Cold Emailing

Perfect Cold Email Structure Exists and It Lands Your Dream Clients

Mihaela Cicvaric
LAST UPDATED
April 10, 2024
READING TIME
7 min.

If your cold email doesn’t stand out, there’s a high chance you won’t get any replies. No replies = No meetings = No business growth opportunities.

Getting the structure of your cold email right can define whether your email will be read or not.

But how do you get people to answer your emails? Let's see how the pros do it.

Cold email sent by Adrian, the co-founder of Dragonfruit Media, got a 76.2% open rate and 66.7% reply rate, 100% meetings booked, and 64.2% conversion rate.

Today, we’re here to share all of their outreach secrets!

Our results blew literally every other acquisition method we have out of the water. Gonna be using lemlist to blast them out at scaling them next quarter! - Adrian, Dragonfruit Media

Let's start with the fact that a perfect cold email structure exists.

And when you know what to do, you can boost your cold email campaigns in minutes.

Imagine 100% meetings booked with a 65% conversion rate.

Why imagine when you can do it? Let's get to it.

What is a perfect cold email?

A perfect cold email has a particular structure that makes a recipient immediately reply to you.

In short, a perfect cold email structure is:

  • Short and clear
  • Personal
  • Grabs the attention
  • Friendly
  • Has a catchy subject line
  • Has a clear CTA
  • Has a funny sign-off
  • To the point
  • Features a video

Now, let's put this proven perfect cold email structure to practice.

Write a cold email with our free cold email generator

The anatomy of the email that made us immediately reply

The email Adrian sent to our CEO, Guillaume, was the first step of the 7-step sequence to follow. In total, 21 emails like this one were sent, and each had a personalized pitch video.

Goal? Their agency was doubling down on direct outreach as their acquisition channel. They wanted to hyper-focus on generating leads through cold email and augment through video pitches for high-value prospects.

Target? SaaS founders and expert coaches/consultants that could use Youtube to build a loyal community. They wanted to reach out to companies producing valuable content that have 5k+ subscribers and have made at least 10 videos (aka the ones that already have an acquisition channel built using Youtube as a top-of-the-funnel).

So how did Adrian’s outreach get us hooked from the start?

Let’s go through his cold email structure together:

perfect cold email structure

1. Catchy subject line

cold email subject line

Why does this subject line make prospects open the email?

  • It’s personalized with first and company names, which grabs the prospect’s attention.
  • The value is made very obvious from the beginning so they know what’s in it for them.
  • The question in the subject line triggers interest and generates curiosity in seeing the rest of the email.

There are many ways to write good subject lines that can boost your chances of getting replies. We have provided a list of 59 subject line templates to help you get inspired.

2. Friendly greeting

cold email greeting

What makes this greeting a good option?

  • “Hey” is an informal greeting that sets a friendly tone right at the start. As "Hey" is something that we use in communication with our users, it was a safe option for Adrian to go with.
  • It’s personalized with the prospect’s name which gives the impression that the rest of the email is carefully crafted just for them.

If you don't wanna sound too informal but still give a warm greeting, "Hi" is always a good choice.

3. Personalized intro line

cold email custom intro line

How did this icebreaker help them build a connection with prospects?

  • They showed they invested time in research about the prospect by congratulating them on their business success.
  • They gave positive feedback about the prospect’s tool as a common ground for future conversations. In the end, who doesn’t like to hear positive feedback about their work? ;)
  • They presented a clear understanding of what their prospect does exactly, which makes prospects believe their offer might be a good fit.

If you need more intro lines inspo to make your audience continue reading your cold email, check out our How to start an email guide.

4. Video pitch

Then, they didn’t only share an idea in the pitch - they made an entire video (seriously, you need to check this one out).

Then, they didn’t share just an idea in the pitch - they made an entire video (seriously, you need to check this one out).

What makes this video pitch one of the best ones we received?

It’s 100% customer-focused as Adrian talks about genuine motivation and will to help the prospect, aligned with the brand’s mission statement.

So, here's why having a custom video in cold outreach is a good choice:

  • Videos won’t just grab prospects’ attention but also prove you’re willing to go that extra mile as each video took them around 30 hours to make (that’s why you need to make sure you're targetting your ideal persona!).
  • The video gives the prospect a sense of having a real conversation and shows emotion that is harder to show through writing.
  • In just a few seconds, you can mention the pain point, the solution, and the value for the prospect, including interesting graphics that will be engraved in the prospect’s memory.
  • The personalized GIF as an addition grabs the prospect’s attention as it’s 100% personalized with their logo and is a unique way to tease into watching the whole video.

If you’re wondering how to create your own sales video that will get you replies, here’s our How to use video for sales guide.

5. Clear CTA

cold email cta

Why does this simple closing line work?

  • A single call-to-action gives the prospect clarity on which step to take to get the proposed value.
  • They don’t ask for too much effort (a simple response to an email is enough) as it could potentially prevent prospects from responding since it takes too much of their time.
  • They kept the casual tone by using “shoot” instead of “send” which is a more friendly jargon, and not necessarily business.

If you are unsure which closing lines could push your prospects to take action, find some inspiration in our Closing line tips guide.

6. Funny sign-off

cold email sign off

Why was this sign-off a great way to end a cold email?

  • If someone bothers to open and get to the bottom of your cold email, signing off with “thanks” is a simple way of showing appreciation.
  • A funny “p.s” element with an inside joke is that final personalization push that made us think “Wow, they really made an effort to get to know us” which leads to “We need to reply”.

The outcome

Open rate: 76.2%

⬇️

Reply rate: 66.7%

⬇️

Meetings booked: 100%

⬇️

Conversion rate: 64.2%

This exact email got them pilot contracts with:

  • one of the largest crypto exchanges in the world
  • a VC at a top 3 firm
  • a SaaS unicorn
  • two of their favorite non-profits
Our results blew literally every other acquisition method we have out of the water. We're now systematizing this by hiring a full in-house editor to solely focus on these pitch videos. Gonna be using lemlist to blast them out at scaling them next quarter! - Adrian, Dragonfruit Media

Key takeaways

So, what should you keep in mind if you want the same or even better results than Adrian?

  1. “Show, don’t tell” -> If you are pitching a certain product or service to a client, make sure to demonstrate your expertise just like their video business did with a video pitch.
  2. “Go the extra mile” -> Just like they did, investing 30 hours per pitch video may seem like a daunting task to do, but it was an outreach game-changer.
  3. “There is less competition at the top” -> If you want outsized returns, invest in methods that nobody else is willing to do.

And for more outreach strategies and templates, join the lemlist family, the community where you can get daily advice on how to create better cold email campaigns. 🚀

P.S. Dragonfruit crew put together a YouTube mini-course open to any lemlister excited to learn more about acquiring traffic from YouTube. You can check it out here.

If you wanna get more replies and conversions, our eBook How to write a cold email that gets replies to get even more actionable tips for the best outreach results.

Mihaela Cicvaric
Content Marketing Manager @ lempire | Sharing everything you need to get replies to your cold emails
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G2 Rating
Price
Best for
Standout feature
Con
4.9
star
star
star
star
star
$30/mo
$75/mo
$2,999/mo
Large, distributed sales teams
AI evaluation precision, gamified KPIs
Lack of tracking system
4.6
star
star
star
star
star-half
Not publicly available
Sales operations and finance teams
Powerful configurability
Limited training resources and complex to navigate
4.4
star
star
star
star
star-half
Not publicly available
Mid-market and enterprise businesses
Comprehensive incentive management
Potentially high cost and steep learning curve
4.7
star
star
star
star
star-half
$15/user/mo
$40/user/mo
Enterprise: custom price
Complex sales structures and businesses of all sizes
Complex sales structures and businesses of all sizes
Steep learning curve
4.6
star
star
star
star
star-half
Not publicly available
Collaborative teams
Connected planning
Complexity and steep learning curve
4.6
star
star
star
star
star-half
Not publicly available
Companies with complex sales structures
Complex incentive compensation management (ICM) with high efficiency and accuracy
Complexity for smaller teams and potentially high costs
4.7
star
star
star
star
star-half
Not publicly available
Companies who want to automate commission calculations and payouts
Simplicity and ease of use
Lack of features like redirection
4.7
star
star
star
star
star-half
$30/user/mo
$35/user/mo
Custom: upon request
Businesses that need a comprehensive and user-friendly sales compensation management software
Ease of use and adoption
Lack of ability to configure the product based on user needs
4.8
star
star
star
star
star-half
Not publicly available
Companies with modern sales culture and businesses who want real-time insights
A built-in dispute management and real-time visibility
Users say it works slowly, customer support is slow
4.9
star
star
star
star
star
$30/user/mo
$50/user/mo
Smaller sales teams
Powerful automation
Lesser user base and average user interface
4.7
star
star
star
star
star-half
Not publicly available
Companies with scalable needs
Automated Commission Calculations
Lack of filtering by date, no mobile app
ERP vs. CRM
ERP
CRM
Summary
Backbone of a business's internal operations.
Backbone of customer-centric interactions and operations.
Goal
To centralize and streamline core business processes in a company.
To increase customer experience, satisfaction and loyalty, and boost sales.
Focus
Internal operations and processes across departments (finance, accounting, inventory, supply chain, HR, and sales).
All interactions with leads and customers.
Manages
Internal business data like financial data, inventory levels, production details, supply chain, HR info.
All customer data like contact info, purchase history, communication history, customer preferences and more.
Users
Finance, accounting, operations, supply chain, and HR departments.
Customer-facing teams like sales, marketing, and customer service.
Benefits
Streamlines operations, improves data accuracy, enhances decision-making, boosts collaboration, increases productivity.
Improves customer relationships, increases sales, strengthens customer service, personalizes marketing campaigns, provides insights.
Price
$150 per user per year on average.
$10 to $30 per user per month on average.
PRM Tool
Rating
Feature
Pro
Con
Mobile App
Integrations
Free Plan
Pricing
4.65
star
star
star
star
star-half
Org-wide alignment
User-friendly layout and database
Suboptimal as a personal CRM
square-check
Lack of tracking system
square-check
Team: $20/month
Business: $45/month
4.7
star
star
star
star
star-half
Social Media Integration
Easy contact data collection
No marketing/sales features
square-check
Lack of tracking system
square-xmark
7-day trial
$12/month
4.75
star
star
star
star
star-half
Block Functions
High customization capability
Not a dedicated CRM
square-check
Limited
square-check
Plus: €7.50/month
Business: €14/month
N/A
Open-source
Open-source flexibility
Requires extensive manual input
square-xmark
Limited
square-check
Self-hosted
$9/month or
$90/year
3.1
star
star
star
Simple iOS app
Ideal for non-tech-savvy users
iPhone only
square-check
iOS only
Limited
square-xmark
1-month trial
$1.49/month or
$14.99/month
3.6
star
star
star
star-half
Smart Contact Management
Feature-rich and flexible
Reported bugs
square-check
Rich
square-xmark
7-day trial
Premium: $13.99/month
Teams: $17.99/month
4.4
star
star
star
star
star-half
Customizable Interface
Customizable for teamwork
Pricey for personal use
square-check
Rich
square-xmark
Standard: $24/member
Premium: $39/member
4.7
star
star
star
star
star-half
Integrated Calling
Integrated Calling
Too sales-oriented & pricey
square-check
Rich
square-xmark
14-day trial
Startup: $59/user/month
Professional: $329/user/month
4.8
star
star
star
star
star
Business Card Scanning
Business Card Scanning
Mobile only
square-check
Limited
square-check
$9.99/month
4.45
star
star
star
star
star-half
160+ app integrations
Comprehensive integrations
No free app version
square-check
Rich
square-xmark
14-day trial
$29.90/month or
$24.90/month (billed annually)
Capterra Rating
Free Trial
Free Plan
Starting Price (excluding the free plan)
Maximum Price (for the most expensive plan)
Best for
4.5
star
star
star
star
star-half
square-check
14-day
square-check
€15/month/seat billed annually
€792/month/3 seats billed annually + €45/month for each extra seat
Versatility and free plan
4.2
star
star
star
star
square-check
30-day
square-xmark
But it offers reduced price to authorised nonprofit organisations
€25/user/month
€500/user/month billed annually (includes Einstein AI)
Best overall operational CRM
4.3
star
star
star
star
star-half
square-xmark
square-check
Limited to 3 users
Comprehensive incentive management
€52/user/month billed annually
Small-medium businesses and automation
4.5
star
star
star
star
star-half
square-check
14-day
square-xmark
€14/seat/month billed annually
€99/seat/month billed annually
Sales teams and ease of use
4.1
star
star
star
star
square-xmark
square-check
Limited 10 users
$9.99/user/month billed annually
$64.99/user/month billed annually
Free plan for very small teams up to 10
CRM goal
Increase the sales conversion rate for qualified leads from marketing automation campaigns by 10% in the next 6 months.
SMART Breakdown
1. Specific: It targets a specific area (conversion rate) for a defined segment (qualified leads from marketing automation).
2. Measurable: The desired increase (10%) is a clear metric, and the timeframe (6 months) allows for progress tracking.
3. Achievable: A 10% increase is possible based on historical data and potential improvements.
4. Relevant: Boosting sales from marketing efforts aligns with overall business objectives.
5. Time-bound: The 6-month timeframe creates urgency and a clear target date.
Actions
Step 1: Refine lead qualification criteria to ensure high-quality leads are nurtured through marketing automation.
Step 2: Personalize marketing automation campaigns based on lead demographics, interests, and behavior.
Step 3: Develop targeted landing pages with clear calls to action for qualified leads.
Step 4: Implement lead scoring to prioritize high-potential leads for sales follow-up.
Step 5: Track and analyze campaign performance to identify areas for optimization.
Outcomes
Increased sales and revenue
Improved marketing automation ROI
Marketing and sales alignment
Data-driven marketing optimization
Table
CDP Software
CRM Software
Approach
Data-centric
Customer-centric
Focus
Interactions across various channels and touchpoints, both online and offline.
Sales, marketing, and customer service interactions.
Functionality
Automatically collects, organizes, tags, and makes data available in real-time.
Helps businesses track customer interactions, sales pipelines, prospects, and service requests.
Goals
Personalized customer experiences across all channels.
Better customer relationships, streamlined processes, and improved profitability.
Benefits
Data integration, management, and accessibility, allowing for detailed analysis and segmentation.
Better communication within teams and with customers by organizing information about customer interactions and history.
Data Handling
Handles both identified and anonymous data, stitches together various data points.
Deals primarily with identified customer data.
Use Cases
Personalized marketing campaigns, targeted advertising, content customization across multiple channels.
Managing campaigns and leads, enhancing customer service, providing better customer support, increasing customer satisfaction and loyalty.
Examples
Insider, Bloomreach, Salesforce Marketing Cloud CDP
HubSpot, Salesforce Sales Cloud Lightning Professional, and Zoho CRM
CRM
Free plan
Best feature
Best for
Con
1. HubSpot CRM
square-check
Sales automation
Sales teams
Up to 1,000 contacts
2. Insightly
square-check
Custom fields
Basic needs
Not enough info about the free plan
3. Agile CRM
square-check
Deal and sales pipeline tracking
Small teams
Up to 10 users
4. Zoho CRM
square-check
Lead and contact management
Businesses of all sizes
Limited to 3 users
5. ClickUp
square-check
Unlimited tasks and unlimited members
Personal use
Up to 100MB storage
6. EngageBay
square-check
Live chat
Small and midsize enterprises
Up to 1,000 branded emails per month
7. Bitrix24
square-check
Unlimited users and 5 scrum teams
Big teams
Up to 5GB of cloud storage
8. FreshSales
square-check
Easy to use and simple setup
Beginners
Up to 3 users
9. Mailchimp
square-check
Very beginner friendly
Marketing teams
Send up to 500 branded emails per month
Type of Affiliate Marketing
Unattached
Related
Involved
Format
Paid advertising
Social media or YouTube channels
Dedicated website or blog
Focus
Quick income
Your niche
Your audience
Engagement with your audience
square-xmark
square-check
square-check
square-check
square-check
Very close connection with your audience
Pro
Little effort
Higher credibility thanks to your niche
Long-lasting and scalable
Con
Paid ads cost a lot
Potential for bias since you don’t use the thing you promote
Require time, effort, and dedication

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