Your cold email has been sent. Moments pass. The recipient’s finger hovers over the “Delete” button. But hold on – they’re reading. Responding. Engaging. What’s the secret? It’s personalization that truly connects. In this guide, we’ll look at why personalizing cold emails is essential and how to do it effectively at scale.
Around 91.5% of cold emails are ignored. What’s the difference between being noticed and being trashed? It’s all about personalization.
In this brief guide, we’ll break down the concept of cold email personalization and how to apply it to boost your open rates, clicks, and responses.
We’ll share our top tools and 7 advanced strategies to personalize your emails, ensuring they stand out in a crowded inbox.
Whether you’re a seasoned sales professional or just starting, these personalization techniques will level up your outreach.
Learn how long a cold email should be here! Ready to send emails that get results? Let’s jump in.
Cold email personalization is the practice of tailoring your message to each individual recipient by including relevant information such as their name, company, position, recent accomplishments, challenges, or industry updates. Instead of sending a generic email that might be ignored, personalized emails make the content feel specific and targeted to the recipient.
There are varying degrees of personalization. At a basic level, it could involve using their name instead of a generic greeting like “Dear customer” or “Hi there.” More advanced approaches might include mentioning a project they’ve worked on recently, embedding personalized videos or images, or referring to something they’ve posted on social media.
When you do personalization correctly, it shows you spent time understanding what the recipient needs. This brings real value. This method makes it more likely that people will open, read, and respond to your email. It makes your outreach impactful and timely.
Additionally, you can also make use of AI tools to improve your email writing skills. With these tools, you can correct the structure of your emails, eliminate grammatical mistakes, and proofread them within seconds.
Personalizing your cold emails can take more time. This is true, especially if you do not have automation tools like DejaFlow. However, the benefits are much bigger than the effort. Here is why:
Do you want to design a cold email that gets the highest open rate? Check out our guide, which has the ideal design with templates to help you out!
With over 10,000 cold email campaigns managed at DejaFlow and 6 years of refining our approach, we’ve pinpointed 7 highly effective techniques to personalize your emails and improve your chances of getting replies.
Personalization begins with addressing the recipient directly. Skip generic greetings like “Hello there.” By simply using their name, you can create a more personal connection.
For instance, “Hello [First Name].” A 2018 study by Harvard and Columbia found that including the recipient’s name in the subject line can:
However, recent data suggests this method is becoming overused. A better approach might be using their last name, which has been shown to improve open rates by close to 12%.
Example:
Hello Alex,
Hey Emily,
Hi, Mr. Johnson.
Demonstrate that your outreach isn’t random by highlighting a recent success, announcement, or milestone the recipient’s company has achieved. This shows you’ve done your homework and are genuinely interested in their progress.
Mentioning a relevant achievement makes your email feel timely and specific, offering a great opening to capture attention.
Sample:
“I recently saw that [Company] achieved [recent accomplishment]. Good job on [specific detail]! With this [type of progress], I thought you might want to learn how we help similar companies with [benefit you offer]. Can we set up a brief chat about [Company]’s [area] strategy?”
If you have mutual connections or experiences, like going to the same event, mention it. This helps build a relationship fast. It helps build trust and turns you from a stranger into a familiar contact.
Sample:
“I noticed we are both connected to [Mutual contact] on [Platform]. I had a chance to work with Sarah at [Company]. She said great things about your innovative work in [Topic] at [Their Company].”
Using visual elements like a custom video or image makes your cold email different. Personalized visuals show you put in extra effort. This makes the recipient feel valued.
We’ve put together a guide to help you create custom images for your cold emails. Or, if you’d prefer, you can use Loom and DejaFlow’s embed features to send a personalized video instead.
Sample:
“I created a quick video outlining how [Their Company] could benefit from [Solution]. Would you like me to send it over?”
Consider this: what is your ideal customer striving to achieve, and what hurdles are preventing them from getting there? Craft your email to directly address these pain points.
This shows a deep understanding of their situation and establishes your expertise, naturally leading to the solution you can offer to overcome these challenges.
Sample:
“Is [specific challenge] currently a major concern for [Company]? We’ve seen that many businesses in your space deal with [obstacle]. Our platform has supported over 100 similar organizations in reducing [pain point] by [percentage].”
Many are unaware that you can mass send emails with individualized attachments. This allows you to provide personalized reports, case studies, or brochures, delivering value right away to your prospect.
Sample:
“With your recent expansion into the [Area] market, I thought you’d find our latest report, ‘[Title],’ particularly useful. I’ve attached a version tailored to your industry’s needs. Hope it helps!”
Avoid generic CTAs like “Let’s set up a call.” Instead, design a CTA that aligns with the recipient’s role, authority, and needs. This personal touch can significantly increase conversions.
Sample:
“I’d be happy to walk you through a demo to show how our tool can save your team 10 hours per week. Would you have 30 minutes available on Thursday or Friday?”
Design your cold email with maximum ROI potential. There are several factors that must be implemented to achieve the highest engagement and conversion rates.
Looking for a head start? Here are 3 proven, high-conversion, personalized cold email templates that can be quickly adapted to create impactful outreach campaigns and drive more engagement. Instead of using these templates, use AI tools to write cold emails. The tools are equipped with algorithms specifically designed to write emails and provide you with the best experience.
Subject: [Their Company] and [Your Company] – A potential collaboration
Hi [Name],
I noticed that [Company] recently achieved [mention recent success]—congratulations! Given your focus on [area], I thought you might be interested in learning how we helped [similar company] tackle [challenge]. In [timeframe], we managed to [desirable result]—without the usual [pain point].
Would you be open to a brief conversation to explore how we can achieve the same for [Company]?
Best regards,
[Your Signature]
Subject: [Mutual Contact] recommended I reach out
Hi [Name],
I recently spoke with [Mutual Contact] about [topic], and they mentioned the fantastic work you’re doing in [field]. I was particularly impressed by your project on [specific project]—[specific detail] really stood out to me.
We’ve been developing [relevant solution], and I’d love to hear your perspective on how it could complement what you’re working on.
Would you have time for a brief chat this week?
Best,
[Your Signature]
Subject: I thought you’d appreciate this on [Topic]
Hi [Name],
I came across your post on [topic] and really appreciated your thoughts on [specific point]. I believe you might find value in our latest report, “[Title],” which dives into [relevant insight] and includes advice from [industry experts].
If you’re interested, I’d love to walk you through the key highlights on a quick call. Would [date and time] work for you?
Best,
[Your Signature]
Looking for more ideas? Check out this collection of personalized cold email templates to inspire your next outreach campaign.
Check out our guide with templates to pick up the best cold email structure for your marketing campaign here.
Today, cold email personalization is not just nice to have. It is necessary to stand out. By personalizing your emails to include details like the recipient’s name, recent achievements, or problems they have, you increase the chances of your email being opened. This also raises engagement and response rates. Personalization shows that you invest time in understanding the needs of your prospect. This makes you a trusted expert instead of just another salesperson.
Software for cold email has the potential to keep the workflow smooth and automate daily tasks. They streamline daily courses and operate them in a timely manner to ensure you get the maximum output from your system.
As 2024 progresses, cold email personalization continues to change. To stay ahead, you need to use the right strategies and tools. You can address mutual connections, embed personalized content, or use automated tools to increase your efforts. Every personalized touchpoint makes a big difference in your outreach success. If you apply the techniques in this guide, you are well-equipped to create more meaningful interactions and get better results in your cold email campaigns.
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