How to Create the Best Cold Email Design (Templates)

What makes a cold email get responses? This guide shows you a 10-step way to create emails that catch attention, get real engagement, and boost ROI with cold emails. Do you want to change your cold emails from boring to useful?

Marketers like complex designs. Most newsletters and promotional emails have bright visuals and complicated HTML parts. These are made to catch your eye and keep your interest.

But why do the best cold emails look like quick personal notes written in a hurry? I have seen cold email campaigns that get over 30% reply rates. None of them used complex designs.

In this guide, we will explore why simple emails work better than fancy designs. We will also share our 10-step method to create emails that get noticed and get replies. A pro tip is to use AI tools to write good emails. AI tools ensure accuracy with regard to advanced standards and get more conversions.

This post will cover the following items:

1. Writing a Catchy Subject Line
2. Organizing the Email for the Best Effect
3. Using Proper Formatting
4. Including a Personal Greeting
5. Starting with a Good Icebreaker
6. Keeping the Email Short
7. Using Visuals Smartly
8. Writing Strong CTAs
9. Creating a Professional Email Signature
10. Putting It All Together

You can also make use of the best cold email software to speed up the process. Are you ready? Let’s look at it!

1. Write a Good Subject Line

Before you write the body of your cold email, you must think about the subject line. This line is the first part of your message. If it is not good, your email might get ignored and deleted.

The purpose of the subject line is to catch your recipient’s attention. It should make them want to open your email. We have talked about how to write good cold email subject lines. You need to know a few things.

• Keep it brief: First, keep it short. You should use 30-50 characters or 4-7 words.
• Make it personal: Next, make it personal. You can add their name, city, or job title. This shows that you care about them.
• Avoid these: Do not use ALL CAPS or too much punctuation. This can send your email to spam and reduce your chances of reaching the inbox.

Here are three easy methods we use to write subject lines that stand out in the inbox:

• You can add an emoji.
• You can ask a question that makes them think.
• You can talk about a problem they might have.

Do you need more help? You can use our free subject line tool. It gives you AI tips to improve your cold email subject line.

2. Make Your Email Simple

Most cold emails are plain text. They do not have fancy designs or colors. Do you wonder why? There are many reasons for this:

• Improved Deliverability: First, basic emails are less likely to be spam. They usually reach the inbox.
• Universal Compatibility: Second, plain text works on all email platforms. It does not matter if it is Gmail or Outlook.
• Feels More Genuine: Third, simple emails seem more genuine. They feel like personal messages, not marketing emails.

So, do not use complicated layouts or images. Just open a text editor and write your cold email. A simple design gives you better results.

3. Improve Your Email’s Format

Long paragraphs can make it hard to read. If your email is hard to understand, people will skip it. This means fewer replies for you. Here are some ways to make it easier to read:

• Make it visually appealing: Make your email look nice. Break your text into short paragraphs of 2-3 sentences. Use line breaks to help with reading. Keep a clean design. An easy-to-read format is best.
• Avoid bold text: Avoid bold text. Bold can make your email feel pushy. It can also make your email feel less personal. Stick to a simple format. Do not use bold or italics.
• Use bullet points thoughtfully: Use bullet points wisely. Summarize key points with bullet points. Keep them short. Limit bullet points to 3-5 points per email.

The goal is to make your email easy to read. This helps your recipient engage and respond quickly.

4. Personalize your greeting.

How you start your email is important. A good greeting can help you get a response. Here is what to do:

• Avoid generic phrases: Stay away from greetings like “To Whom It May Concern.” These phrases feel impersonal. They will likely be ignored.
• Use their name: Personalization is important. Start with “Hi {FirstName}” to make it feel direct.
• Keep a friendly tone: Your tone should show respect. It should feel friendly. It should be like talking to a colleague that you have not met yet, not like an automatic message.

A personalized greeting is a small step. It can make your email more engaging. It can help you connect right away.

5. Start with an engaging opening line.

Your first sentence should catch your recipient’s attention. It should make your email different from other emails. It should come right after your greeting.

Here is how to write a strong opening line:

• Make it relevant: Connect your first sentence to something about the recipient. Show that you have done your homework.
• Show real interest: A sincere compliment is effective. Acknowledge a recent success. You can mention something they shared online.
• Keep it concise: One or two sentences are enough. It makes the reader curious. You do not want to overwhelm them.

A good hook makes your cold email better. A good hook starts a nice conversation. This leads to more responses. Personalization is very important.

You can use these lines to get interest and help to get replies:

• “I see your recent post about AI in healthcare.”
• “Well done on getting funding for your new project.”
• “I like your recent work on [Topic]. I wanted to contact you.”
• “I noticed we both know [Name] on LinkedIn.”
• “I read about your company’s new expansion to [Market]. Many businesses face the same problems.”

6. Keep Your Email Length Just Right

When you write a cold email, the length of your message is important. It can help or hurt your chances of a reply. You need to find a good balance. If it is too short, it may not have enough impact. If it is too long, the reader might lose interest. Your cold email should be clear and focus on key information.

Stick to 3-5 sentences for each paragraph. Try to keep the whole email under 200 words. Every sentence should help move the conversation along. Address what your reader needs and offer a solution. You should also include a clear call to action. Avoid too many details that can confuse the reader.

If your email is short and clear, your chances of getting a reply will go up. Your reader can understand your message easily. They can also respond quickly without feeling overwhelmed.

7. Utilize Visuals for Better Engagement

Adding visuals to your cold emails can help improve response rates. This is optional but can be very effective. Most cold emails use plain text. However, some successful campaigns use personalized images or videos. They do this to get good results.

For example, you can make a short Loom video. This video can give a detailed analysis of the recipient’s homepage. You can also include suggestions for improving lead conversions. This task takes around 5 minutes. It gives a lot of value and helps your email to be different.

Adding visuals gets attention. It can also increase the chance of a reply. You can be creative with personalized images, GIFs, or even memes. This helps to make a strong impression.

8. Create Impactful Calls-to-Action

Your call-to-action (CTA) is the most important part of your cold email. It is where curiosity changes into action. To make it work well, use these tips:

• Be clear and direct: Unclear CTAs make uncertain results. State clearly what you want the recipient to do.
• Make it easy: The easier the task is, the more likely the person will do it. Avoid asking for too much at once. Keep your request simple.
• Limit to one CTA: If you include many calls to action, the reader can feel overwhelmed. Focus on one specific action to get the best results.

A well-made CTA should feel like a natural next step, not a sales push. It must be clear, attractive, and focused on action.

Here are some examples of good CTAs:

• “Is this a priority for you right now?”
• “Just reply with ‘Yes’ if you would like more information.”
• “Would you like to talk about this more?”
• “Let us schedule a quick 15-minute call.”
• “Click here to pick a good time.”
• “Do you want to see how this can help your team?”

For the CTA format, you can use plain text, links, or buttons. Plain text often works well, but trying different formats can show what your audience likes the most.

9. Build a Good Email Signature

You must add a good professional signature to your cold email. A signature is like your online business card. It helps to show your credibility and makes it easy for people to contact you.

We have made a guide about how to create good email signatures. Here are some important points to remember:

• Keep it simple: Do not use complex HTML signatures. They can cause problems with email delivery or may not show correctly in some email programs.
• Remove extra information: Use only the important details. You need your name, job title, company, contact number, and maybe a small call to action or links to social media. Each part must have a clear reason to be there.
• Use a clear format: Make sure your signature is easy to read. Put your name at the top, then the main details, and end with extra things like social media profiles if you want.

Need help? Use our free signature maker to quickly make a professional email signature. Just put in your information, upload a picture, and it is done!

10. Putting It All Together

Now that we know the important parts of a good cold email, we can see how all these parts fit together. Here is a simplified version of the email example:

An ideal cold email structure

Let me explain why this email works well.

• Subject: The subject line is clear and grabs attention.
• Structure: The structure is simple, with no distractions.
• Formatting: The formatting has short paragraphs for easy reading.
• Greetings: The greeting uses the person’s name.
• Opening line: The opening line shows research and mentions something important.
• Brevity: The email is short and to the point.
• Offer: The offer shows a clear benefit, like a short video with helpful information.
• Call-to-action: The call-to-action gives a simple next step.
• Signature: The signature has the name, title, and company details.

To start writing an email, make sure everything fits together. You want to create a message that feels personal and easy to respond to.

Do you want more ideas? You can look at over 100 email templates to help you make your own email fast.

Conclusion

In this guide, I gave a simple 10-step plan for writing cold emails that get more opens and clicks. I showed that simplicity is best for email reputation.

Do not use fancy graphics. Use a simple layout with clear text. The real strength is in making your email feel personal.If your email feels like a message from a friend, people will respond more. Simplicity and being real are very important in cold email marketing. Additionally, you can use AI tools to improve your writing skills. AI can make your work faster and double the open rate.