Cold Emailing - Humanlinker

Have you ever sent an email that never got a response? It's frustrating, isn't it? spending time writing a message, refining each word and hoping for a response… and ultimately, nothing: radio silence.

The problem is not what you offer, but rather how you present it. An email that is too generic, not engaging enough and poorly targeted: it is guaranteed trash. However, well-thought-out cold emailing is a real tool for capturing the attention of your prospects and creating opportunities.

But then how to go about it? 

What are the best practices? 

In this article, we share practical tips and concrete examples to transform your cold emails into engaging conversations. No magic formula, just simple and effective techniques to boost your prospecting.

Ready to write emails that get a response? Here we go! 

What is cold emailing?

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The definition of the emailing code is a prospecting method which consists of sending an email to a person with whom you do not have a prior relationship. 

The objective? grab their attention, arouse their interest and initiate a conversation.

The idea behind this approach is simple: send a personalized and relevant message to capture your prospect's attention and start a professional relationship. This could be a presentation of your product, a service, or even a simple introduction. 

Cold emailing is therefore a direct and effective strategy for getting in touch with new prospects.

Why “cold emailing” is important in commercial prospecting

The emailing code is an essential tool for modern commercial prospecting. 

For what ? 

Because it allows you to directly reach qualified prospects without having to invest in the most expensive methods, such as traditional advertising or trade shows. It gives you the ability to precisely target people who might be interested in your offer.

Plus, it lets you start a conversation smoothly and professionally. 

Used well, cold emailing can not only open doors but also establish lasting and fruitful relationships. It is an accessible, flexible and measurable method that can be adapted according to the specific needs of your business.

Cold emailing can offer many advantages when used correctly in a prospecting strategy. 

How can it transform your business approach, while being both simple and effective?

Here is some numbers to know: 

• 8 out of 10 prospects prefer email to telephone when it comes to prospecting (because it is a less intrusive method); 
• The response rate for a cold email is between 1 and 5%, depending on the recipient but above all on the personalization of the content. 

The advantages of cold emailing

✅ Access to a wide audience

The emailing code allows you to reach a large number of prospects without having to spend hours prospecting individually. This opens the door to opportunities that would otherwise be difficult to achieve.

✅ Customization possible

Unlike other prospecting methods, each email can be personalized to specifically meet the prospect's needs, creating a more engaging and relevant experience.

✅ Saves time and resources

Less time spent on the phone, no travel necessary. A simple, well-written email can start a conversation, which saves valuable time in prospecting.

✅ Precise targeting

Cold emailing allows you to specifically target prospects who have real potential. You can easily tailor your messages based on the market segments you want to reach. This makes your lead generation easier. 

✅ Relatively low costs

Compared to other forms of prospecting (advertising, events), emailing code remains an inexpensive method. The investment is primarily in time and creativity, not massive advertising spend.

✅ Automation of prospecting

Thanks to automation tools, it is possible to schedule mass mailings while personalizing messages. This allows you to prospect efficiently while saving time.

✅ Easy Tracking

You can track the results of your email code campaigns in real time. Whether it's open rate, clicks or responses, you can quickly adapt your approach to maximize results.

 ✅ Scalability

Cold emailing allows you to adapt the size of the campaign to your needs. You can start with a few emails and expand to hundreds or thousands, while maintaining personalization.

✅ Generation of quality leads

Well-targeted and well-written cold emailing can generate P-qualified leads, those who are truly interested in what you offer. It’s a way to attract interested prospects in a more organic way.

✅ Measurability of results

You can analyze and measure every step of the process, from opening to response, enabling continuous improvement of your campaigns

✅ Ease of integration into a multi-channel strategy

Cold emailing can be easily integrated into other prospecting actions: social networks, telephone calls or advertising. This helps create a cohesive and comprehensive approach to achieving your business goals.

With these many advantages, the emailing code is a powerful tool to boost your prospecting, increase your chances of success while remaining flexible and economical. 

Prepare an effective cold emailing campaign

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Launching an effective cold emailing campaign is a real strategy that requires preparation to be truly impactful. 

So what are the steps you can take to increase the impact of your campaigns and achieve your business goals?

Build a list of ultra-qualified prospects to maximize the ROI of your cold emailing campaigns

Cold emailing, even well executed, remains ineffective without a precise target. A well-constructed prospect list makes the difference between an ignored message and an email that sparks interest.

• A precise segmentation based on criteria such as positions held, specific needs, or sector challenges.

• Of the powerful tools, such as Humalinker, to locate relevant profiles without wasting time.

• A regular data checking to ensure you only contact active addresses and avoid costly mistakes. 

With a well-designed list, you don't just increase response rates: you improve your ROI.

The importance of an eye-catching object

A good email starts with a good subject line. This is what makes a prospect click or completely ignore your message. It’s not about flashy phrases, it’s about capturing attention with authenticity.

With short and impactful objects, it shows that you are going straight to the point. Smart personalization further reinforces the message, such as including the recipient's name or a specific reference to their industry.

A good object is like a window: if it is poorly designed, no one will bother to enter. You need to create an eye-catching email. 

How to personalize your message

A generic message often goes to the trash. Every prospect wants to feel like they are more than just a contact in a database. Advanced personalization is therefore essential to establish an authentic connection

• Details about the prospect's challenges or successes, which show that you took the time to learn.

• A adaptation of tone warmer or more formal depending on the context to create a natural conversation.

• A structure clear that guides the reader by highlighting the key points from the start.

Personalize proves that your email was written for a specific person, and not for an indistinct mass. Remember that only 23.9% of cold emails are opened, personalization is essential. 

The best tool on the market for personalizing your content: Humanlinker ! Thanks to the DISC method and artificial intelligence, Humanlinker knows your prospects by heart and writes personalized content for you. 

To test, it’s free, and it’s here 👇

Best practices to arouse the recipient's interest

Once the email is opened, the challenge is to maintain attention. A well-crafted message leaves no room for doubt about its relevance or value.

• By aligning a value proposition with the prospect’s needs, this will immediately show why your offer may interest them.
• By creating call to action clearly, it will immediately capture the recipient’s interest. This is done in one simple gesture, like answering or scheduling a call.
• The ton used will also work in your favor since it will make you want to continue the exchange without appearing insistent.

 Every detail counts to transform an email into a collaboration opportunity.

Write and optimize cold emails

Cold emailing is a subtle order. The objective? Get a response without appearing intrusive. 

Succeeding requires a combination of strategy and best practices. Here's how to structure your emails to increase their impact while avoiding classic mistakes.

How to write an effective cold email?

To capture attention, each email must be thought of as a conversation. This requires a powerful introduction, a clear idea and an engaging conclusion. No need for long paragraphs or complicated terms: simple, straightforward language works best.

A good method is to focus on the specific challenges or goals of the person being contacted. Rather than selling directly, ask a question or offer a solution to a specific problem. The tone, for its part, must remain human and accessible.

How to increase the response rate?

Here are some simple but effective tips: 

• A personalization push based on the prospect’s interests or project.

• And call to action engaging, such as an invitation for a quick exchange or an open question.

• And sending at the right time, generally at the start of the week and in the morning.

How to personalize a cold email?

The personalization is your best ally to stand out from the crowd. It starts with in-depth research on your prospects. Refer to specific elements such as recent news or a need identified in their sector.

Here is an example: 

In this email you will find: 

• recent information about the company 
• a pain point (buyer’s brake) 
• a call to action 

The winning combo to get a response!

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How do I prevent my emails from being considered spam?

The successful reception of your emails will depend on several factors: 

• A list of qualified and updated contacts 

• Relevant content free from overly commercial or misleading terms (too many “free”, percentage, “deal”, “offer) 
• Finally, limit the frequency of sending and respect the privacy and consent of recipients. Nobody likes unsolicited and intrusive burst messages.

By combining these practices, your cold emails will have every chance of reaching their target, having a better deliverability rate and generating responses, without going into the spam folder.

How to protect the domain reputation during a cold emailing campaign?

A good domain reputation ensures that your emails reach their target. In this case, there are several elements to take into account:

• A reliable IP address and a well-configured domain with secure protocols;

• Careful management of bounces (undelivered emails) and unsubscription to maintain a clean list;

• Use email validation tools

Artificial intelligence for cold emailing: practical examples

Artificial intelligence has completely changed the game for cold emailing. What used to take hours can now be done in just a few clicks with impressive precision.

The super powers of AI in cold emailing :

• Personalization that stands out : AI uses data to compose tailor-made messages, from tone to examples. Mention a recent project or success? It’s done in just a few clicks.

• Ideal timing : analyze the habits of recipients to send your emails when they are most receptive.

• Continuous improvement : the performance of your campaigns is deciphered and you receive advice to optimize them in real time.

Why is AI a game-changer?

With AI, no more time-consuming and repetitive tasks: segmentation, sending, analyses, everything is taken care of

With AI, it's much more efficient: each email has a real chance of landing at the right time, in the right inbox.

With AI, paradoxically, you will have an ultra-human and machine-boosted approach. 

AI has increased the possibilities in prospecting tenfold. 

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How videos integrated into cold emails increase click-through and response rates. 

Video is a good strategy to integrate into a prospecting email. Integrating a video of your cold email is like going from a simple text message to a Facetime: more human and more engaging. Emails containing a video see their click rate increase, sometimes doubling.

Some tips for getting the most out of videos :

• A miniature attractive that makes you want to click
• Short, punchy content, directly linked to the prospect's needs (no more than 2 minutes) 

• Personalization such as a message where you mention the recipient's name

With AI tools, creating videos becomes child's play. You will have more clicks, more responses, and prospects already won over before they even pick up the phone. 

Create a multi-channel sequence combining cold emailing, LinkedIn and SMS

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If you rely on a single prospecting channel: well done, you are taking risks! We find that these risks are a little unnecessary. When prospecting, it is better to go through the door AND the windows, and rely on several channels. Let's find out how to combine email, SMS and LinkedIn 👇

Why mix these three channels?

First of all, it allows you to have different points of contact. Not everyone has the same habits. Some respond best by email, others via LinkedIn, and a few prefer a text message. 

This then allows reinforce memorization. By multiplying interactions across multiple media, you and your message will be anchored in the prospect’s mind.  

Finally, each channel offers unique opportunities to personalize your approach, allowing to adapt the tone and format.

Example of a multichannel sequence

1. Day 1: Cold email 

A short, relevant and personalized message to introduce your proposal. By including an open-ended question, it will help start the conversation.

2. Day 3: The LinkedIn connection

An invitation accompanied by a simple message like:
‘’Hello [First Name], I see we share an interest in [subject]. I would like to talk with you.”

3. Day 6: Follow-up by email

Mention your LinkedIn invitation to create logic.

4. Day 10: The SMS
   
   A direct and professional message, ideal for checking receipt or kindly following up:
   ''Hello [First Name], I wanted to make sure you received my previous messages. I am available to discuss it.”

The keys to a successful sequence

• Consistency in tone and message across channels
• Well thought out timing to avoid overloading the prospect
• Automation tools to manage shipments without wasting time.

How to learn from negative responses to improve your future cold email campaigns

Receiving a “no” is frustrating, but behind every negative answer is a gold mine of information. 

The objective? Understand why your emails don't always resonate and adjust your strategy to better capture attention.

Negative answers give indications on the timing. If your prospects mention a bad time, it might be time to adjust your hours.

They also help you to have a clearer vision of needs. Some refusals point to problems that you have not addressed. 

An email that is too generic or too aggressive can also scare you away and therefore, negative responses allow you to a return to the tone. 

Don’t hesitate to ask for feedback from people who don’t respond to you, but also from those who respond to you! 

How to turn rejections into opportunities

Receiving a refusal does not mean the end of the dialogue. On the contrary, it allows you to do:

• An in-depth analysis of the responses 

Look beyond 'no'. Is there a particular problem? Do prospects mention a recurring problem such as lack of personalization or a relevant offer?

• A request for authentic feedback

A prospect who takes the time to return shows a minimum of interest. Ask a question, for example: “Thanks for your feedback, do you have any suggestions to make our approach more useful?”

• Intelligent categorization of refusals

Group the answers into different categories to understand their nature. 

• No immediate interest: to be included in future campaigns
• Inadequate target: to be removed from future lists
• Lack of relevance: to be adapted according to identified needs
  
  

• Improved targeting with each campaign

Ensure that the list of prospects better corresponds to your offer. Using lessons learned from past responses.

Negative responses are not failures. It's data. Use this feedback to evolve your campaigns towards greater precision and impact. Each well-understood “no” brings us a little closer to the long-awaited “yes”
 

What tools should I use for cold emailing?

Choosing the best tools for your cold emailing campaigns means giving yourself the means to succeed. With the right software, every step becomes simpler and more efficient, from targeting to analyzing results.

Find the right contacts

A good email starts with a good list of prospects. Tools like Hunter.io or Lush allow you to obtain verified and relevant addresses. This avoids wasting time with contacts who do not correspond to your target.

Automate while remaining personal

Sending dozens of personalized emails has never been easier. With platforms like Lemlist, you tailor each message to the recipient without sacrificing your time. You can also create an automatic sending. Humanlinker, for example, helps you enrich your campaigns with precise data to maximize your results.

Analyze and optimize your results

Understanding what works is essential to improving your campaigns. Tools like HubSpot allow you to:

• Track open and click rate
• Identify the messages that generate the most interest
• Identify the right moments when your prospects are most responsive.

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Go further

Some tools combine emailing with other channels like LinkedIn or SMS. This allows you to diversify your approaches and reach your prospects where they are most active.

With solutions like Humanlinker, you benefit from an overview of your interactions to better understand your prospects and adjust your strategy in real time. The right tool is a key asset to transform your campaigns into real success.

KPIs to evaluate the success of a cold emaling campaign

Knowing if a cold emailing campaign is working requires analyzing the right indicators. KPIs (Key performance Indicators) provide a clear view of what is working and what does not require adjustments. 

The essential metrics to monitor:

Open rate

A good open rate reveals the effectiveness of the subject line and sender name. If this figure stagnates below 20%, adjustments are necessary. Prospects should be intrigued from the first try. A good open rate can go up to 50%

Click-through rate

This figure shows whether the content and links encourage action. A low click-through rate can signal a lack of relevance or a weak call to action. A click-through rate is between 1% and 5%. 

Average response rate

A response, even negative, is a sign of commitment. This indicator shows whether the message resonates enough to trigger an interaction.

Conversion rate

The real objective remains concrete actions: appointments made, demos organized or sales made. This rate reflects the overall quality of your campaign

Unsubscribe and complaint rates

An increase in unsubscribes or spam reports alerts you to a problem. Inadequate targeting or inappropriate content are often the cause. If your unsubscribe rate exceeds 5%, there is a problem. 

Some ideas to improve your KPIs

• A precise and relevant object, which responds to a concrete problem of the prospect

• Personalized messages, adapted to each segment

• A/B tests to test different approaches and maximize performance
• Optimal timing: send emails at times when prospects are receptive.

KPIs are not just numbers. They allow you to understand what your audience appreciates and refine your strategy. Regular analysis ensures that each email sent brings you one step closer to your goals.
 

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To finish this article, I would say that emailing code remains an essential strategy for engaging prospects and generating commercial opportunities. But like any art, it requires constant method, creativity and adjustment. From creating an ultra-targeted list to analyzing KPIs, each step counts to transform a simple email into an open door to fruitful collaborations.

Tools like Humanlinker enrich this approach by facilitating the personalization and monitoring of campaigns. By integrating elements like artificial intelligence, captivating videos or multi-channel sequences, your emails won't get lost in your prospects' inboxes. 

Above all, don't be afraid of negative responses. They are a gold mine for refining your messages and better understanding the expectations of your targets. With consistent efforts and a value-focused approach, your email marketing partners will become an opportunity-creating machine.