10 Rules to 10X Your Lead Generation with Cold Emails

This blog is going to layout ten rules to amplify lead generation with your cold email outreach. By the end of this blog you will be equipped to refine your cold email approach from a broad strategy to a targeted one.

10 Proven Rules to Multiply Your Lead Generation Tenfold with Cold Emails.

This week’s content is courtesy of Kevin Hill, former Editor-in-Chief at FreightWaves and now the owner of Brush Pass Research. He is renowned as one of the most skilled email marketers in our industry.

Rule One: Subject Line

The subject line of your email is your front-line soldier, playing a critical role in your email strategy. It’s not just about composing a sentence; it’s about crafting the one sentence that will stand out in a crowded inbox. The effectiveness of your offer or call to action is irrelevant if your email remains unread.

Visualize your subject line as the headline of your personal newspaper. It needs to be engaging, compelling, and irresistible. Start with curiosity-driven phrases like ‘How to’ or ‘Why’ to instantly captivate your reader. Once you recognize this, you’ll notice that 99% of online ads employ this same approach.

Rule Two: Be Concise.

Consider why TV and radio ads are typically 30 seconds long. This duration matches our attention span. An ideal advertisement succinctly conveys a product’s story within this timeframe. If your email takes longer than 30 seconds to read, it’s time for a revision. Remember, simplicity is key in an era where attention is a precious commodity.

Rule Three: Is It Scannable?

If it’s not scannable, don’t send it. Your email should be visually and cognitively easy to process. Utilize short paragraphs, bullet points, and straightforward language. This helps the prospect focus solely on your offer, not the format.

Rule Four: Emphasize Precision

Distinguishing between a sharp sales email and spam. Focus on personalization and relevance. Steer clear of spam-triggering words, fonts, and excessive formatting. Specifically, avoid using bold type, colored fonts, italics, or emojis in your emails.

Rule Five: Focus on The Problem

Focus on your prospect’s problem, not your product. Like everyone, your prospect is primarily concerned with their own issues, particularly those needing immediate solutions. Without a clear problem, there’s no incentive for action. Highlight their problem – the one you can solve – making it memorable and painting a vivid picture of it. The more clearly you illustrate their problem, the more they’ll view you as the solution.

Rule Six: Foster Curiosity

Rather than giving lengthy explanations, foster curiosity. Your aim is to spark enough curiosity to override their skepticism. Encourage the prospect to seek answers, creating a sense of urgency to act. Let their curiosity lead them to your call to action.

Rule Seven: One Problem, One Solution

One problem, one solution. With attention being a costly asset, don’t dilute it. Focus your prospect’s attention on a single significant problem that only you can address. Presenting multiple problems only dilutes their focus. Stick to one problem and one solution in each email. Allocate 80% of your email to the problem and split the remaining 20% between your solution and the call to action.

Rule Eight: Limit to One Call to Action

Multiple options only complicate decision-making. Guide your prospect to the next step clearly and without distraction.

Rule Nine: Utilizing Postscript

Enhance your call to action with a postscript (P.S.). Research indicates that while we scan emails, we tend to read the P.S. thoroughly. It’s perceived as a quick way to glean maximum information. Use the P.S. effectively as an encore to your email, reinforcing your main message.

Rule Ten: Always Include a Full Signature.

SPAM emails often lack complete signatures. A full signature – with address, phone number, company name, and website – conveys trust, authenticity, and professionalism.