The Anatomy Of A Perfect Cold Email: How To Sell The Open (And Get A Reply)

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Ahoy, Digital Writers!

Most writers think increasing your income is a byproduct of two things:

• Increased skill

• Increased credibility

And yes, that's true—but it’s not the whole truth.

In fact, you could be a fairly mediocre writer with almost no “credibility,” but if you understand sales and cold outreach, you will make more money than 99% of other writers. Because most freelance writers and solopreneurs just sit around and wait for opportunities to land in their inbox. What they don't do is go out there and pound the pavement.

So today, we are going to help you write the perfect cold outreach email that “sells” the open, gets your prospect to reply, and moves you one step closer to increasing your earnings as a writer.

Anatomy Of A Cold Email That Gets A Response

There are 5 components to the perfect cold email.

1. Subject line

2. Cold email opener

3. Cold email body

4. CTA

5. Case study

Let’s take a look at each one.

1. Subject Line

The subject line is the single line of text someone sees when you send an email

The goal is to “sell” the reader on opening your email. You want to pique their curiosity. And the easiest way to grab their attention is to let them know it’s for THEM! Use personalization in the subject line to draw them into the email, like their company, product/service (newsletter, welcome sequence, landing page, etc.), or use their name.

For example:

• Thoughts, Cole?

• Where’s your newsletter?

• Question about joining PGA

• Problem with your landing page

• Edit 3 Ship 30 for 30 videos (for free)

These are NOT the only way to write subject lines, but they will get you started.

2. Cold Email Opener

The opener consists of the first 2-3 lines of your email.

Think of it as your “hook.” Not only is it the first thing the reader sees when they open your email, but they can also see a preview of the opener in their inbox. So, the opener, like the subject line, sells the open even further with benefits, outcomes, and desires.

For example

• Was searching for the best ghostwriting courses and came across Cole’s socials— Your Premium Ghostwriting Academy course looks awesome!

• Was scrolling X last night and you popped up in my feed! Love your crypto content.

• As the founder/marketing leader for a Healthcare SaaS company, I bet you're always looking for ways to generate more leads.

You got them to open your email and and you’ve made them curious.

Now you need to show them why they should care.

3. Cold Email Body

The body or “big idea” is the next 2-3 lines of your email.

The goal here is to sell the reply. Quickly (in < 3 seconds) spell out what’s in it for them. What promise are you making? Let them know what tangible outcome you have to offer.

For example: We can help you {Desired Outcome} with our {Named Package}. And I’ll show you how at zero risk to you.

Let’s move on to the next part of the email.

4. CTA

Call the reader to action.

This is where you ask the prospect to take the next step, which is to reply. Give prospects a CLEAR next step, keep it conversational, and use an Interest CTA (not a Specific CTA). A Specific CTA asks for a specific date or time, which doesn’t work well when you don’t have a relationship with your prospect. Instead, all you want to do is ask if they are interested in what you have to offer. They all they have to do is say yes or no. Very little friction, which is what you want.

Here are a few examples:

• Are you interested in learning more?

• Open to discussing further?

• Is this something you’d be interested in?

• Mind if I share more info?

• Is this worth exploring?

The easier it is to answer, the better.

5. Case Study

The case study, the CTA, and body all work together to sell the reply.

The goal with this section is build credibility. This is where you tangibly show your experience and success. You can add the case study between your email body and CTA or you can combine them.

For example:

• Between Body & CTA: Our {Named Package} helped a {Niche} course creator {Desired Outcome} in {Month}— And we can help you do the same.

• Combined With Body: Just reaching out because our {Named Package} recently helped a {Niche} achieve {Desired Outcome}— And we can help you do the same!

Don’t have a case study? No worries!

Don’t make one up. Just don’t include a case study in your message. The message without the case study is still very good!

Write 3 Perfect Cold Emails With ChatGPT

Now that you know how to write a cold email, you can train ChatGPT to do it for you.

You will need to know your target niche, prospect company info, and an offer. Be specific. Remember the way you sell the open is by personalizing the email.

Here’s the prompt: