This is something special - a live session where we dive deep into cold email best practices that actually work with a special guest, Jason.
I'm Jason, an ex-CMO who helped scale a startup from zero to $25 million in turnover, and cold email templates and strategies were one of my main acquisition channels. That's why I'm here today to help you structure your business and get more leads through effective cold emailing and LinkedIn outreach.
This isn't theoretical stuff - we're going to do live corrections of real email sequences from real businesses. You'll get immediate feedback so you can test, learn, and come back with better results.
Table of Contents
- The Foundation: What Makes a Good Campaign
- Live Correction #1: Thomas from Click & Share
- Email Sequence Structure: Short and Sweet
- Live Correction #2: Bhavik's Local SEO Services
- Technical Best Practices
- Advanced Personalization Strategies
- Common Mistakes to Avoid
- FAQ: Your Cold Email Questions Answered
The Foundation: What Makes a Good Campaign
Let me start with something crucial - to me, a good campaign is 50% your database, then it's 30% copywriting, and then it's 20% timing and approach. You need to always open discussions because most of the time, it's not the right moment. But if it's not the right moment but you have the right database, good copy can generate some leads - maybe not for now, but for later on.
Regarding databases, yes it is important to know how to scrape data. But the truth is, now you have a lot of tools that help you. For example, if your targets are local businesses, Google Maps is a gold mine. But Google Maps is difficult to scrape, which is where tools like Scrap.io become invaluable for extracting email addresses from Google Maps.
Most of the time, if you want to go to bigger companies, you need to go to LinkedIn Sales Navigator and then export the data to another tool like the Growth Machine or LM List to get the emails. But for local businesses - and this is where many people make a mistake - they underestimate local businesses because they believe it's only small businesses with no money, which is pure nonsense.
The truth is local businesses need help and they are okay to have an interaction, a discussion to hear what you have to sell, especially if you come in a good manner saying you want to help them. When you want to help people, they are ready to listen, and then why not put money on the table?
The second point that's very interesting with small businesses is that most of the time they have only one email - usually a contact email - but they are so afraid of missing a connection, missing a sale, missing a question that the open rates can be quite high. If you mix these two factors, it can turn into very cool results.
Live Correction #1: Thomas from Click & Share
Let me show you how this works in practice. Our first guest Thomas runs Click & Share, a self-service rental solution for bike rental companies. It's B2B software that allows rental companies to rent out their equipment without having to be present on site.
The Problems They Solve
When I asked Thomas about the problems he tackles, he mentioned extending opening hours and saving staff costs. But I had to dig deeper - these are benefits, not problems. The real problems are:
- Lack of revenue - businesses aren't open at the right times and missing turnover
- Customer satisfaction issues - during opening hours, it gets crowded with lines building up, creating waiting times that hurt both the store and customers
The Original Email: Too Long and Unfocused
Thomas's original first email was way too long. Let me be direct here - copywriting is a matter of doing short and sweet stuff because people don't have time. You have to go directly to the point. When you see something that's a lot to read, most people don't even read till the end.
His original opening was: "Congratulations on your impressive score of [score] out of [number] reviews. This is a fantastic achievement..."
That's cool because it's an ice breaker that shows you know them, but we can leverage this better to show expertise. Instead, I suggested:
"Aren't you crowded, especially during weekends, with such good marks on Google Maps?"
Why this works: We're acknowledging their success while immediately introducing one of the problems we solve. I know they have a problem during opening hours, and I know they have very cool reviews, so it means people like them. I want to show that I understood they are a cool business and it runs nicely.
Cutting the Fluff
The original introduction was: "My name is Thomas, I represent Click & Share, we are on a mission to offer innovative solutions to bike rental companies..."
Here's the thing - people don't care about your name (it's in your signature anyway), and they don't care about your mission statement. Start directly:
"Click & Share offers innovative solutions to bike rental companies like free pickup so businesses can extend their opening hours."
What are innovative solutions? You have to explain this in just two or three words: online booking, digital briefing, contact-free pickup. Be specific.
Social Proof with Numbers
Thomas mentioned their platform had "revolutionized operations of small and medium-sized bike businesses" but didn't provide outcomes. That's missing a crucial element. You need to show what you've revolutionized:
"Businesses such as T-Bike increased 177% their revenue."
You see? Now you have social proof with a specific number. The human mind needs numbers to understand better. Always put the real numbers - how you can really help them - because it's social proof.
The Call to Action: Keep It Soft
Instead of "Are you available for a quick call this week?" I recommended:
"Want to know more? Want to discover how to do so?"
This is what I call a soft call to action. We want to trigger a discussion, and you don't need all those words. We've said enough: I know you maybe are crowded, that's why we launched Click and Share, this is what you're getting, guess what, you're not the first one, and in average they increase 177% their revenue. Do you want to know more?
Email Sequence Structure: Short and Sweet
Email #2: The Follow-up Hack
For the second email, I highly recommend this little hack: use "Re:" followed by the old subject. Why? Because when you see this in your inbox, you open it because you think someone is replying to an email.
Start with value immediately:
"Want to know how to increase your turnover thanks to technology? Just watch this 3-minute video to understand how you can get more rentals thanks to automatic free pickup."
Never say "sorry" - you're here to help people, don't minimize the impact you can have.
Email #3: The Demo with Benefits
Instead of explaining features, lead with customer benefits:
"We helped 100 bike rental businesses to increase their revenue thanks to automatic free pickup. Don't you think it is worth trying for [company name]?"
Then provide three benefits your customers mention:
- Save up to 2 hours daily
- Increase daily sales without hiring someone else
- [Third specific benefit]
After that: "Here is the demo you can watch to see how we can help you. But maybe a call would be faster" - and include your calendar link.
You offer an alternative: watch the demo or book a call. People want to have the illusion of having choice, but if you offer choices, it's two maximum because it needs to be very easy: yes/no, A or B.
Email #4: The Breakup Email
For the final email, create urgency without being pushy:
"Didn't receive any answer, so [are you] underwater or not interested? Most of the time, I know that bike rental businesses are crowded at this period. If you want to save time and close more sales, you have to scale thanks to technology. So are you not interested in expanding your business or do you need help thanks to tech?"
End with: "I call you next Tuesday 2 PM. If you are lacking time, just pick the best time slot here [calendar link]."
Live Correction #2: Bhavik's Local SEO Services
Our second guest Bhavik sells digital marketing services, specifically local SEO and reputation management for health and fitness businesses.
Getting Specific About Target Market
One crucial lesson from Bhavik's session: don't say "local businesses" - be specific. He targets health and fitness businesses, so the copy should reflect that:
"I help health and fitness businesses get better reviews on Google Maps so they drive more people to your gym."
Problem-First Approach
Instead of explaining features, hit the problem directly. For businesses with bad reviews:
"Hello [first name], I saw your website on Google Maps and some optimizations could be made to drive more leads to your business."
Or, using Scrap.io's filtering feature for businesses with low ratings:
"Hello, you have only one star on Google Maps and it means no one is coming to your business anymore. Sorry to be so tough, but that's the difficult reality of the digital world. I am here to help you. I know I can help you to get better reviews. Do you want to know more?"
This is problem-agitate-solution copywriting.
The Psychology Question
For gyms specifically, use this psychological approach:
"Can you accept more people to your gym, or are you already full for the year?"
If they answer they can accept 20-25 more people and need help, guess what? You help people. It's only psychology.
Second Email with Value
"Getting five stars on Google Maps can lead to an increase of 25% more leads. Do you need more subscribers to your gym?"
Short and sweet with specific value.
Alternative Sequence for SEO
For agencies selling SEO, here's a powerful hack:
"Hello, I ranked your competition in another country/region and this is the result we had. Do you want the same result?"
This works because SEO is just a matter of ranking, and if you show you've done the job before, you can do it one more time somewhere else with no difficulties.
Technical Best Practices
Email Volume Limits
Do not launch more than 100-150 emails per day. If you launch more than 150, most of the time the opening rates will decrease because you'll land in the promotion filter or spam filter. All cold email experts say no more than 150 per day.
Timing Rules
The only timing rule: not before 8 AM, not later than 8 PM. Then you just don't care - you respect the 150 daily limit and let the tool work because it will readjust if you send too much or not enough.
Subject Line Optimization
Keep subject lines super short - three maximum four words. What works is keywords plus a question mark. For example:
"Increasing revenue?"
Why? Because when you open your inbox, you don't see the full length of long titles, so that's why it's one, two, three words maximum.
Database Quality is Everything
With Scrap.io, you can filter regarding the stars on Google Maps, which means you can extract businesses with bad reviews and target them specifically. You can also filter for businesses that have websites, emails, phone numbers, or social media presence - you only pay for contacts that are useful.
The Email Length Rule
Keep emails to maximum 150 words. If we're at 83 words, that's perfect. Imagine your cold email is a landing page - that's it, it's a landing page. You need to end the copywriting on the call to action.
Advanced Personalization Strategies
The Competition Angle
One powerful approach is researching what competitors are doing and using that as your opening:
"I ranked your competition in [location] and this is the result we had. Do you want the same result?"
The Local Business Advantage
Local businesses are goldmines for several reasons:
- They only have one email usually (the contact email)
- They're afraid of missing connections or sales
- Open rates can be quite high
- They need help and are willing to listen
Using Social Proof Effectively
Always use specific numbers, not vague claims:
- "Increased 177% their revenue" not "increased revenue significantly"
- "Save up to 2 hours daily" not "save time"
- "25% more leads" not "more leads"
The Target Market Psychology
For B2B Software (Like Click & Share)
Focus on operational problems:
- Revenue loss during peak times
- Customer satisfaction issues
- Staff cost optimization
- Extended operating hours
For Service Providers (Like Bhavik)
Focus on visibility and reputation:
- Low Google ratings affecting business
- Not enough reviews to rank well
- Missing out on local search traffic
- Outdated websites hurting conversions
Tools and Technical Setup
Database Building
For local businesses, Google Maps through Scrap.io is incredibly effective. For larger companies, use LinkedIn Sales Navigator combined with tools like Growth Machine or LM List.
Email Tools
The recommendation is tools like La Growth Machine (a French tool) because you can send emails, Twitter messages, LinkedIn messages, and more from one platform. Always use URL shorteners like bit.ly to track clicks and see if people are engaging.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Too Much Information
Don't explain everything in the first email. Your goal is to open a discussion, not to close a sale. Give them enough value to want to know more, but don't explain specifically how to do it.
Generic Greetings
Never say "Hello company name" unless it's a cool branding name (which works for bike rentals). Prefer "Hello [first name]" or "Hello there" if you don't have the first name.
Feature-Focused Copy
Don't talk about features - talk about outcomes. They don't care that you improve website design; they want more sales. They don't care about better SEO; they want more leads.
The Follow-Up Psychology
The Assumption Close
In your final email, try this approach:
"Don't you believe that a 4.5 review on Google My Business would drive more subscriptions to your gym business? If not, just tell me why you don't think so. If yes, just book a call here or maybe I call you tomorrow at 5 PM."
This creates urgency and forces a decision.
The Breakup Email
"Didn't receive any answer so [are you] underwater or not interested? If you want to save time and deliver and close more sales, you have to scale thanks to technology. So are you not interested in scaling or need help thanks to tech?"
Then give them options: book a call or let them know when you'll call them.
Campaign Segmentation Strategy
For Reputation Management
Divide your list into two segments:
- Bad reviews: Go directly and frankly - "it's bad, trust me, we can do something, it cannot be worse"
- Good but few reviews: "You have good reviews but you don't have enough reviews" and explain why they need more
Different problems require different copywriting approaches.
The International Consideration
If you're targeting non-English speaking markets like France, Spain, Italy, or Portugal, you must send emails in their language. Some countries like Sweden, Netherlands, Denmark, Norway accept English emails, but for Latin countries, you have to target with their own language.
When transitioning from email to calls, you have two options:
- When someone books a call, ask if it's possible to do it in English because you're not perfectly fluent
- Hire a closer who speaks the target language for that specific market
Measuring Success
Track these key metrics:
- Open rates: Aim for 60-70%
- Click rates: Target 10-15% (very good)
- Reply rates: 4-7% for local businesses is good to very good
The goal is always to improve these numbers through better targeting, shorter copy, and more relevant value propositions.
The Soft Approach Philosophy
Remember, most of the time it's not the right moment, but if you have the right database and good copy, you can generate leads for later. Always approach with a helping mindset rather than a selling mindset. When you want to help people, they are ready to listen, and then why not put money on the table?
The key is opening discussions, not closing sales in the first email. Your cold email sequence is about starting conversations with qualified prospects who have real problems you can solve.
This approach has worked for scaling businesses from zero to $25 million, and it can work for yours too. The secret is in the details: shorter emails, specific problems, clear benefits, and always leading with value.
FAQ: Your Cold Email Questions Answered
What is a good example of a cold email?
A good cold email follows the structure we covered in Thomas's case: Start with a personalized observation about their business, introduce your solution with specific benefits, include social proof with real numbers (like "increased 177% their revenue"), and end with a soft call-to-action. Keep it under 150 words and focus on their problems, not your features.
What is the 30/30/50 rule for cold emails?
While I use a 50/30/20 formula (50% database quality, 30% copywriting, 20% timing), the 30/30/50 rule refers to spending 30% of effort on subject lines, 30% on deliverability, and 50% on follow-ups. Both approaches emphasize that great copy alone isn't enough - you need quality data and proper execution.
How successful are cold emails?
Based on my experience and the examples we covered, you should aim for 60-70% open rates, 10-15% click rates, and 4-7% reply rates for local businesses. Industry averages are much lower, but with the techniques shown here - proper targeting, short emails, specific value propositions - you can achieve significantly better results. For more insights on whether cold emailing is an effective strategy, check out our comprehensive guide.
What's a good reply rate for cold email?
For local businesses, 4-7% reply rate is good to very good. For larger companies, even 1-3% can be acceptable. The key is quality over quantity. As we saw with our examples, targeting the right problems with specific solutions and real numbers tends to generate higher engagement than generic outreach.
Does cold email still work in 2025?
Absolutely! Cold email works especially well for local businesses because they're afraid of missing opportunities and typically monitor their contact emails closely. The key is following the principles we demonstrated: quality databases, personalized approaches, and helping rather than selling.
How do I write cold emails that don't sound salesy?
Focus on their problems first, use soft call-to-actions like "want to know more?" instead of "book a call," and always lead with value. As we saw in the live corrections, never say "sorry" or minimize your impact. You're here to help them solve real problems. For detailed guidance on how to write effective cold emails, follow our proven framework.
What should I avoid in cold email copywriting?
Never start with your name (it's in your signature), avoid long emails (150 words max), don't use generic greetings like "Dear Sir/Madam," skip feature lists in favor of specific benefits, and never send without researching their actual problems first. Remember: short, sweet, and specific wins. It's also crucial to stay compliant - learn more about cold email compliance and legal considerations to avoid issues.