The Proven 8-Step Formula to Make Your Cold Outreach Emails Irresistible

Read time: 3 minutes

Welcome To The Clever Letter!

Every Saturday, we’ll share an actionable lead generation guide that’ll help get your first (or next) 100 customers so you can take your business to the next level. This newsletter will remain Free forever. We hope you enjoy!

At Cleverly, we’ve helped 7,500+ customers book 153,000+ sales calls with cold outreach. If you are struggling to grow your business, click here to learn more about how we can help.

Do you agonize for hours over each outreach email, only to have it ignored without a second thought?

It's frustrating.

Demoralizing even.

But it doesn't have to be this way.

With the right strategy, your emails will:

• Cut through the noise

• Get read

• Drive meaningful conversations

Steal these copywriting formulas and your emails will capture attention and compel action.

Let's dive in...

Hook Them with Irresistible Curiosity

Great cold emails start strong.

Craft a compelling hook in your subject line and the first sentence that creates irresistible curiosity.

Give them a tantalizing taste of the value you offer.

For example: "As a Shopify merchant, I'm betting you'd love to double your referral signups. Want to know how?"

Make It Crazy Easy to Scan

Structure your email for skimming.

Use short 1-3 sentence paragraphs, frequent headers, and bulleted lists.

Help them grasp key details at a glance before deciding to read further.

• 3 sentence paragraphs

• Lists and headers

• Bold critical info

• Increased white space

This makes your message scannable and digestible.

Speak Directly to Their Pain

Prospects only care about themselves.

Understand their pain points and goals.

Use explicit examples tailored to their needs.

Keep the entire focus on helping them, not you.

For example: "Our clients typically receive 25+ referrals per month through our industry-specific campaigns."

Back It Up with Social Proof

Strengthen claims with concrete results from past customers.

Mention companies by name and impressive stats.

This builds trust and confidence.

"We helped Company X boost annual referral revenue 32% in just 6 months."

Give One Crystal Clear CTA

Every cold email needs a singular CTA focused on the next steps.

Tell them exactly what you want them to do.

No ambiguity.

For example: "Would you be open to a quick 20-minute intro call next week?"

Set Clear Follow Up Expectations

Always close by recapping the next steps and when you'll follow up.

This prevents confusion and drives action.

"I'll follow up in a few days to see if you'd like to discuss increasing referrals further."

Make It Personal

Personalize your outreach with their name, company, and custom details.

Demonstrate you're reaching out specifically to them, not just blasting generic spam.

"Hi [First Name], noticed you just expanded to a second location in Austin. Congrats! We specialize in referral marketing for multi-location companies like yours."

Final thoughts

Follow these proven rules, and your cold emails will drive more quality conversations.

The higher the response rate you get, the faster your deals will close.

Keep optimizing and refining your process over time.

Carefully crafted emails convert.

See you next week,

Nick

Whenever you are ready, there are 3 ways we can help you:

1. Cold Email Lead Generation - Get booked sales calls with your ideal clients on a pay-per-lead basis. You pay a fixed fee whenever you get a response from your ideal customer. Click here to learn more.
   

2. LinkedIn Content Service - Want to build an audience of 10,000 engaged prospects? Get attention-grabbing LinkedIn content done-for-you that scales your personal brand and drives interested prospects to message you. Click here to learn more.
   

3. LinkedIn Paid Advertising - Want to get in front of prospects you never thought possible? Our irresistible LinkedIn Ad funnels will help you grow your business rapidly. Click here to learn more.