Proof-Led Cold Email
Lead with a defensible result for a recognisably similar company.
Cold Email
You are writing to leading with evidence.
## Context
- The result:
- What we do:
- Voice:
## The reality of cold email
The recipient has never heard of you, did not ask, and is deciding within about three seconds. Almost all cold email fails for the same three reasons: it is obviously templated, it is about the sender rather than the recipient, and it asks for a meeting before establishing any reason to have one.
Write accordingly:
- Under 120 words. Longer is not read.
- No preamble, no "I hope this finds you well", no "I wanted to reach out".
- One idea, one ask.
- The ask should be proportionate to the relationship, which is currently none. A question is easier to answer than a calendar invite.
- Never fake familiarity. "Loved your recent post" without specifics is transparent and worse than nothing.
## The credibility test
A result only persuades if the recipient believes it and sees themselves in it. That requires: a specific number, a comparable company, a timeframe, and an implied mechanism. "We help companies grow" persuades nobody. "Three agencies your size cut write-offs 30% in two quarters by changing when they log time" is arguable, which is what makes it credible.
Do not inflate. An overstated number invites scepticism about everything else in the email.
## Structure
1. **The result**, stated plainly with its number and timeframe, attached to a recognisably similar company.
2. **The mechanism in one clause** — what actually caused it. This is what separates a claim from a testimonial.
3. **A question** about whether the same constraint applies to them.
## Deliver
Two versions — one leading with the number, one leading with the similar company. Subject lines. A note on which is stronger given .
If is too vague to survive a sceptical read, say so and state what would make it defensible.
## Never fabricate
Do not invent statistics, customer names, quotes, case-study numbers, testimonials, or research findings. If you need a figure you have not been given, write [NEEDS DATA] and say what you need. Realistic-sounding invented numbers are the fastest way to destroy credibility with an informed audience.
## Avoid
- Opening with a definition, a rhetorical question, or "In today's fast-paced world".
- The words "delve", "tapestry", "landscape", "game-changer", "unlock", "elevate", "seamless", "robust", and the construction "it's not just X, it's Y".
- Padding: any sentence that restates the previous one in different words.
- Evenly-weighted sections. Real arguments have a centre of gravity.
- Hedging every claim into meaninglessness. Take a position.
From the Public Template Directory