Cold Emailing – All You Need to Know in 2024

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What is a cold email? 

Recently stumble upon the term Cold Email and want to know more about what this is? 

Or perhaps you know what cold emails are but want to learn more about how they work? 

In any case, you will want to read on as we at InboxLane cover all you need know below! 

Simply put, cold emails are an effective outreach strategy that enables people to connect with leads and potential clients. It is not only an affordable way to drum up business but a scalable and efficient one too, which makes it an ideal outreach approach for brands and companies of any size and budget.  This said – we know you are eager to learn more about this topic so without further ado, let us start by covering the basics; what is a cold email?

What are Cold Emails? 

Cold emails are like emails you would send to a relative or coworker except these you send to leads or prospective clients.  They are a powerful way to boost awareness for your brand and offer, and can bring incredible returns on investment when carried out the proper way. 

So, what is a cold email?  Well, in short, it is an unsolicited email that is sent to recipients you have never reached before.  The goal of a cold email is to make the recipient aware of your service or company, and in aim to secure a sale or business relationship in doing so. 

There are many cold email samples online to peruse but here is what a basic one looks like: 

Hello [Insert First Name], we at [Insert Brand or Company Name] launched a software that enables [Insert Task] to be automated, and at a fixed cost with no monthly limits!  We know scraping leads can be tasking and time-intensive but our tools will make doing so a breeze!  Give [Add Product Name] a look as we are sure it will be the solution you or your team need to reach record-setting months.  Grab a risk-free trial that will let you see the results of our tool in action for a week.  Your only regret will be wishing you tried it sooner than you have! 

What is the Difference Between Spam and Cold Emails? 

Despite each email type being sent to recipients you never reached before there is a stark difference between the two.  To begin, spam emails are often sketchy and unprofessional, and untimely and inappropriate, as they tend to be poorly written and sent in mass volume to thousands of unsuspecting recipients at once.  Never is this a good emailing practice! 

Now, when it comes to cold emails, there are a few things that set them apart from spam emails that care little about building trust with recipients, these include factors like their: 

• Audience, unlike spam emails, which are not targeted and sent to any person with an email address, cold emails are indeed targeted and sent to relevant recipients that fall into a certain category or audience. 
• Style, spam emails are very easy to spot as they tend to read robotically with verbiage and tonalities that read as if they were written by a program.  On the other hand, cold emails are mindfully written with care and intent, and with a friendly and personable, conversational tone that expresses the intent but without coming across as a sleazy salesman. 
• Focus, most times, spam emails are deceiving and misleading with false and exaggerated claims that promise the world at the click of a link.  On the flip side, cold emails do not make over-the-moon claims but rather honest and realistic ones that encourage people to take an action (like buying a service or signing up for a newsletter) based on truthful and compelling info. 
• Choice, spam emails very rarely include a link for recipients to unsubscribe, so if you get an email and suspect spam is at play, scroll to the bottom of the email to see if an Unsubscribe link is present.  If not, you are likely the target of a spammer!  To the contrary, cold emails give recipients the convenience of being able to unsubscribe if they do not wish to receive future emails.  All cold emails you send should include this feature! 

Is it Legal to Send Cold Emails? 

So – is cold emailing legal and safe for services and companies to do? 

This is one question our team here at InboxLane gets asked quite a bit! 

In short, it is legal to send cold emails in most countries so long as they satisfy guidelines and adhere to regulations that are in place to prevent spam and the intrusion of consumer privacy.

To adhere to such laws, cold emails should contain an opt-out link that allows the recipient to back out of receiving future emails.  Atop of this, cold emails should also make clear the brand or company that sent the email, which should contain non-spammy content that is relative and not misleading to recipients. 

With this said, it is worth noting some countries have varying views on cold emailing, so it is important to review the rules and regulations in your region before ramping up a campaign! 

The reason being is while some countries are laxed or lenient on cold emailing regulations, others may be stricter and more proactive at enforcing anti-spam laws.  This behind us, let us have a peek at a few notable countries where cold emailing is illegal or highly regulated.

Countries Where Cold Emailing is Illegal or Highly Regulated

• Italy, to send an email with commercial intent to a person, the sender must first have consent to do so. 
• Spain, consent from recipients is required to send emails with commercial intent as required under the General Data Protection Regulation act, which has been in effect since 2018. 
• Brazil, to do direct, cold email marketing in this region, a company must first have consent from the recipient as stipulated in the General Data Protection Law. 
• Belgium, this country adheres to GDPR guidelines and requires companies to have consent from those they wish to email. 
• Germany, to legally send commercial emails, a company must first get consent from recipients. 
• Canada, consent from recipients must be had before sending commercial emails per the enacted, Canada Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL), which makes it illegal to send unsolicited emails. 
• Australia, a company must first get permission from a person before sending them commercial emails due to the Australian Spam Act, which imposes harsh and costly penalties on those who fail to comply.
• Netherlands, consent from recipients are needed for email marketing, and Dutch laws and agencies that oversee this are quite strict.

Not Complying with Email Laws Can Incur Costly Fines and a Damaged Reputation

Not complying with email laws is not at all a wise or smart move. 

After all, failure to satisfy anti-spam regulations can lead to large fines.

And it can result in a tarnished reputation with email service providers too.

Neither of these issues is one any company striving to grow wants to face! 

But by learning how to satisfy said laws, you can turn cold emails into a viable source of leads and growth for your business. Here are some ways to ensure cold emails bring results instead of legal issues and financial penalties:

• Make it easy for recipients to unsubscribe, a link to do so should be easy to see and click. 
• Streamline the unsubscribe process, it should take no more than one click to unsubscribe. 
• Offer a few unsubscribe options, on the Unsubscribe page, give users the option to stay subscribed in exchange for a lower frequency of emails. 
• Remove unsubscribes from your list right away, do not wait and swiftly take them off your list as if you send a second email to a person who unsubscribed, legal issues might follow. 
• Be respectful in your unsubscribe message, do not use this page to speak foully or to coerce people into staying, let them go if they wish, and in polite and courteous fashion. 
• Avoid deceiving practices, do not make the unsubscribe button hard to find or so small it is difficult to click, it should be easy to spot, and placed at the bottom of all outgoing emails. 
• Consistently monitor and update your mailing list, do this on a regular basis so you can remove emails from unengaged and unsubscribed users.

By following these tips for creating cold emails, you can better comply with laws while showing others that your brand respects the choice of people. These tips will also help you to sustain a high sender reputation with ESPs which can lead to better email open rates and engagements.

Benefits of Cold Emailing

Pros and cons of cold emailing should be considered before an email marketing campaign kicks off.

And like any other marketing strategy, there are potential downsides to be mindful of before you send your first cold email but let us first begin with the many benefits of cold emailing that await those who follow the best cold emailing strategies as shared above.

Affordable

Sending cold emails is one of the cheapest ways to reach potential customers as you only need a list of emails with a powerful message and call-to-action.  This, combined with a service that helps you increase email deliverability as we offer here at InboxLane, makes sending cold emails an easy and economical way to conduct outreach. 

Reach a Target Audience 

Sending cold emails is a powerful and efficient way to reach people or companies in your niche, industry, or demographic.  As such, you are able to craft messages tailored to their specific needs or interests, and as a result, can boost conversion and turn cold emails into a revenue-generating machine. 

Scalable Growth and Outreach 

The sky is the limit with cold email marketing as you can send as many email as you wish. 

In fact, some people send thousands of emails per day, though doing so will require a person to warm up an email address as a newly made email account will not be able to send emails at such grand scale.  Another advantage of modern email marketing is there are many email automation tools in the market that make crafting and sending emails a breeze, making it the best of times to do cold email outreach.

Downsides of Cold Emailing

Cold emailing offers many benefits and advantages over some other marketing strategies. 

However, it is still good to be aware of their potential drawbacks so you can best avoid them.

You May Be Flagged for Spam 

Of all hurdles those who send cold emails face, emails being marked as spam is atop the list!

Remember, those you send cold emails to are receiving them without opting to so you may deal with lots of spam complaints and a lower reputation with email service providers as a result, which can lead to fewer and fewer emails being delivered.  

Reduced Open and Reply Rates 

Naturally, emails sent to those who opted in via places like a newsletter sign-up are more likely to be opened and replied to than cold emails sent to those who never opted in to receive them.

When it comes to cold emailing, emails are delivered to those who have no knowledge of the company that sent it to them, which makes it less likely they will engage it.  As such, you need to craft enticing and compelling, eye-catching subject lines (and personalized content too) for the best chance at getting replies.

You Need to Master Research and Targeting

Master the art of email targeting and you are destined to unleash the true power effective email campaigns hold in store. Targeting should be the core focus of all campaigns as it not only influences how you locate leads and potential customers but the type of message you craft for them too.

Naturally, this process can be timely and tasking so some may not have the time needed to properly vet and generate leads but failure to do so can lead to wasted funds and efforts as you will not get an ROI by emailing people who have no interest in the type of service/product you offer.

How to Prepare and Set Up a Cold Email Strategy and Campaign 

Getting a cold email strategy in place will make the process an easier one from start to finish.

This said, let us now share six ways to set up a cold email campaign like a true marketing guru:

#1 Identify your ICP (Ideal Customer Profile) 

For cold emails to be effective, and successful at producing results and conversion, you must first identify who your target audience actually is. 

This starts by identifying who could most benefit from your service or product as this will help you reach prospects who could use what you have to offer, which will not only lead to more emails being opened, but to more replies and a higher sender reputation with ESPs. 

Emails that are sent to a random list that are not targeted very rarely yield results worth writing home about as it is unlikely the pitched service or product will align with the needs of recipients.

For this reason, you should first learn what your Ideal Customer Profile is by identifying the traits and characteristics of your target audience.  For example, what industry do they work in?  How much revenue does their company produce?  And what is their geographical location?  Finding out such data points is crucial to writing cold emails that resonate well with recipients. 

#2 Build a Lead List 

With the above step done and your Ideal Customer Profile list in hand, you are ready to begin the next step in launching a cold email campaign, and that is compiling a lead list! 

Building a lead list is one of the most essential steps in this process but this phase should be done with good ethics in mind.

This means you will want to avoid buying a random list of emails to blast offers to as this will inevitably decrease your credibility with email providers, due to the fact you would be emailing people who have not given you permission to do so; another reason to avoid buying email lists is you can face complaints or legal issues too if reported by recipients, which may lead to hefty fines and penalties if you reside in a region that has strict and highly enforced privacy laws.

The good news is there are ethical ways to build an email list. 

Here are the best ways to build email lists in 2024 and beyond: 

• Use Social Media, most know how essential a tool social media is to success in branding and email marketing, and social platforms like YouTube or Facebook or Instagram (just to name a few) are ones you should use to encourage people to sign up for your list or newsletter.
• Leverage your website, your site is not only a place to sell your service but a tool you can use to build an email list by way of having an opt-in box or pop-up on your website.  To do this, simply tell visitors what value they will get in exchange for sharing their email, and slowly but surely, you should see visitors turn into organic leads!
• Host online social events, one of the best ways to build an email list is to host a webinar that relates to your industry as those who join will likely be interested in the topics and solutions discussed, and each viewer you get is a relevant candidate for your email list.
• Network and Partner with Brands or Influencers, take part in virtual or real-life events that relate to your industry, and try to forge meaningful partnerships or relationships in doing so. Remember, networking is one of the oldest marketing methods that remain effective to this day, and it is a great way to build an email list of people who are interested in what you have to offer. If you get the chance to network with others – do not let the opportunity pass you by!

By heeding the above tips you can build a quality email list and abide to high ethical standards which, in the end, shall pave the way to higher email engagement rates and conversions, and a much higher rep with email service providers who will give you higher email deliverability rates.

#3 Verify Lead Credentials 

Once you have an email list built it is time to vet it!

This means you need to verify the emails your leads provide are genuine as the goal is to send messages to addresses that are valid – active – and owned by the person who provided them.

This is essential as by ensuring emails are active you will reduce email bounce rates and boost email deliverability, both of which are factors in earning and keeping a high sender reputation.

To verify email addresses – and to see if an email address is valid, you can use one of the many email verification tools online as these will speed up the process – and most email verification services offer free credits that let you verify a small batch of emails at no cost!

#4 Warm Up Your Email Inbox 

Before you jump the gun and start sending off emails you need to first warm up your inbox! 

This may be done manually, but it is best automated via an email warmup service, as offered here at InboxLane, as it will save you time that may be better invested into crafting compelling messages for your campaigns.

So with this said, what is email warm up?  And what exactly is it so essential?  Simply put, it is the process of gradually increasing the number of emails that get sent from a newly made email account.  This is done as it will help a strong reputation to be built and maintained with email service providers, which you need if landing in recipient inboxes is your goal. 

By raising the email volume slowly over the weeks, you can begin to establish a history and trusted track record with ESPs who will then be less likely to mark your cold emails as spam, hence why warming up an email is so essential as doing so will boost your email Open and Deliverability rates.

If you want to speed up this process, we at InboxLane invite you to try what our users refer to as the best email warm up service they ever used.  Whether you need to warm one or ten email accounts, our email warming service has you covered and with solutions that make a high sender reputation easy to achieve.

Our team at InboxLane has years of expertise in cold email marketing and can help you warm email inboxes that shall remain free of spam complaints and warnings. From email to domain warmup, we automate the sending/receiving of emails (at a gradual pace) from your account so you can build trust with ISPs, have a look at our plans here to get up and running in minutes.

#5 Writing Cold Emails 

Cold emails should not only be personalized but compelling and clear in intention. 

To start, you want to use strong, click-worthy subject lines that command attention. 

You also want to keep the email message short – and relevant to recipient interests. 

Here are a few other things to stay mindful of as you author your cold email content:

Personalize greetings, start the email off by greeting the recipient by their first name as this touch feels more genuine than mass-sent emails that use copy-pasted, non-tailored content.

Introduce yourself or your company, share your name or that of your brand or company so they know who they are talking to, redacting or not including such info may make you look illegitimate. 

Make clear the purpose of the message, make it easy for recipients to understand why the email was sent.  If you have an offer or proposal, or service or product you want them to check out, share these details in a way that is easy to grasp; avoid confusing jargon and verbiage. 

Include a Call to Action, without a call to action you will be unable to get a sale or result from your emails.  Call to actions like ‘Learn more here’ and ‘Click here to get started’ are just two of many call-to-action samples you should include in cold emails. 

Keep emails short, sweet, and to the point, time is a valued commodity and your emails should reflect your respect for the time of recipients.  As such, do not write long-winded emails, keep them on the short end and get right to the point as long ones cause a person to not read it in the first place.

Avoid spammy words, to avoid spam filters and the image of being another spammer to recipients, you will want to avoid using phrases like ‘Discount’ or ‘Act Now’ and ‘Buy Here’, we know this can be hard when it comes to creating call to actions so you will need to get creative.

Frequently Asked Questions About Cold Emailing 

Join us as we answer the questions most oftenly asked by those who are new to cold emailing.

How long should a cold email be? 

The best length for cold emails is fifty to a hundred and fifty words. 

Such a length is short enough to hold the attention of readers yet long enough to grasp their intrigue and interest.  This word count also allows enough room for you to share the purpose of your message, and the value you have to offer. 

What subject should I use for my cold emails? 

Subject lines should be short and concise yet engaging. 

Fifty or less characters is usually the ideal length to use. 

Get creative and only use phrases that are eye-catching! 

What is the best time to send cold emails?

The best time to send a cold email can vary from one campaign to the next. 

However, pro email marketers say midweek days usually perform the best. 

As such, start by sending emails on Tuesday/Wednesday to see the results. 

If you do not get great results, you can try sending them on other days just to see the outcome as some days may be better based on your industry and audience. 

What is the best time to send a cold email? 

Ten to eleven in the morning and one to two in the afternoon are the best times to send cold emails as these timeframes are when people are likely to check their email.