According to a McKinsey study, cold emailing is 40 times more effective than social media. Despite this amazing fact, most marketers fail to reach the recipients’ inboxes. Even if they do, their messages fail to stand out in the crowd of emails in the inbox. 

In this blog post, let’s go beyond the usual cold emailing tips and explore the 5 Unconventional Tips to Make Your Cold Emails Stand Out in a Crowded Inbox.

Understanding Your Target Audience

Understanding your target audience is crucial for successful cold outreach. This is because tailoring your message to resonate with the recipient's role and challenges significantly increases the chances of grabbing their attention and fostering a meaningful connection. Let's break down why and how to understand your recipients:

Why is Understanding the Target Audience Essential?

• Stand Out in a Crowded Inbox: In a sea of generic emails flooding the inboxes of SEO specialists, content creators, marketers, and others, personalized messages stand out. Recipients are more likely to open and engage with emails that directly address their needs and concerns.
• Build Trust and Connection: By demonstrating a genuine interest in the recipient's work and providing valuable solutions to their specific problems, you build trust. This approach goes beyond the typical "Hello-Sir-I-have-high-quality sites" tactics, creating a connection that can lead to fruitful collaborations.
• Relevance is Key: Tailoring your cold outreach to the pain points and interests of your target audience makes your message more relevant. This relevance increases the likelihood that recipients will see the value in your proposal and take the desired action.

5 Unconventional Tips to Make Your Cold Emails Stand Out in a Crowded Inbox

1. Writing Hooking Subject Lines

Writing an attention-grabbing email subject line is crucial for the success of your cold emails. Here are some best practices and tips to ensure your subject line stands out in a crowded inbox:

• Be Concise and Clear: Keep your subject line concise and to the point. Aim for clarity to convey the main message in a few words.
• Personalize Whenever Possible: Use the recipient's name or company name to create a sense of personalization. Personalized subject lines often capture attention more effectively.
• Create a Sense of Urgency: Incorporate words that convey urgency without being overly pushy. Phrases like "Limited Time Offer" or "Act Now" can prompt quicker responses.
• Pose a Compelling Question: Frame your subject line as a question that piques curiosity. This can stimulate engagement by prompting recipients to seek answers in your email.
• Highlight a Benefit or Solution: Clearly communicate the value or benefit the recipient will gain by opening the email. Make it evident why your email is worth their time.
• Use Numbers and Statistics: Incorporate numbers or statistics to add credibility and make your subject line more compelling. For example, "Increase Your ROI by 20% with [Your Solution]."
• Avoid All Caps and Excessive Punctuation: Refrain from using all capital letters or excessive punctuation as they can be perceived as spammy. Maintain a professional and polished appearance.
• Tailor to the Recipient's Role: Consider the recipient's role and industry. Craft subject lines that are relevant to their specific challenges or interests.
• Create a Curiosity Gap: Craft subject lines that create a curiosity gap, leaving the recipient intrigued and wanting to know more. However, ensure the content delivers on the curiosity generated.

Remember, the subject line is your cold email's first impression, determining whether your email gets opened or ignored. By incorporating these cold email best practices, you increase the likelihood of grabbing attention and sparking interest in your cold emails. Keep refining your approach based on feedback and analytics to optimize subject lines for maximum impact.

The ideal length of a cold email subject line is typically short and concise, typically ranging between 6 to 10 words. However, the length can vary based on the context, industry, and your specific audience. Short cold email subject lines are more likely to be read and understood quickly, making them effective for grabbing attention.

Certainly! Here are ten examples of attention-grabbing subject lines for cold emails:

• "John, Boost Your Sales with Our Proven Strategies!"
• "Unlock the Secret to 3x ROI Inside..."
• "Last Chance: Exclusive Offer Ends Today!"
• "Revolutionize Your Workflow with [Your Solution]"
• "Ever Wondered How to Skyrocket Your Online Presence?"
• "Discover How 90% of Businesses Improved SEO with Us"
• "Transforming [Industry] Success: Let's Collaborate!"
• "Exciting News! [New Feature/Product] Just Launched"
• "Solving [Specific Challenge] - Your Solution Inside"
• "Why Did the Marketer Cross the Road? To Open This Email!"

Remember, the effectiveness of email subject lines can vary depending on your audience, industry, and the context of your email. A/B testing different subject lines can help you identify which types resonate best with your target audience.

2. Personalize Your Cold Emails

Personalization is highly relevant and crucial in cold emails. Personalizing your emails helps you establish a connection with the recipient, making your message more relevant and engaging. Here's why personalization matters in cold emails:

• Relevance: Personalized emails are tailored to the individual recipient, addressing their specific needs, interests, or pain points. This increased relevance makes the email more compelling and resonant.
• Higher Open and Response Rates: When recipients see their name or other personalized details in the subject line or body of the email, they are more likely to open and engage with the message. 
• Building Trust and Connection: Personalization adds a human touch to your emails, showing that you've done your homework and are genuinely interested in the recipient. Building trust and a connection increases the likelihood that the recipient will consider your message seriously.
• Avoiding Generic Impressions: Generic or one-size-fits-all emails can be easily ignored or marked as spam. Personalization helps you stand out from the crowd by demonstrating that your message is crafted specifically for the individual recipient.
• Tailoring Content to Roles and Industries: Personalization goes beyond using the recipient's name. It involves understanding their role, industry, and challenges. Tailoring your content to align with these aspects makes your email more meaningful and valuable.
• Customizing Offers and Solutions: By knowing more about the recipient, you can customize your offers and solutions to fit their needs better. This targeted approach increases the chances of a positive response.
• Positive Brand Perception: Personalized communication contributes to a positive perception of your brand. It shows that you value your recipients as individuals rather than just targets in a mass outreach campaign.

To effectively personalize your cold emails:

- Use the recipient's name.

- Reference specific details about their role or industry.

- Mention mutual connections or shared interests.

- Tailor your message to address their pain points or challenges.

However, it's essential to strike a balance. Overpersonalization can be invasive, such as using too much personal information or being overly familiar. Finding the right level of personalization for your audience is vital to successful cold email campaigns.

3. Use Only One CTA

The number of calls-to-action (CTAs) in a cold email depends on the complexity of your message and the specific goals of your email campaign. However, as a general guideline, it's advisable to limit the number of CTAs to one or two. Here's why:

• Clarity and Focus: A single, clear CTA helps maintain focus and avoids overwhelming the recipient. A focused message increases the likelihood that the recipient will understand and take the desired action.
• Avoiding Decision Paralysis: Too many CTAs can lead to decision paralysis, where the recipient is unsure of which action to take or becomes overwhelmed by choices. Simplifying the options makes it easier for the recipient to respond.
• Tracking and Analytics: Having a single CTA makes it easier to track and analyze the effectiveness of your email campaign. If there are multiple CTAs, it may be challenging to attribute conversions to specific actions and accurately measure your campaign's success.
• Message Relevance: Each CTA in your email should align with the primary goal or message of the email. Having multiple CTAs risks diluting your message and confusing the recipient about the intended action.
• Directing the Recipient: A well-crafted email typically has a primary objective, whether it's scheduling a call, downloading a resource, or visiting a website. A single CTA directs the recipient toward that specific goal, increasing the chances of achieving the desired outcome.

However, there may be cases where including a secondary CTA is appropriate, such as offering an alternative action for recipients not ready for the primary CTA. In such cases, make sure the secondary CTA is presented as an alternative and it doesn't distract from the main objective.

Here are examples of effective calls-to-action (CTAs) for cold emails tailored to different scenarios:

• "Schedule a 15-Minute Consultation"
• "Book a Call to Discuss Your [Specific Need]"
• "Start Your Free Trial Today"
• "Get Your Free E-book Now"
• "Share Your Thoughts in Our Quick Survey"
• "Explore [Product/Feature] on Our Website"
• "Let's Connect on LinkedIn for More Insights"
• "Claim Your Exclusive 10% Discount"
• "Know Someone Who Could Benefit? Refer Them!"
• "Introduce Us to Your Colleagues for Rewards"
• "RSVP for Our Exclusive Networking Event"

4. Add Social Proof with Credible Numbers

Adding social proof with numbers can be a powerful trust-building element in cold emails. Numbers, statistics, and specific data prove your credibility, success, and the value you've delivered to others. Here's why social proof in cold email with numbers is effective in building trust:

• Credibility and Authority: Concrete numbers lend credibility to your claims and establish you as an authority in your field. Quantifiable data reinforces your expertise, whether it's the number of satisfied customers, successful projects, or measurable results.
• Demonstrating Success Stories: Including numerical results from previous clients or customers showcases real-world success stories. For example, "Increased ROI by 30%" or "Helped 100+ businesses achieve [specific outcome]" highlights your ability to deliver tangible benefits.
• Boosting Confidence: Numbers create a sense of confidence and transparency. When prospects see measurable achievements, they are more likely to trust that you can deliver on your promises.
• Specificity Creates Impact: Specific numbers have a more significant impact than general statements. Instead of saying, "Many clients have seen improvement," you could say, "89% of our clients experienced a noticeable increase in [desired outcome]."
• Differentiating from Competitors: Including data sets you apart from competitors who may make claims without providing evidence. It reinforces that your offerings have been quantifiably beneficial to others.
• Addressing Skepticism: In cold emails, where gaining trust is often challenging, social proof with numbers can help alleviate skepticism. It provides a more concrete basis for prospects to believe in your value.

When incorporating social proof with numbers in cold emails:

• Be specific and use relevant metrics directly related to the recipient's potential concerns or interests.
• Highlight key achievements, milestones, or positive outcomes.
• Showcase testimonials, reviews, or endorsements that include quantitative results.
• Consider visual elements, such as infographics or charts, to present data in an easily digestible format.
• Overall, social proof with numbers adds a layer of authenticity and substantiates your claims, contributing to the overall trustworthiness of your cold email outreach.

5. Keep It Short and Simple 

The ideal length of a cold email is generally concise and focused. A good rule of thumb is to keep your cold email between 50 and 125 words, though the exact length may vary based on factors like your industry, the complexity of your message, and your relationship with the recipient. Here's why a shorter length is often recommended:

People have limited attention spans, especially when it comes to emails. Keeping your message brief increases the likelihood that the recipient will read it. A concise email is more likely to maintain clarity and focus on the main message or call-to-action. Avoiding unnecessary details ensures that your key points are not lost in a sea of information.

A short and to-the-point email respects the recipient's time and increases the chances of them engaging with your message. Many people check their emails on mobile devices. Shorter emails are more mobile-friendly and can be quickly read and responded to on the go. If your message requires more detail, consider breaking it into short paragraphs, using bullet points, or attaching relevant documents.

Remember to focus on the recipient's needs and benefits, be clear about your purpose, and include a strong call to action. Testing different email lengths with your specific audience can also help you determine what works best for your cold email campaigns.

Conclusion 

Writing the perfect cold email is the fine balance between creativity, personalization, value-addition, and the offer. If you pay close attention to your subject line and incorporate a personal approach, you may significantly increase the success of your cold email outreach.

• Tailor your emails to your audience's specific needs and interests, whether they are other SEOs, link builders, content creators, or PR/marketing specialists.
• Choose optimal times and days to send your cold emails, and focus on mid-week mornings for higher open rates.
• Clearly state the desired action, making the CTA specific, actionable, and easy to follow.
• Implement a well-timed follow-up strategy, considering busy schedules and reiterating the value proposition in subsequent communications.