If you’re a professional who’s ever tried to look for a job/clients/business, in the highly competitive market, then you know how cold calling works. It’s one of the evils you had to resort to when you didn’t know what else to do. Well, that was before the internet came in and making phone calls became passé.
In this day and age, cold calling has graduated to cold emailing and more often than not, people sending and receiving the emails prefer it this way. But how do you write an email that doesn’t get rejected? While there are no set rules of how and what to write, there are some pro tips that’ll help your email not only get noticed but also get one step ahead of whatever it is your trying to achieve.
PS: Acquiring the right email address is just the first step to a long process of pitching and following up so gear up to take on this challenge turn it into a success story.
1. Address it appropriately
No matter who you write to, the email should be addressed appropriately. Be careful about the titles you use such as Mr, Mrs, Dr etc. and check the spelling of the name too. Sometimes auto correct can play havoc in turning a beautiful name into an annoying insect (trust us, it happens). After you’ve zeroed down on the proper title to use, make sure you begin with a quick introduction. Keep it short, crisp and to-the-point. The opening is crucial as you’ll have to attract the reader’s attention and convince her to read the rest of your email.
Ideally, your introduction should consist of your name, profession/education depending on why you are writing the email and the reason for writing the email. To make it easier for the reader, you can also make the essential parts bold so that they can skim through it with ease. This introduction will decide whether or not the recipient will read further to make it count.
2. Do your research
No matter how short and crisp your email will be, even a sentence of fluff can prove to be dangerous. If you are writing to a senior person especially, there’s a possibility that they will see through your tall claims and reject your application immediately. So if you want to make a winning pitch, make sure you’ve done your research well. Doing a basic Google search if nothing else on the person you are writing to can be extremely helpful.
An excellent way to go about it is to establish a connection through shared interests or likings. This will enable them to not only notice you but also develop a beneficial bond.
Research suggests that people have an online attention span of fewer than 30 seconds, and you don’t want to waste that precious time talking about things that don’t matter.
3. Express gratitude
An excellent way to start your pitch email is by expressing gratitude. People seldom ignore emails of praise and will probably go out of their way to make the situation work in your favour. A simple thank you for reading this can double your chances of success. So be humble and express gratitude whenever possible.
4. Keep it concise
Whatever you write in your pitch email, make sure it is direct and to-the-point. Research suggests that people have an online attention span of fewer than 30 seconds. So you don’t want to waste that precious time talking about things that don’t matter. Hence, make sure you say everything you have to in as little words as possible. Remember, less is more.
5. Follow up
The final step is to follow up and make sure your email doesn’t get lost in the many emails in the recipients’ inbox. After you’ve sent the email wait for a reply but if you don’t hear from them in two to three days, then you must write a follow-up email. Something like, “Just wanted to check on this” or “Have you been able to go through my resume?” would work well to remind the recipient of your email and take a look at it if she still hasn’t. Follow up emails are also necessary to know if you are still standing a chance at this opportunity. But more often than not, it will work in your favour and show the recipient how resilient you are. Thus, worth a chance.
