Cold Email for SaaS Startups
Cold email gets a bad reputation because most cold emails are terrible. Done right, cold email is one of the most effective ways to get your first 10-100 customers. This guide shows you how.
Cold Email Fundamentals
<p>What makes cold email work:</p><ul><li><strong>Relevance</strong> - You're solving a problem they actually have</li><li><strong>Brevity</strong> - Under 100 words. 3-5 sentences max</li><li><strong>Personalization</strong> - Show you've done your homework (mention their company, recent post, etc.)</li><li><strong>Low ask</strong> - Don't ask for a 30-min call. Ask for a reply or a quick look</li><li><strong>Social proof</strong> - "We help companies like [their competitor]" or mention a metric</li></ul>
5 Cold Email Templates That Work
<p><strong>Template 1: The Problem Spotter</strong></p><p>"Hi [Name], I noticed [specific problem on their site/product]. We built [Product] that fixes this in [timeframe]. Would it be worth a look?"</p><p><strong>Template 2: The Mutual Connection</strong></p><p>"Hi [Name], [Mutual connection] suggested I reach out. We help [their role] with [specific problem]. Would a 5-min demo be useful?"</p><p><strong>Template 3: The Data Drop</strong></p><p>"Hi [Name], we analyzed [their industry] and found that companies using [your approach] see [specific result]. Want me to share the data?"</p><p><str…
Follow-Up Strategy
<p>80% of sales happen after the 5th follow-up. Most people give up after 1.</p><ul><li><strong>Follow-up 1 (Day 3)</strong> - Reply to your own email: "Bumping this up. Any thoughts?"</li><li><strong>Follow-up 2 (Day 7)</strong> - Add new value: share a relevant article or insight</li><li><strong>Follow-up 3 (Day 14)</strong> - Different angle: "Saw you just [recent event]. This might help with..."</li><li><strong>Follow-up 4 (Day 28)</strong> - Break-up email: "Seems like now isn't the right time. I'll check back in Q2. Good luck with [their goal]!"</li></ul><p>The break-up email often gets…
Deliverability Best Practices
<ul><li><strong>Warm up your email domain</strong> - Send gradually increasing volumes over 2-4 weeks</li><li><strong>Use a separate domain</strong> - Don't send cold emails from your main domain (e.g., use outreach.yourproduct.com)</li><li><strong>Authenticate</strong> - SPF, DKIM, DMARC must be configured</li><li><strong>Max 50 cold emails/day</strong> - Per email address. Use multiple addresses for higher volume</li><li><strong>Avoid tracking pixels</strong> - Open tracking increases spam scores</li><li><strong>Plain text beats HTML</strong> - Fancy templates look like marketing. Plain tex…
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