Cold-email Opening Tips To Break The Ice & Double Reply Rates

Merely 8.5% of emails prompt a reply - but fear not!

These cold email opening tips will help you captivate and spoke curiosity in your recipients so you can funnel more replies with less effort.

(**Hidden gem at the end!🔥)

Cold Email Opening Tips - Break The Ice With A Single Send

#1 Personalize Your Cold Email

Hearing crickets?

It’s time to ditch the generic 'Dear Sir/Madam' openings!

Want to grab attention? Make it about them.

Show you're invested by referencing in their business wins, recent social posts, or mutual connections.

Find a unique angle that feels natural and relevant to the goal of your email.

A personalized opening resonates, making them feel seen and valued.

For example,

Hi Jane, I was really impressed by your recent quantum computing analysis in 'Tech Digest'.

Don’t stop there, however - tell them exactly what you liked and why you liked it.

Be sure to keep it short!

Something like,

...Your take on its potential impact on cybersecurity was eye-opening! What inspired you to consider the connection?

If you can’t find a fitting reference, cut straight to the chase instead…

#2 Cut To The Chase

Another way to stand out, is to keep your cold email short, snappy, and crystal clear.

Skip the jargon and aim for curiosity, not confusion.

Keep it simple to catch their interest fast.

Highlight a pain point right out the gate in clear, everyday words.

For example,

Hi James, let me cut to the chase - your project management software seems outdated.

#3 Offer Immediate Value

Give them a reason to care from the get-go.

Your opening line needs to promise value: solve a problem, boost efficiency, or offer game-changing info - without any strings attached.

Start strong by showing what's in it for them to ignite a conversation.

Once they actually engage, you’ve got the green light to pursue them.

For example,

Hi Lauren, I've got a hack to slash your content production time by half.

#4 Stoke Curiosity

Ever heard of George Loewenstein's Information-Gap Theory of Curiosity?

It explains why hooking with a fascinating fact, a gripping question, or a bold statement works. When curiosity is piqued, it's like a mental itch for closure.

But here's the key: tie that curiosity to your value proposition.

Align their need to know more with what you offer, and voilà!

You've merged neurology and persuasion for a killer email strategy.

For example,

Hey Alex, are you aware that 70% of your website visitors leave without engaging?

This only works if you’ve done your research and target the right people.

Sally, the remote marketer, will probably not be interested in industrial grade cooling-systems - no matter how ‘cool’ your hook.

#5 Be real

Forget corporate formalities and ho-drum email openings.

Be you in that email - write as you would speak in your cold email.

Show 'em the real deal, no smoke and mirrors.

This is immensely important when your goal is to build a foundation of trust and transparency - which, let’s be honest - it should be.

Here’s an example:

Hey Sarah! Noticed a glitch on your website's checkout page—could affect customer purchases. Would you like some help with that?

We have an list of 25 high-conversion intro lines if you’re in doubt about how to start your email.

Pro Tip: Emails with social profile links in the sender's signature score an average 9.8% higher response rate (Backlinko) - check out our email signature guide to add credibility to your outreach.

But Wait - There’s More!

You can side-step all this manual labor by crafting personalized cold email openings with AI!

lemlist’s AI ice-breaker is one of our favorite built-in tools!

You can use it in campaigns that have been created manually and in AI generated sequences so your campaigns can run on auto-pilot!

Here’s a quick overview of the process:

From your list of leads, you’ll have an option to either

1. Immediately generate all icebreakers for all leads from the list by clicking on “Generate all icebreakers

      2. Select the leads you want to create your icebreakers → Click on Generate X icebreakers

This will turn your {{icebreaker}} custom variable into a fully customized, AI-generated intro line that will push your prospects to read and reply to your email!

You will also have an option to choose the tone of your icebreaker, and to regenerate until you find the perfect fit for your niche!

Sounds cool?

Our free trial comes with 100 PAYG tokens (the credits that activate specialized AI features).

It will take 50 tokens to generate an entire sequence - more than enough to test it out.

Have fun!

Wrapping Up

Craft compelling email openers using personalization, clarity, value, curiosity, and authenticity.

Perfecting these 5 elements can significantly boost your response rates!

Want to level up your cold email strategy on all fronts?

Grab our complimentary cold emailing Ebook today.