Cold email works when it’s short, specific, and obviously written for one person. Do your homework before you send: reference something real about their business. Delete anything that sounds like a mail merge. Pick the variant that fits, and never send more than one follow-up.
Variant 1 — the observation (lead with something you noticed)
Subject: [SPECIFIC THING — “your booking page on mobile”]
Hi [FIRST NAME],
I came across [BUSINESS NAME] while [HOW YOU FOUND THEM — genuine reason] and noticed [SPECIFIC, HONEST OBSERVATION — “the contact form doesn’t work on my phone”].
I help [WHO YOU HELP] with [WHAT YOU DO], and this is exactly the kind of thing I fix. Worth a quick chat?
If not, no worries — thought it was worth flagging either way.
[YOUR NAME] [LINK TO PORTFOLIO]
Variant 2 — the offer (lead with a concrete result)
Subject: [RESULT — “more booked jobs from the traffic you already get”]
Hi [FIRST NAME],
Quick note. I help [TYPE OF BUSINESS] turn [INPUT — “website visitors”] into [OUTCOME — “booked appointments”], usually by [YOUR APPROACH IN A FEW WORDS].
I recently did this for [SIMILAR CLIENT / TYPE] and [HONEST RESULT — only if true].
If getting more out of [THEIR THING] is on your list this quarter, I’d be glad to share a couple of ideas specific to [BUSINESS NAME] on a short call. Open to it?
[YOUR NAME]
Variant 3 — the follow-up (send once, a few days later, only if no reply)
Subject: Re: [ORIGINAL SUBJECT]
Hi [FIRST NAME],
Floating this back up in case it got buried. No pressure — if now isn’t the right time, just let me know and I’ll leave you to it.
If it’s easier, here’s an example of similar work: [LINK].
[YOUR NAME]
This template is a starting point, not legal advice. Check your local anti-spam rules (an opt-out and a real address are usually required) before sending cold email.