- 💡 The power of specificity and directness in an email, making it easy for the recipient to understand what action is needed from them.
- 🚀 The potential impact of well-crafted cold emails, as they can lead to opportunities and collaborations that might not have been possible otherwise.
Q & A
What is the main topic of the video script?
-The main topic of the video script is about how to write effective cold emails or messages to get a response from recipients, particularly when there is no existing connection or network.
What philosophy does the speaker live by regarding cold emailing?
-The speaker lives by the philosophy that 'if you don't ask, the answer is always no,' and applies this philosophy by sending cold emails to people outside of their reach every day.
Why is the subject line of a cold email important?
-The subject line is important because it determines whether the email or message will be opened in the first place. It should generate curiosity and stand out among other emails.
Can you give an example of an effective subject line mentioned in the script?
-An example of an effective subject line mentioned is 'You have no idea how I got to know about you,' which is intended to capture the recipient's curiosity.
What is the recommended language level for writing a cold email according to the script?
-The recommended language level for writing a cold email is simple enough for a fifth-standard student to understand, avoiding heavy words and complex language.
Why is it crucial to establish the purpose of the email at the beginning?
-It is crucial to establish the purpose of the email at the beginning because the recipient is likely busy and may not have the time or patience to read through lengthy emails. A clear purpose helps the recipient understand the reason for the email right away.
What is the significance of a 'headline' in the context of a cold email?
-A 'headline' in a cold email is significant because it should catch the recipient's attention, make sense, and be relevant to the content of the email, similar to the headline of a newspaper article.
Why is it important to get a reply, even if it's a 'no', when sending cold emails?
-Getting a reply, even a 'no', is important because it provides closure, allowing the sender to know how much more time and effort to invest in that particular email and to move on if necessary.
What is the role of 'context' in writing an effective cold email?
-The role of 'context' is to show that the sender has done their research about the recipient and their interests, and to match the sender's offer or request to the recipient's context, which can help form a connection and make the email more compelling.
Can you provide an example from the script where context was effectively used in a cold email?
-An example from the script is when a web designer noticed that the speaker's personal website had not been updated since 2008 and offered to help refresh it, showing an understanding of the speaker's context and needs.
What is the speaker's final advice on writing cold emails?
-The speaker's final advice is to put in the hard work to write an effective subject line, keep the email simple, be specific about the ask, and explain the context and where the sender is coming from, which can make the email stand out and be more effective.
Outlines
📧 Mastering the Art of Cold Emails
This paragraph discusses the importance of cold emailing in today's connected world and the speaker's philosophy of proactive outreach. The speaker emphasizes the significance of the subject line in capturing the recipient's attention and shares personal experiences of reaching out to influential figures, including tech founders. The key takeaway is that a well-crafted subject line can make a substantial difference in whether an email is opened and responded to, with examples provided to illustrate effective subject lines that generate curiosity.
🔍 Simplicity and Clarity in Email Communication
The speaker stresses the importance of keeping the language in cold emails simple and comprehensible, suggesting that the content should be understandable to a fifth-grader. They argue against using complex vocabulary to impress the recipient and instead advocate for the power of clear, straightforward messaging. The paragraph also highlights the necessity of quickly establishing the purpose of the email and attaching a clear ask or question to it, as busy recipients may not have the time or patience to decipher lengthy or convoluted messages. The use of a 'headline' approach is introduced as an effective way to structure the email for quick understanding.
🤝 Personalizing Cold Emails for Better Engagement
This section focuses on the importance of personalization and context in cold emails. The speaker advises against generic requests and emphasizes the need to tailor the message to the recipient's specific situation. They suggest conducting thorough research to understand the recipient's business or interests and aligning the ask with that context. The speaker shares an example of an email that stood out due to its personalized approach and resulted in a successful collaboration, illustrating the power of context in effective communication.
💼 The Impact of Effort in Cold Email Success
The final paragraph reinforces the idea that putting in the effort to write effective cold emails can lead to success. The speaker contrasts the effectiveness of a well-researched, contextually relevant email with the common practice of sending generic messages. They share a personal anecdote about receiving an email that caught their attention due to its specificity and relevance, leading to a decision to collaborate with the sender. The paragraph concludes with a call to action for viewers to share their experiences with cold emails and a reminder of the benefits of subscribing to the channel for updates.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Cold Emails
💡Social Media
💡Subject Line
💡Curiosity
💡Language Simplicity
💡Email Purpose
💡Headline
💡Context
💡Personalization
💡Closure
Highlights
The importance of cold emailing in today's connected world and the philosophy that asking is essential to avoid a 'no' response.
The speaker's personal experience of cold emailing tech founders and learning from their responses.
The significance of the subject line in generating curiosity and ensuring the email is opened.
An example of a compelling subject line: 'You have no idea how I got to know about you'.
The value of simplicity in language to ensure understanding by a wide audience.
The necessity of establishing the purpose and ask at the beginning of the email for clarity and efficiency.
Using a 'headline' approach to catch attention and convey the main point succinctly.
Avoiding generic praise and focusing on specific asks to increase the likelihood of a response.
The importance of context in making a connection and showing relevance to the recipient's interests or work.
An example of a successful cold email that identified a need and offered a solution relevant to the recipient's context.
The power of doing the hard work to research and understand the recipient's context before sending an email.
The strategy of getting a response, whether positive or negative, to achieve closure on outreach efforts.
The analogy of sales efficiency in getting a clear 'yes' or 'no' to allocate energy effectively.
The effectiveness of being specific and showing understanding of the recipient's business or values.
An example of a web designer's cold email that stood out by addressing a specific need and offering a tailored solution.
The contrast between the effort put into effective cold emails and the common lack of effort leading to less success.
Encouraging viewers to share their experiences with cold emails in the comments section.
Transcripts
hey everyone today on Varick queue we
will speak about how to write cold
emails or send cold messages to people
with the intention of getting a response
from them it's a big bad world social
media has opened up everything you can
now have access to anyone you want you
can write in to celebrities you can
write in to CEOs you can write in to
founders you can write in to recruiters
and that has also made the art of cold
email or cold messaging that's much more
important I have cold emails so many
people that it is unbelievable I live by
the philosophy that if you don't ask the
answer is always no and I execute on
that philosophy literally every single
day I'm asking something or the other
from individuals who are also honestly
outside of my reach I had I think I have
the dubious distinction of having
written to almost every tech founder
that you can think of in this country
and globally
because there's just so much that I
would want to learn from them and
there's some ones that I have to ask
from them that I just don't hesitate to
write into them and to be honest I have
got responses from quite a few of them
but it's not that everyone's responded
but if I look at what got people to
respond I've seen a pattern when I write
emails to someone that I don't know
someone I'm writing in without any
connection any network whatsoever why do
they respond is almost always because of
something that I've done in that call
email and I just want to share that with
you in the hope that it helps you as
well in the hope that it gives you a
framework to assess how you could be
writing your cold emails and cold
messages from now on number one let's
start with the subject line the subject
line is very important because it
determines whether the email or the
message will be opened in the first
place or not so you possibly can't be
writing our subject line which is like
hey looking for a job
want to pick your brains can I have some
time of yours I love your feedback
that's what everyone will write the key
is to think about what is it that I can
write which just stands out stands out
in a way that could even be if you're
willing to take the risk could even be
on the edge of something you don't want
to do something which is very tricky
risky but you take willing to take the
risk and and that works as well but
subject line definitely has to be
something that generates curiosity and
gets them to open the email or the
message in the first place a good
example of that is an email that I wrote
to a start-up founder in the valley that
is a really big guy I have no
connections whatsoever to him and the
subject line that I chose was you have
no idea how I got to know about you
that's it that was a subject line you
have no idea how to how I got to know
about you now I had a story to share of
how I got to know of him and this was
way back when he was nobody when he was
just starting up and so on and so forth
but I thought that this would be a
subject line that will capture his
curiosity because it's not something
that he most likely gets to receive or
gets to see every day
that's just one example I remember
someone wrote into me
with a subject line saying hey vertical
bracket that is such a cool surname as
simple as that it doesn't have to be
something which is out shattering but I
noticed it because of the simple reason
that this just stands out if I scan
through 200 emails of mine almost every
email has a problem-solution something
something they just stood out it was
something who was he was someone who was
willing to cut through the chase was
willing to be informal and that what got
me to open now once the message has been
opened that's where the
meat and the bulk of the conversation
lies and they're the three things that I
care about and I have seen work number
one keep the language very very simple a
good heuristic a good way to determine
whether you're doing that or not is
imagine someone who's in the fifth
standard to be reading that email and
ask yourself this question will they
understand what this email is all about
so avoid using heavy words it doesn't
matter who you're sending it to
don't use your words to impress someone
don't use the power of your language to
impress someone
use the power of your content the weight
of the message to impress someone so
people make a lot of mistake in writing
these really big words and using all
this nonchalant and so on and so forth
but you have to just keep it very simple
and I don't know where I read it but
there is research backed scientifically
proven methodology that says if you keep
your emails to a level where a 5th class
student can understand that you're on
good ground that's number one number two
the first part of that email itself has
to instantly establish the purpose of
the email with hopefully the ask or the
question attached to it that is a
absolute must and here's why it's quite
likely that you are sending this email
to someone who's busy someone who's
getting a lot of emails someone who does
not have as much time as perhaps you or
anyone else does not go or have the
patience to go through lines and lines
and lines of email and so on so it's
very easy
oh sorry very important that you
establish the reason of why you send
this email in the first place an
approach that I follow is the following
I would say hey uncle I'm writing this
email to establish the context and then
say here is what I want from you and
that's it that's almost always my start
to an
if I do not know the individual or if
it's a very clear request that I want to
ask from the individual and right after
that I will start with what I would call
the headline and I've gotten so used to
it that now I write emails with the word
headline in it
so I'd say hey uncle this is an email to
objective here is what I want from you
what is it that I want and then the next
line would be headline and then I will
give a one piece headline it's almost
like writing a press article it's almost
like writing a newspaper article you
start with a headline and then you give
the content and here's why the headline
has to catch the attention the headline
has to make sense the headline has to be
relevant the headline has to form that
connect and if that do does happen then
it's just brilliant it's just wonderful
it's just very very straightforward give
me an example there's so many emails
that I get on a daily basis which are
all about hey uncle I follow your videos
on LinkedIn or YouTube whatever the
other thing says you're so great you're
such a great motivational speaker you're
such a great entrepreneur you did a
little and they're like two paragraphs
praising me and it's obvious why people
do that it's because someone told them
that if you get people very happy and
very cheerful about themselves then
they're more likely to listen to you
while that's true it doesn't happen in
written communication because time is
lost reading is an effort listening is
not as much listening you have the body
language in front of you you have people
you have their vibrations and all that
here it's just boring text and if it's
boring text even if it's all about
someone praising you at least to me it
doesn't make any difference in fact
bores me I just switch off because like
yeah it's one of those emails and I
don't want to go through it this person
is trying to convince me and to please
me but the fact is that I don't need his
or her judgment of view to make me happy
about myself I am at peace with myself
but there are a few emails which are
like hey I'm cool this email is written
with the objective or trying to see if
there is an end
ship available at nearby or not and I
would love you to go through my profile
and let me know what you think and when
that comes in I know what I have to do I
know whether I have to forward that
email to someone I know whether I have
to reply to that email I know that I
have to reply with a no doesn't work or
I can't help you at that one of time
email I know that I have to archive it I
know what the action is that needs to
happen and here's the kicker you want a
reply you don't necessarily want the yes
coming in you want a reply coming in
because a reply gives you the freedom to
know that you either have to dig deeper
or you have to let go and both of these
are good points to be because when
you're sending out cold email when
you're sending out cold messages it is
critical for you to get closure on them
so that you know how much more do you
have to spend and invest
that's how sales also works in India
most sales people are just so
comfortable with the fact that they're
meeting the client for the eighth time
the 15th time the 20th time it's not a
no it's not a no I don't think that's
the right way to down sales I think most
sales people are super super efficient
at getting a yes and getting a no as
fast as possible that's what they love
because if they get uh no they no you
know what my energy is not gonna go
there
my energy is not going to be wasted on
that account anymore I can come back to
it after six months and whatnot but now
it's not gonna happen I gotta move my
energy somewhere else and if I'm
fighting this battle it's a losing
battle if I were too big that battle
that has a chance of winning
I might just win that that's what
effective individuals effective emailing
individuals also do they would much
rather get sorry can't help you then be
like oh the hope in hell is that uncle
may read that email once and I all have
to do is just keep following at
following your following one doesn't
work so the second thing is start the
email and very quickly it's now
what the objective is and what the ask
is that's very critical very critical
and number three perhaps the most
important also the hardest is if you're
just going to come across as just one of
the dozens thousands and hundreds of
individuals who have the same request
and the same ask and you ask it in the
same manner of course it's not gonna
work because then you're relying on
something very powerfully in your
profile or in the ask that works for you
and very rarely does that happen simple
as an example you're looking for a job
are you looking for an internship you
write in to me and you're like hey this
email is to check whether there are
internship opportunities available at
nearby and I would love you to go
through this profile and let me know if
there is any now if after that the rest
of the email is all about here is what
I've done here's what I'm good at here
is what I feel I would want from the
internship here is what I'm looking for
so on and so forth you lost me
you lost me because I don't care about
what you bring to the table as long as
you don't apply it to my context I don't
care that you're the best data scientist
that there is if you don't apply it to
my context I don't care if you're the
best sales guy in the world if you don't
apply it to my context the context is
very necessary and the context is only
available after deep research if you dig
it and find out what does nearby do what
is uncle barracuda what kind of a hiring
process do they have all of which is
honestly available online and that's
just nearby it may not be for others
which is where you have to dig deep into
people who are working there and you'll
have to find someone and find out what
is it that they do how do they do it
what are the kind of values that they
stand for what's the kind of process
that they follow and then match yourself
with that context match yourself with
that context that's when you strike
strike familiarity that's when you
strike a conversation that's when you
form a connect that is when I am
listening to you because now suddenly
you're doing two things you're telling
me that you've done the hard work
of finding out who I am and what is it
that you have to offer and matched it
and number two I am nodding my head at
whatever you're saying because it is
part of my context it's what I live and
breathe every day I cannot disagree with
that so if someone says hey what I love
about nearby is that it brings all local
businesses together it lists all
restaurants spas and salons and whatnot
on an online platform I am such an
offline retail individual where yes I do
a large part of my shopping online but I
still love going out in malls I still
love going out and eating out I still
love going out and look forward to a
nice spine whatnot and I feel that that
is never going to end in this country I
feel that people will always want to
venture out I feel that there is this so
much offline retail that is going to
happen and continue to happen in this
world that I think you can become a
great business if not today already and
I would love to be a part of this
journey now when you say it like that
I am just nodding and like yep that's
what we think that's what we say that's
what we do and I love the fact that here
are things that you bring to the table
that we can benefit from you've
understood where we are coming from and
yeah and now you know what you want that
is just brilliant I'll give you a simple
example of how it worked three days back
I get an email from someone that I have
only interacted with once and that was
for a completely different purpose and
he's like I noticed your website uncle
very cool calm which is my personal
website and I noticed the fact that it
had been last updated in 2008 which was
12 years back and think it's time for a
refresh don't you think so here are free
websites that I've worked on in the past
for one month or two months I can
remember and I'd love to work with you
on this new website and can we make that
happen
brilliant I love it I love the fact that
someone went through the effort the pain
of finding out shared some examples of
how they're good
me a very pointed specific question and
I just felt myself nodding and guess
what I am working with that individual
to now revamp my website and everything
was right when this video comes out you
would witness the new website which has
not been changed in the last 12 years
and it's amazing how many web designers
have written in to me asking for
projects asking for work asking to be
hired and I never ever for once
considered them as the ones that I could
work with on my website
not even once and this one email just
made it happen nothing else I didn't
check the credentials of the individual
and ask for a resume nothing we're
working and we are exchanging nodes and
we're making it happen and that's the
power of putting in the work you write
an effective subject line you write the
email in a manner that a 5th class
student can read it comprehend it and
understand what it says and then you're
very specific about the ask write on and
then you put in the effort to explain
the context and where you come from that
is the hard work that is how you write
cold emails and now you can imagine if
you are job if your job is to write 20
and 30 of such emails every day imagine
the amount of work that goes in so now
it explains why most people are lazy
about it because it just takes a lot of
effort it just takes a lot to write such
an email for each and every individual
it takes a lot of energy and that's why
you know most people will never do it
and that's why you know that if you were
to do it because instantly stand apart
from the crowd you just instantly make a
dent you just instantly know that this
is going to work because you have done
something that 99% people don't do if
you've gotten cold email ever or if
you've written one that got a response I
would love you to share about that in
the comment section below but until next
week I will see you all with the next
question for what a coup
stay safe please don't forget to
subscribe to this channel so that
whenever we put up a new video you're
aware of it
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