Cold email basics · Updated Oct 8, 2026

Writing emails that get replies

In short

A good cold email is short, about the reader, and asks one easy question. It reads like a note from a person, not a newsletter.

The short version

50 to 120 words.
About them, not you: their company, their problem, why you're writing to them in particular.
One idea per email.
End with a low-effort question, like “Worth a quick chat?”, not a demand for 30 minutes.
Plain language. No hype, no guarantees, no false urgency, no ALL CAPS.
One link at most, no images, no attachments.

Subject: What it does: Short and plain, like a colleague's.; Example: Question about {{company_name}}

First line: What it does: Shows you looked at them.; Example: Saw you're hiring two SDRs in Lisbon.

Why you: What it does: One sentence on what you do for companies like theirs.; Example: We help sales teams book meetings without new tools.

The ask: What it does: One easy question.; Example: Worth a quick chat next week?

Sign-off: What it does: Your name and the required footer.; Example: {{sender_first_name}}

Part	What it does	Example
Subject	Short and plain, like a colleague's.	`Question about {{company_name}}`
First line	Shows you looked at them.	Saw you're hiring two SDRs in Lisbon.
Why you	One sentence on what you do for companies like theirs.	We help sales teams book meetings without new tools.
The ask	One easy question.	Worth a quick chat next week?
Sign-off	Your name and the required footer.	`{{sender_first_name}}`

Most replies come after a follow-up, so plan two or three.
Each one is shorter than the last and adds one new angle: a result, a question, a resource.
Leave the subject empty to reply in the same thread.
Never guilt-trip (“Just bumping this...”, “Did you see my last email?”).

Fill in Memory first: what you sell, to whom, and your tone. Every draft uses it.
In the campaign editor, ask it to write or vary the sequence. You apply what it proposes.
Use Fix with AI on an Inbox readiness item, and AI review on a template before you send.

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