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Published Feb. 19, 2023 in copywriting

10 common cold email mistakes

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Eric Morris – Head of Growth
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Struggling to write higher converting outbound templates? Here are 10 common mistakes we see in outbound campaigns and tips you can apply to increase your response rate.

Cold emailing can be a great way to connect with potential clients or partners, but if you make any of the following mistakes, you're likely to get ignored or worse, marked as spam. Here are 10 common mistakes we see people make when first starting to launch outbound campaigns.

1. Not personalizing your email

To get the most out of your cold emailing campaigns, it’s important to personalize each message you send. When you take the time to personalize each email, you’re putting your best foot forward and increasing the chances that your email will be read and responded to. When you personalize a cold email, you’re not just addressing the recipient by name. You’re also taking the time to research what the recipient’s company does, what their interests are, and what challenges they may be facing. This information can help you create a message that is tailored to the recipient and that speaks to their needs and interests. Personalized cold emails are more likely to be read and responded to than emails than the ones that are not personalized.

2. Not doing your research

Your ability to connect with potential customers is only as good as your ability to identify who those potential customers are.

Prospect research is the key to finding the right people to target in your cold email campaigns. There are several ways to go about prospect research.

You can start by identifying your target market and then looking for companies that fit that description. You can also use tools like LinkedIn or Hoovers to find contact information for potential customers.

Once you have a list of potential customers, it's important to do your due diligence and research each one. Find out as much as you can about their business and their needs.

This information will help you create a more targeted and relevant cold email campaign.

Without prospect research, your cold email campaigns are likely to fall flat. By doing your homework and targeting the right people, you'll increase your chances of success.

3. Failing to provide a compelling reason for the recipient to respond

When you’re cold-emailing someone, you need to have a good call to action. This is what will get the person to take the next step, whether that’s clicking on a link, signing up for a demo, or simply responding to your email. Without a good call to action, you’re not going to get very far.

When you’re crafting your call to action, you need to make sure it’s clear and concise. It should also be relevant to the recipient’s needs. If you can, try to personalize it as much as possible.

For example, if you know the person is interested in a certain topic, you can mention that in your call to action. The last thing you want to do is overwhelm the recipient with too many options.

Keep it simple, and make sure the call to action is the primary goal of the email.

4. Sending a generic message

When you send a cold email, you want to make sure that it’s personalized and relevant to the person you’re contacting. Sending a generic message is the surest way to get your email ignored or deleted.

People are busy and they get a lot of emails. If you don’t take the time to personalize your message, it will be quickly forgotten. A generic message is also less likely to get a response. If you can’t be bothered to personalize your message, the person you’re contacting is likely to think that you’re not interested in them or their company.

Make sure to take the time to personalize your message and make it relevant to the person you’re contacting. It will make a big difference in the success of your email.

5. Not proofreading your email

​​When you’re sending a cold email, you need to make sure that it’s perfect. This means proofreading it carefully before you send it. A lot can go wrong if you send an email that’s full of mistakes.

The recipient may not take you seriously, or they may not be able to understand what you’re trying to say. In addition, a poorly written email could end up reflecting badly on your company.

It could make you seem unprofessional and careless. Proofreading your email is therefore essential, especially when you’re trying to make a good impression. Make sure to check for grammar errors, spelling mistakes, and typos.

It’s also a good idea to have someone else read your email before you send it. This can help you catch any mistakes that you may have missed.

6. Not including a CTA

When doing cold email, you need to have a call to action. This is because you want to make sure that the recipient knows what to do next, whether that is to visit your website, download a white paper, or sign up for a free trial.

Without a call to action, you may not get the response that you are looking for. When creating your call to action, be sure to make it clear and concise. Use action verbs, such as "download," "sign up," or "visit." You may also want to include a time limit, such as offering two times that are convenient for them.

This will increase the chances of a response and encourage the recipient to take action. In addition to a call to action, you should also include a personalized message.

This will show that you have taken the time to personalize the email and that you are interested in the recipient. You should also make sure that your email is well-written and error-free, as mentioned above.

7. Not following up

Cold emailing can be an effective way to reach new customers and drum up business, but it’s important to follow up with those leads to seal the deal. A study by The Marketing Donut found that only 2 percent of sales are closed on the first contact, but that number jumps to 27 percent when you follow up.

The bottom line is that if you don’t follow up, you’re losing out on a lot of potential business. There are a few key reasons why following up is so important.

First, people are busy and they may not have had a chance to respond to your initial email. By following up, you allow them to get back to you.

Second, you can use follow-up emails to build a relationship with your leads.

People are more likely to buy from someone they know and trust, and follow-up emails allow you to nurture that relationship.

8. Emailing too frequently

Cold emailing can be a great way to get in touch with potential customers or partners, but you don't want to overdo it. Sending too many emails can have the opposite of the desired effect, turning people off and causing them to ignore your messages.

Here are a few reasons why you should avoid bombarding people with cold emails: 1. It's annoying. No one wants to receive a barrage of unsolicited emails, especially from someone they don't know.

  1. It's ineffective. If you send too many emails, people will start to ignore them or even delete them without reading them.
  2. It's counterproductive. When you send too many emails, you can reduce your chances of getting a response. People are more likely to respond to a message that seems relevant and important, not one that's been sent multiple times.
  3. It's a waste of time. Sending too many emails takes up time and energy that could be better spent on other activities.
  4. It's spammy. Spam is an unsolicited email that's often sent in bulk, and it's generally considered to be annoying and unprofessional. Bottom line: send too many emails and you'll likely end up doing more harm than good. Keep your messages relevant, concise, and relevant, and you'll be more likely to get a response.

9. Not targeting the right people

Cold emailing can be a great way to get your business in front of new customers, but it's important to target the right people with the right offer. You wouldn't want to offer a discount to a customer who is already getting a discount from a competitor, would you? The same goes for your business title.

If you're a new business, you might want to target businesses that don't have a supplier in your industry. If you're a supplier, you might want to target businesses that are already spending money on your product or service.

It's also important to target businesses that are a good fit for your product or service. If you're a plumber, you don't want to target businesses that don't have any plumbing needs. If you're a web developer, you don't want to target businesses that are only looking for marketing services.

Targeting the right businesses with the right offer is the key to success with cold emailing.

Take the time to research your target market and you'll be more likely to get a response from your emails.

10. Not using a template

Cold emailing can be a very effective way to reach new customers, but it's important to make sure your messages are personalized to each recipient. Generic templates often end up in the trash can (or worse spam), but customized messages can help you stand out from the competition and increase your chances of getting a response. Here are a few reasons why you should use personalized templates when cold emailing:

  1. People are more likely to respond to messages that are specifically addressed to them.
  2. Generic templates can come across as spammy or unprofessional.
  3. Personalized messages are more likely to be read and considered.
  4. Customized templates can help you build a relationship with potential customers.5. Personalized messages show that you've taken the time to learn about the recipient and their business. When it comes to cold emailing, the old saying "measure twice, cut once" definitely applies. Make sure you take the time to personalize your messages so that they stand out from the competition and have the best chance of getting a response.

I hope you found these tips useful and will apply them when writing for your next campaign. If you are looking for a faster, more personalized, and more streamlined way of writing your next sequence you should consider automating contact personalization and sequence writing by using AI-powered software such as Copyfactory.