Writing a Call to Action in a Cold Email

Alongside cold calling and social media campaigns, cold emails are one of the most effective marketing techniques to spread information about your product and engage prospects. Emailing is cost-effective, time-effective, and can be done on a large scale. But to do this effectively, the call to action in a cold email needs to be carefully calibrated around your target audience.

Writing an effective cold email takes practice. With many executives receiving hundreds of unsolicited communications every day, it’s no wonder that many cold emails go unopened and unread.

The solution? While there’s no sure-fire way to guarantee your emails will be successful, crafting a coherent call to action makes emails more appealing to prospects. Here are our tips on how to include a successful call to action in your email campaigns.

What is a Call to Action in a Cold Email?

A call to action (CTA) is an actionable step you’re inviting prospects to participate in when you send a cold email. Essentially, a call to action invites your prospect to complete a simple step like replying to an email, taking a short survey, or confirming a phone appointment. The goal of a well-crafted CTA is to gauge whether your prospects are interested in working with your company.

At the end of the day, a CTA should entice prospects to engage with your email campaign without coming across as too corporate, stilted, or impersonal. CTAs need to find a balance between approachability and professionalism.

How to Write an Effective Call to Action in a Cold Email

Now that we’ve defined how your call to action functions in a cold email, let’s get down to business when it comes to actually crafting a successful CTA.

Be Specific

Vague emails are the bane of cold campaigns. Since spam and phishing emails crop up frequently on professional email accounts, it’s important to make sure your email is specific, legitimate, and professional from the start. You want your clients to immediately recognize your authenticity.

A great way to add specificity is by outlining a particular date and time in your email. Instead of asking “when can you meet to talk?” offer the alternative, “are you available to talk tomorrow afternoon at 2pm EST.” Providing a concrete time and date gives prospects a sense of accountability and shows that you’re genuinely trying to connect with them.

Ask a Yes or No Question

The quicker and easier the response, the better. Don’t expect prospects to send back a lengthy reply. Remember, you’re the one asking for some of their valuable time.

When you ask a “yes” or “no” question in your CTA, you give your prospect permission to make their reply short and sweet. You’ll be more likely to receive a response to your email when prospects only need to take a couple seconds to answer. This way, they don’t feel like you’re wasting their time, and you still get the response you need.

Emphasize Your Value Proposition

Remind your prospects why they should be excited by your product. You’re not only selling clients the product itself, you’re also selling them the experience of working with your company. Your value proposition should include why the product is unique or notable, and how it directly improves clients’ daily life.

Whether you’re trying to score a phone call or an in-person meeting, it’s important to remind your prospects why they should engage with your brand, and how you can offer them solutions down the road.

Use Humor

Don’t be afraid to lighten the mood by infusing your cold emails with some humor. Although you want to remain professional, it’s smart to break the ice with a joke at the outset.

For attention-grabbing content within the email itself, consider using funny memes, gifs, or images to emphasize your talking points. Remember, a little goes a long way, so you don’t need to go overboard including amusing graphics in your email campaigns. The goal is to exude an approachable attitude so prospects feel comfortable reaching out to you and forming a professional connection.

Be Curious

At the end of the day, you’re trying to discover whether or not your client would be a successful fit for your business. Ask them what they are hoping to gain from the relationship, and if they have any specific problems they’re trying to address. Hopefully, you’ll gain more insight into your prospects’ current situation and be more well equipped to provide them useful solutions in the future.

Create the Perfect Marketing Plan with Acquirent

Sometimes it’s wise to ask for guidance from a professional sales development team. At Aquirent, we’re here to help you craft a unique and actionable marketing plan to help spread brand awareness and generate new leads. Our team of professional development reps can help with everything from creating a successful cold email to recruiting new team members. Get started with Acquirent today and begin the next chapter of your professional journey.