Cold Email for Startups: How to Write One That Gets Replies
A cold email gets replies when it is about the recipient, not you: one researched detail that shows why you are writing to them, their problem in a sentence, how you help, and one small, easy ask. Keep it under about 100 words.
By Javier Alonso, Founder & CEO. Updated .
The structure
- Subject line: short, specific, lower-case often works. "Late invoices at [company]?"
- First line: a real detail about them, such as a post they wrote, a job they are hiring for or a product they launched.
- Problem: the pain you think they have, in their language.
- Proof: one line on how you help, ideally with a result for someone similar.
- Ask: one low-effort next step. "Worth a 10-minute look?" beats "Can we book 30 minutes?"
Template
Subject: [their problem] at [company]?
Hi [name], I saw [specific detail about them].
Teams like yours often [problem] because [reason]. We help [similar customers] [outcome], for example [short result].
Would it be useful if I sent a two-minute video showing how it would work for [company]?
[Your name], [role]
Example
Subject: no-shows at Riverside Physio?
Hi Ana, I saw you are hiring a second receptionist at Riverside Physio.
Clinics your size often add front-desk staff mainly to handle reminder calls. We send automatic text reminders that work with your booking system, and one three-therapist clinic cut no-shows by about a third in two months.
Would a two-minute video showing how it would look for Riverside be useful?
Sam, founder
Rules that improve reply rates
- Send fewer, better emails. Ten researched emails beat a thousand generic ones, and protect your domain's reputation.
- Follow up, politely. One or two short follow-ups a few days apart often get more replies than the first email.
- Write like a person. No marketing language, no images, no attachments.
- Measure replies, not opens. Open tracking is unreliable. Positive replies are what matter.
- Follow the law. Email marketing rules differ by country. Many require you to identify yourself, give a way to opt out and handle personal data properly. Check the rules where your recipients are.
Use cold email to learn
Early on, cold email is also a research tool. If nobody replies, the problem is likely the audience or the message, not your sending volume. Change one thing at a time, such as the segment, the problem statement or the ask, and compare reply rates over batches of 20 to 30 emails.
For your role
- Service providers
- For services, a specific observation about the prospect's business, such as their site speed or ad copy, is the strongest possible first line.
Primary sources
- CAN-SPAM Act: A Compliance Guide for Business — U.S. Federal Trade Commission
- Do Things That Don't Scale — Paul Graham
Common questions
- How do I write a cold email that gets replies?
- Research the recipient, open with a detail about them, state their problem, show briefly how you help and ask for one small next step. Keep it short.
- How long should a cold email be?
- Short: roughly 50 to 125 words. Long cold emails are skimmed or ignored.
- How many follow-ups should I send?
- One or two, a few days apart, each adding something useful. Stop if the person asks you to.
- Is cold email legal?
- In many countries it is, under conditions such as identifying yourself, offering an opt-out and having a legitimate reason to contact the person. Rules vary, so check them for the countries you email.
Put it into practice
GTM Strategist builds positioning and messaging you can use in outreach.