08/2017 {8 Cold Email Formulas and The Science Sehind Why They Wark - Yesware Blog y) ‘Yesware Blog W Yesware Home Free Resources Get Started with Yesware ‘Yesware Blog Yesware Product News Yesware Home Free Resources Get Started with Yesware x ‘Yesware Blog Yesware Product News Product updates and press announcements. i Email Tips, Sales 9 Cold Email Formulas That Just Plain Work by Bemie Reeder 272,567 reads Pop quiz. What is the first goal of any cold email? To get it read, Makes sense, right? So what's the primary goal of your first sentence? The surprisingly simple answer is...to get the second sentence read. Each line of a cold email must persuade the reader to read the next one, all the way through to your close, Good news: There's a proven formula for that. For years copywriters have used basic scientific principles of persuasion and influence to come up with a number of writing techniques that reliably draw readets into their content. These formulas just plain work — and can stop people in their tracks and compel them to read your cold email, Below are the nine best formulas we've come across, as seen in real-world cold email examples from Yesware sales reps and others. Give them a try and see how they might improve your reply rates. hitpsiwww yesware,comiblogicold-emall 18o/o0/2017 {8 Cold Email Formulas and The Science Sehind Why They Wark - Yesware Blog Don’t just send a cold email. Find out when it’s opened. And clicked. ‘Tight on time? jump around to any section. 1. Before-After-Bridge (BAB) 2. Problem-Agitate-Solve (PAS) 3. But You Are Free 4, Star-Chain-Hook 5, Attention ~ Interest— Desire — Action (AIDA) 6.Star-Story-Solution 7. The Reader's Digest Model 1B Plan Pieture-Push (3P"s) Bottom Line: You Don’t Have To Reinvent The Wheel Every Time 1. Before-Afler-Bridge (BAB) Before — Here's your world now After — Imagine what the world would be like if you solved this problem Bridge — Here's how to get there Open by describing a problem that is relevant to your prospect, and then describe how the world would be different if that problem didn't exist. Close by explaining how your productlidea/service can help them get there. Why it works: According to behavioral psychologists, humans are motivated to take action by two things: pleasure and pain, The BAB formula uses this universal trigger to compel readers to respond. Example: Here’s an email that was sent our way by a rep (teal name changed) from Xactly. Bi 2cosous . yore ta not comps, sls recor erent eat SOA yt Before p> Watcunesnorw nowy trong te Rov bet comms sped Xact/s compensation plato slows yout ustoize sale plan hat eter in After > payments and elmnaie me pan of eeuaing and adusting commissions fer your re . yu a ing to ge us 18 mints, can show you how on average our customers Bricge p> soa tov iowersdes wenover s%marerepsniting qua and 37 astral es. ‘Whats the best way to eam your ear for afew minutes and share how your peers are leveraging inconave pay io div corporate sratogy? 2. Problem-Agitate-Solve (PAS) Problem — Identify a pain point Agitate — Agitate that pain point Solve — Offer a solution Instead of imagining life without the problem (the “After” stage), PAS calls out the dangers in the road from point A to B and explains how your product is the weapon they need to win. ‘Why it works: Because pain is even more motivating than pleasure. People want to avoid hassle, problems, and unnecessary burdens. Example: hitpsiwww yesware,comiblogicold-emall 21808/2017 {8 Cold Email Formulas and The Science Sehind Why They Wark - Yesware Blog Careers pg + working together Hi Alex, | noticed on your careers page that you're hiring Sales Development Problem —> Reps wo ciigenty kep track of hor acvy i Salesforce, to discuss how Yesware removes this Agitate As i Yesware helps clients lke Acqula, Zenefits, and New Relic to Solve D> aggregate & automaticaly sync activ data to Salesforce to ‘+ Reduce manual Salesforce enity by thrirep/day + Cut activites per win in half + Increase booked meetings by 10-15% Would you be open to a call next week to see how we could help your team? Track Remind = oRM. Tomplatos = EaEEa0 : ° o a © 3. But You Are Free You're looking at one of the most effective persuasion techniques out there, Make a request and then tell your prospect “but you are free” to do whatever they'd like ‘Why it works: If you give someone a way out, itwill double the chance that they say ves, This practical persuasion tactic is supported by 42 psychological studies on over 22,000 people. Example: meee mae om HiYesware, Firat of, hanks forthe epi roduc - youve made the nteet bat pece be rit 1m sure you're busy. Weare an ear stage tech startup, and we are tying to bud our biog: Weve boon worknghard on tne aries to make t swesomeforfolow onvesranure and people ‘who love product, Ine arco “10 cil ques blogina ips cur son." we referenced your company. Wihout sucha (ret service ou advice to ou readers woud not be as Uefa ac. Iwas more than hapy ‘Snes in my aie, and also recommend tt anyone | know looking for sua soliton Tay request: wool ou artle o your communly. would make a word of difereraew us you Falbed] usgetoff te ground Here's a quick tweet link, ready to go: hip. 3Fx_ BYAF > | tryout raner not, | understand. | appreciate you reading this fart ‘wan gratitude, 4, Star-Chain-Hook Star — The big idea Chain — A series of facts, sources, reasons, and benefits Hook — The call to action Introduce your idea with an attention-grabbing opening, Create a chain of supporting facts, sources, and benefits to build credibility and transform attention into interest. Then, hook them with a call to action that makes it easy to take the desired next step. ‘Why it works: The key element in this cold email formula is the chain. By introducing proof points that lend credibility to your argument, you have a better shot at convincing someone to follow through. Example: This cold email was sent to us by someone (real name changed) at Conga Composer. hitpsiwww yesware,comiblogicold-emall 18990972017 9 Cols Email Formulas and The Science Behind Why They Work- Yesware Blog Conga Composer — Ready fora Free Trial?/Yesware sts BG Tosa EST] BB ocuomar SE ‘Smal businesses, Fortune 100 companies, government erties and nonpaftxganzatons all have one Star | tingincomman, “They save a whole ot of tne and money by using Conga Composer. ‘Checkout sme of ou case ste see for yours Ive as included a couple of inks that provide Chain | "#tinematon stow te roo: + Conga Composer Data Sheet POF) + Conga Comaose uncial Overview (POF) [You an str ise 3-day ial lodayo see how Ganga Composer can help serine docurnert | HOO | generation an reporting for Yesware. There's no obigtion o subscribe, and tee lectnical supped is ‘ald deg your al Ifyou have any questions about how o get stated, lease don't hesitate © rach out 5. Attention — Interest — Desire — Action (AIDA) Attention — Grab the reader’s attention, Interest — Make it personal to engage their interest. Desire — Build desire for what you're offering. Action — Ask for a response. ‘Why the cold email example below works: 1. Attention: The opening line pulls the reader in by referencing a tweet she had sent earlier that day. 2. Interest: It piques her interest by providing a reason why she should engage. 3. Desire: Classic FOMO. The fear of missing out on something increases our desire fori 4. Action: There's clear direction on what she should do after reading the email ‘Yesware ané Social Seling Experts HiBarbara, Attention—> | saw that you were interested in aking a look at Yesware via Twitter. J My coleague and | have had great success taming up wih Socal Interest ‘Selling experts like yourself. rep A few notable experts we partnered up with include: Trish Bertuzzi, Lori Desi Richardson, Jim Keenan and Craig Rosenberg. ''d love to get your feedback on Yesware’s product and explore how we Action <> could work together to share Yesware with your clients. Would you have some time next week to connect 0) 2 rmk Remind = enw Tels = Want to try two formulas to see which works best? Save templates, get reporting. 6.8t Story-Solution Star — The main character in your email. It could be you, your prospect, a product, etc, Story — Talks about how the star faces the same problem your market does. hitpsiwww yesware,comiblogicold-emall 4808/2017 {8 Cold Email Formulas and The Science Sehind Why They Wark - Yesware Blog Solution — An explanation of how the star wins in the end. ‘Why it works: When we read a story, our brain acts as if we're living it ‘That's because the brain does not make much of a distinction between reading about an experience and encountering it in real life, In each instance, the same neurological regions are stimulated. Used in a cold email, stories help your reader quickly wrap their head around the idea you're to sell them. You'll engage their attention and create an emotional connection that makes it easier to reply. Example: This is the honest-to-goodness email | used two years ago to land a job at Yesware. The rest is history. Hithere | wharbg eas wit soe oft ost invents mein the wa, Yoowasis fe SLA yaar Last week, itheiped meland feature stories in VentureBeat ard ReadWite. Two ays ago, it showed me that tne exclusive pice o Forbes was sl sting in an ino wag oe epenes (nom) Story Sol wento he Wal See Jeualartheyretakingtnstasivn, Bottom ine: | dt know about the rteral cet before | sod my ene team on ‘Yesware, and now | feel as though you guys owe me someting in return Kiseng. Roa botom n:nat orrute oth sucess of acompany natmatserme <€— SOLUTION Saou oe ay == — BEI 6 sot 7. The Reader's Digest Model In 1961, legendary copywriter John Caples analyzed Reader’s Digest to find its secrets for hooking readers in the opening, paragraph, He found that the most-suecessful articles Are fact-packed Are concise Are specific Contain few adjectives Arouse curiosity ‘Why it works: A compelling introduction makes the difference whether your email gets a reply or passed over. ‘Example: This email from Yesware Business Development Associate, Dakota McKenzie, used many of these key elements to grab his prospect's attention. (It also made a lasting impression.) Lona tore hnepowyetanssncomen. aE Les, used ging yous cal ane voiema Pate give me acl beck t S55675-0070 or sand me a not if you gel the chance. Paul ay Sil Contutant|Yesware 9. Praise-Picture-Push (3P’s) Praise — Open with a sinoot, respectful compliment Picture — Use cause-and-effect reasoning to paint picture describing how your productsrviefdes will deliver Pash — Ask them to commit ‘Why it works: The “SP” cold email formula i rooted in psychology. 1. Prise —To the bran, receiving a compliment is x much a social rwanda receiving cash 2. Picture — Studies show that when a person explains cause-and-effect, it builds trust and lends more weight to their 3, Push — Explain some, but notall, of what the reader wil get if they respond, I's what we don't now tha makes us want to investigate, discover, and agree to leam more. Example: hitpsiwww yesware,comiblogicold-emall 6808/2017 {8 Cold Email Formulas and The Science Sehind Why They Wark - Yesware Blog ‘something of interest? Hiden, ‘You have an impressive background in sales operations-- hope you're fl dp excited to kickoff the new year strong! I'm reaching out because | see Praise you head up Sales Operations, and | see a fantastic ft for {company} to increase Salesforce adoption and deal velocity with Yesware, ‘Customers ike GoodData and Adroll told us that too often data in Picture Saosoce|sinaccurte end rey need moe aneperony ote pisine. That's why they cose Yeoware to onc ema 8 calendar ules stomatal and bald SEDC rapor spect tel neds Can | have 15 min of your time Tuesday at 3pm EST to discuss some P USN ——> otyour company’s sales priorities and the type of impact Yesware could have? WY rack Remind = oi cRM Bottom Line: You Don't Have To Reinvent The Wheel Every Time ‘These copywriting formulas have been tested and proven to mesmerize, captivate, and persuade all types of audiences. Find a formula that works with your prospects, and save it as a cold email template to reuse when you need it. Looking for free email templates? WE’VE GOT 18 icemreviorotinns an P.S. You can save the formulas above as re-usable templates (with reporting on opens). Written by Bernie Reeder Follow @bemiereeder Marketing Strategist at Yesware, hitpsiwww yesware,comiblogicold-emall 718o/o0/2017 {8 Cold Email Formulas and The Science Sehind Why They Wark - Yesware Blog 2 Superpowers for your inbox. ‘Try 28 blissfully free days of Yesware for features like email tracking, insertable email templates, and other time- saving tools. ‘Start Free Trial Actionable ways to work smarter. Delivered weekly. Join thousands of other subscribers who are already worker faster and smarter — right now. As you're reading thi (2 Yesware Yesware is am alFin-one sales toolkit for data-driven sales o and close more deals, right from Gmail or Outlook. 3 Started Xe + About Yesware © Our Customers ree Resource: © connect © Contact hitpsiwww yesware,comiblogicold-emall zanizations. We help you connect with prospects, track customer engagement, 88