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Writing Cold Emails That Actually Get Replies
- Jason Moss
- Apr 16
- 3 min read
A practical guide to composing short, curiosity-driven messages that win attention in crowded inboxes
Summary: Most cold emails get deleted. This guide breaks down how to write concise, relevant, and curiosity-piquing messages that prospects actually respond to.
Why Do Most Cold Emails Get Ignored?
It’s not just you. The average response rate for cold emails hovers between 1% and 5%. The vast majority are unopened, unread, or quickly trashed. Why? Because they read like they were written by a robot that got fired from a spam factory.
According to Saleshandy, 35% of cold emails fail because they’re too generic, 25% because they’re too long, and another 20% because they’re just plain irrelevant.
The truth is, if your email doesn’t feel like it was written for a human by a human, it’s probably not getting a response.
What Is a Cold Email and What Makes It Work?
A cold email is an unsolicited message sent to someone you've never interacted with before—think of it as the adult version of passing a note in class, except that the stakes are usually higher and the recipient gets 200 notes a day.
For it to work, three things need to happen:
It has to catch attention with a sharp subject line.
It must earn the click with relevance and curiosity.
It should pique interest, not pressure, with a clear next step.
Harvard Business Review reports that emails using personalization can improve response rates by over 50%. That means mentioning a specific project, product, or problem—not just slapping someone’s name on a template.
How Do You Write a Subject Line That Gets Opened?
This is not the place for your inner poet. Short, punchy, and relevant works best.
“Quick question about [recipient’s industry]”
“Idea for [recipient’s company]”
“Noticed this on [LinkedIn/Twitter/Blog]”
According to SuperOffice, subject lines between 3–6 words tend to perform the best. And avoid caps, exclamation points, or “RE:” unless you actually replied to something. That’s just bad karma.
How Long Should the Email Be?
Two short paragraphs. Three at most.
A cold email should feel like something you could say in 30 seconds without taking a breath. According to Mailchimp, emails between 50 and 125 words have the best response rates.
Here’s a quick template:
Line 1: Personal hook – “I saw your post about X…”
Line 2: Why you’re reaching out – “I help companies like yours with Y…”
Line 3: Clear next step – “Would it make sense to chat for 10 minutes this week?”
That’s it. No origin stories, no buzzwords, no epic backstories.
How Personal Should You Get?
Extremely. Mentioning a mutual connection, referencing a recent LinkedIn post, or even a product launch tells the reader you did your homework. According to Yesware, personalized emails can increase reply rates by 142%.
When Is the Best Time to Send Cold Emails?
Morning is good. Midweek is better.
Campaign Monitor found that emails sent on Tuesday mornings between 8–11am have the highest open rates. Avoid weekends unless you're emailing bakers or startup founders who haven’t slept since 2019.
What Metrics Should You Track?
You can’t improve what you don’t measure. Track these:
Open rate – is your subject line working?
Click rate – are people interested in what you’re offering?
Reply rate – are they taking action?
Use platforms like Lemlist, Woodpecker, or GMass for outreach and tracking.
Final Tips for Writing Cold Emails That Work
Avoid attachments or links in the first message.
Use a real signature with your name, company, and social proof.
Write like a person, not a pitch deck.
Remember, the goal is not to close a deal. It’s to start a conversation.
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