Cold Emails: 5 Steps Architects Use to Get More Replies

Cold emails are a great way for firms to initiate conversations with potential business partners or high-quality clients. Especially if you’re hesitant to pick up the phone and give them a call.

To clarify, a “cold email” is simply an unsolicited message used to introduce yourself or your business. The problem is that spam accounts have given cold emails a bad rap. Most will share their life story, every project they’ve ever done, and pitch their business or product over 5 paragraphs. Yikes! As a result, most cold emails get the cold shoulder.

Why does it get the cold shoulder? Because it’s all about the sender (business) rather than the recipient (client)! This is a recurring theme in bad business development tactics - can you tell by how much I write about it?

Instead, the recipient should feel as if this email was written specifically for them rather than some kind of general “spray and pray” email. A terrible cold email makes a general pitch without any specificity. A proper cold email (and the only one you should ever send) offers tremendous value to the recipient.

Today, I want to share a template that I’ve used thousands of times (yes, thousands) to achieve the best results. It has great engagement with high open rates and reply rates so you can use this to start new relationships with businesses and high-quality clients.

Why does it work so well? Because it’s short, sweet, and focuses on the recipient rather than the sender. Let’s jump in:

01 // Subject line

A cold email has two primary obstacles to overcome. The first is being seen. You need the email to be opened! (I’ll share the second challenge later)

Subject lines are the primary driver of open rates. But most subject lines don’t capture attention well (despite the capital letters and emojis 😂).

I’m going to give you a huge head start. I’ve tested SO MANY different subject lines and nothing performs better than “quick question” - just like that. No capital letters. No punctuation. No emojis.

Just a casual subject line that is relevant and drives curiosity.

02 // Personalized compliment

The first line of an email is most often where the reader makes a decision as to whether or not the content of the email is worth their time. Pitching in the first line is a quick way to get your email deleted.

Instead, start with a personalized compliment based on some cursory research. Is it a developer with projects that you appreciate? Is it a local coffee shop owner with the best beans in town? Is it a brewery with your favorite IPA? You get the picture.

• "I noticed that you’re the {title of recipient} of {business/project/work/article/etc.} - {specific compliment}."

For example:

• "I noticed you’re the owner of 123 Coffee - I’m a huge fan of your dark roast and drink it almost every morning."

Congratulations, you’ve captured their attention.

03 // Common problem

Now it’s time to utilize your experience with ideal clients. What are their common problems? What keeps them up at night? What’s the first thing that they always mention?

• "What I’m hearing from {title/category of recipient} like you is that {common problem} which means {bad outcome}."

For example:

• "What I’m hearing from downtown business owners like you is that lines and seating always feel crowded, which causes a lot of customers to leave before purchasing anything."

Now they’re very intrigued because you’re speaking directly to an issue that they’re experiencing.

04 // Transformation

This is where you exemplify that you can solve their primary problem. Remember your transformation statement? Use it along with one metric of social proof.

• "{Firm name} has helped {metric} {transformation statement}."

For example:

• "My firm, ABC architects, has helped more than 20 downtown business owners implement more efficient layouts in less than 8 weeks."

Yes, that’s it. A very short statement that explains the primary benefit you offer to them.

05 // Call-to-action

Remember when I said that a cold email has two primary obstacles? The first obstacle I mentioned is being seen (getting opened). The second obstacle is getting a reply.

You’ve captured their attention with a compliment, reminded them of a big problem, and shown that you can resolve said problem. They are primed and ready to learn more about how you can help them. You just have to make it easy to do so with a call-to-action (CTA).

Here are some of my favorites?

• Does it make sense to explore how we can {positive outcome}?

• Open to learning how we can do the same for you?

• Is this a problem that you’re experiencing?

• Have you explored {solution} before?

• Interested in chatting further?

TL;DR

Most cold emails go unnoticed. But by focusing the content on the recipient, you can start conversations with potential business partners and high-quality clients.

Here’s the full template:

"Subject line: quick question

Hi {first name},

I noticed that you’re the {title of recipient} of {business/project/work/article/etc.} - {specific compliment}.

What I’m hearing from {title/category of recipient} like you is that {common problem} which means {bad outcome}.

{Firm name} has helped {metric} {transformation statement}.

{CTA}

{sender name}"

For example:

"Hi Gail,

I noticed you’re the owner of 123 Coffee - I’m a huge fan of your dark roast and drink it almost every morning.

What I’m hearing from downtown business owners like you is that lines and seating always feel crowded, which causes a lot of customers to leave before purchasing anything.

My firm, ABC architects, has helped more than 20 downtown business owners implement more efficient layouts in less than 8 weeks.

Open to learning how we can do the same for you?

Tyler"

And don’t forget to manage and organize your outreach efforts!

Enjoy all of your replies 🙂