How To Use Humor In Sales Emails [+ Examples]

Funny sales emails: Can you make them laugh & compound sales growth at the same time?

Yes! We’ve done it ourselves.

What's the secret recipe for "tasty" humor in emails?

I'll spill the beans in this article, crafting two comedic sales emails targeting different audiences.

These recipes aren't just for laughs; they've seasoned my email campaigns with double-digit reply rates and contributed to 20% month-over-month growth when I became the Head of Growth of lemlist in 2019.

Eager for templates? Check these:

• Funny sales email for startups
• Funny sales email for bigger clients

But, first things first...

Does Funny Sound Professional, mm?

If I had a dollar for the number of conversations I had around this topic, I'd have enough to take my friends out for a few drinks.

What About Formal Industries?

Moving from a traditional industry to lemlist taught me one thing - laughter is universal.

Forget the old-school view that jokes are off-limits in serious industries.

The Secret To Tasteful Humor?

Email like a standup comic: pick a relatable industry pain, tell a funny, empathetic story about it.

It's not meme overload, but a clever, light-hearted take that resonates.

That's your ticket to emails that entertain and connect.

Email VS Social Media? All The Same!

In the cold email tool space, humor was my secret sauce.

By injecting the same wit from our social media into emails, we saw a 20% monthly growth spurt. Who says you can't mix business with pleasure?

How To Tastefully Add Humor In Your Cold Emails

For this article, just for fun, I've challenged myself to send two cold email campaigns to reel in more clients for lemlist.

Different audiences - using humor for both…

The whole 9 yards and we're going to do it together!

Plus, I've already shown you my templates on our blog, so you know I'm not just sweet talking.

#1 Using humor to bring startups onboard

Cold emailing startups is fun!

The fact that most of them operate in the same environment opens up a ton of ways to connect.

But let's imagine that in my research, I've discovered that they are struggling to convert people from their inbox.

To address this, I run my campaigns in batches of 50 prospects per week. This approach allows for thorough research and the creation of micro-segments, enabling tailored content.

For example, if prospects are all from Australia, I can personalize my video content with country-relevant questions.

This strategy avoids the need for individual videos for each prospect, opting instead for segment-specific personalization.

Why will this cold email work?

• Humor - it captures attention right away!
• Personalized - it lets our readers know your email is for them specifically, boosting chances of link clicks & replies.
• Tailored Videos - gives us a chance to drill deeper into the value we offer.
• It simplifies! We highlight the ease of our solution to make the decision-making process easier.
• We focus on sharing, not selling - by starting with value, we establish trust & authority.

Meanwhile, our system efficiently automates text and image integration from CSV files - during that time, I'm chilling and waiting for emails to roll out. 🛀🏻

#2: Using humor to sign bigger sales teams

The concept I'm exploring centers on tackling email deliverability challenges that I've noticed are affecting my target audience.

For instance, I might uncover that the individual I'm planning to email is an enthusiast of Formula 1. I've actually utilized this approach before, though it wasn't in the context of email deliverability.

However, the angle I'm considering now will be instantly familiar to any Formula 1 aficionado.

This means it's exceptionally tailored, possibly resonating with just a select few individuals, or even just one person.

Why will this cold email template work?

When pitching busy people, research matters even more - identifying their problem and being straightforward about it is the strategy I rely on.

Let's break down the email template:

• Connecting on common interests! This helps me grab their attention and have them read the rest of my email
• Personalized image... F1 reference in the intro assists in not having the prospect consider the image insulting (plus, it fits perfectly to the context of my pitch!)
• Email deliverability and lemwarm... I know what their team needs and the proof I'm sending is an easy-to-understand solution.

Wrap-up: How To Be A Funny Sales Guy?

It’s pretty simple:

1. Know Your Stuff: Get the lowdown on your prospect's industry and pain points - your humor needs to hit the mark, not just be a vague, generic comment.
2. Stay Relevant: Keep an eye on current events and find common interests with your prospect. This shared ground is key for humor.
3. Balance is Key: Don't be overly serious, but don't overdo the jokes either.

The idea of injecting humor into sales started around that time when social media was flaring up with memes, puns and pop-culture references.

Ever since I was hooked by it’s global appeal and potential for more human-centered sales.

Pro tip: soak up as many movies, TV shows, standup specials, and funny social media profiles as you can for inspiration.

I'm a big movie and TV buff, and that's where I get my best ideas.

Then, it's all about tailoring a scene or a joke to your prospect and their specific challenges.