How to Write a Prospecting Email (With Templates)

Struggling to get responses from your prospecting emails? Or wondering if this cold outreach strategy is the right one for your business? In this quick guide, we’ll show you how to create winning prospecting campaigns.

Imagine writing a prospecting email and pressing Send. Within minutes, your phone starts buzzing. A notification pops up: New reply received. You open the message and read, “Interested in hearing more…”.

Your phone rings again. Another reply. This one says, “Let’s set up a call”. New leads are pouring in. And with them, your pipeline is growing, and your opportunities for closing deals are skyrocketing.

This is the dream outcome for anyone sending prospecting emails. But let’s face it – most emails don’t get that kind of response. They fall flat, never getting a reply, let alone a lead. So what makes the difference?

In this guide, we’ll walk you through the steps to write prospecting emails that actually convert – and we’ll even share some battle-tested, high-ROI templates to help you get started.

Here’s what we’ll cover:

• What is email prospecting?
• Why is email prospecting important?
• How to write a winning prospecting email?
• 3 high-ROI prospecting email templates
• Tips for optimizing your email prospecting strategy

Sounds good? Then let’s dive in.

What is email prospecting?

Email prospecting is the process of reaching out to potential customers via email, with the goal of introducing your product or service. This type of outreach aims to initiate a business relationship.

Much like cold emails, most prospecting emails are targeted and personalized. Each message is like a mini sales pitch, carefully crafted to engage people or companies who are likely to be interested in what you offer.

Why is email prospecting important?

Email prospecting is an affordable, simple, and reliable way to generate leads, spark conversations, and drive revenue. Which makes this cold outreach strategy crucial for businesses looking to attract potential customers.

Here are the main benefits of email prospecting:

• Starting costs: Unlike paid ads, email prospecting only requires minimal investment to get started. With an affordable email platform like Mailmeteor, you can reach thousands of leads for less than $10 a month.
• Scalability: With the right cold email automation tools, you can scale your outreach effortlessly and send tailored emails to hundreds of recipients at once. This helps you maximize your reach while maintaining a personal touch.
• Direct access: Email prospecting enables you to spark conversations with key decision makers who may otherwise be hard to reach through other channels, such as social media, or phone calls.
• Personalized outreach: When done right, email prospecting makes your recipients feel special. You can tailor your message to show them that you understand their specific needs, which translates into high engagement rates.
• High ROI: With an impressive ROI of $36 for every $1 spent, email prospecting is (by far) the most profitable lead generation channel. It’s a (very) cost-effective way to grow your customer base and drive revenue.

How to write a winning prospecting email?

At Mailmeteor, we’ve sent 10,000+ email campaigns over the past 6 years. So we’ve learned a thing or two about sales emails. In this section, we’ll share our simple 6-step process to write prospecting emails that actually convert.

1. Research your prospects

Research is (by far) the most important step to create an effective prospecting email. Yet most people skip this part of the sales process and start crafting their message right away. That’s a big mistake.

Before you hit send, take time to learn about your prospect. Review their LinkedIn profile, company website, and any recent news or announcements. Check their posts on social media, and look for mutual connections.

Understanding your prospect’s role, challenges, and industry trends will help you craft a more personalized and relevant message. The more specific your email is to their needs, the higher the chances they’ll engage.

Organize your data in a spreadsheet. Create a column for each piece of information (email address, first name, achievement…). Then sign up to a cold email automation platform, like Mailmeteor (it’s free!), and import your contact list.

2. Craft an enticing subject line

Your subject line is the first thing your prospect sees, and it determines whether they’ll open your email or not. Keep it short (ideally, less than 40 characters), otherwise it may get truncated on mobile devices.

Make sure it accurately reflects the content of your email. In most countries, using misleading or deceptive subject lines is prohibited by cold email laws and anti-spam regulations, such as CAN-SPAM, CASL, or GDPR.

Lastly, make your subject line relevant to the prospect’s needs. Avoid sounding overly salesy. Instead, focus on sparking curiosity, or highlighting a benefit. We’ve written a complete guide about cold email subject lines. Make sure to check it out :)

Example:

• Partnership [Your company] x [Their company]
• [Mutual connection] recommended I reach out
• Ideas for [Company]

3. Open with a personalized greeting

The average American worker receives 121 emails a day. So to stand out in crowded inboxes, and catch the attention of your prospects, you need to show them right away that your email is not just another generic sales pitch.

Instead, start your prospecting email with a personalized greeting. Address your recipient by their name to make them feel special. And use the research you’ve done earlier to craft a tailored icebreaker.

You could for example reference a mutual connection, compliment them about a recent achievement, or react to one of their posts on social media, or share relevant news in their field or industry.

The first sentences can make or break your prospecting email. So focus on providing value and building rapport. Show them that your message is worth their time, and that you’ve done your homework before contacting them.

Example: “Hi [Name], I came across your profile on [Platform] and saw [recent achievement or company news].”

4. Explain why you’re reaching out

After establishing a connection, quickly get to the point. Explain why you’re reaching out and how your product can help solve a problem or add value to their business. Your sales pitch should be concise, and customer-centric.

Aim for 2-3 sentences max. Focus on their pain points. Highlight a specific benefit, and make sure to include social proof (case studies, testimonials, etc.) or statistics to back up your claim. This helps build credibility and increase conversions.

Example: “I’m reaching out because I believe our solution at [Your Company] could help [Company Name] streamline [process] and achieve [benefit]. We’ve helped businesses like yours reduce [pain point] by [percentage].”

5. End with a clear CTA

Finish your email with a clear, actionable call-to-action (CTA). Whether it’s scheduling a call, requesting a demo, or asking for a reply, make sure it’s easy for the prospect to take the next step.

Example: “Would you be open to a 15-minute call next week to discuss how we can help [Company] with [challenge]? Let me know what time works best for you!”

6. Proofread your email

Almost there. Now that you’re done customizing your prospecting email, you can click Show preview to get a sneak peek of what your message will actually look like in your recipients’ inboxes.

Make sure to proofread your email carefully. Hunt down any typos and grammatical mistakes. Read it aloud to verify that it flows well. Double-check your links and make sure that your merge fields are replaced with the correct data.

You can also send yourself a test email to make sure that your prospecting message looks great across devices and email clients. Is your email mobile-friendly? Does it display correctly in popular inboxes like Gmail and Outlook?

If you’re happy with the results, you can then press Send to dispatch your emails right away. Or you can schedule them at a later date and time. You can also add some delay between your emails to improve your deliverability.

3 high-ROI prospecting email templates

Need some inspiration? Here are 3 proven email templates that you can use to create winning prospecting campaigns. Feel free to customize them to generate more opens, replies, and turn leads into deals.

1. Introduction email template

2. Follow-up template

3. Referral request template

Need more help? We’ve put together a curated list of high-ROI cold email examples. Make sure to check it out to find more inspiration for your prospecting emails.

Tips for optimizing your email prospecting strategy

To get the most of your email prospecting efforts, you need to go beyond just sending a well-written message. Here are some actionable tips to help you refine your strategy and convert more leads into customers:

• Personalize your emails: Tailor your message to each recipient. Use their name, mention their company, or reference any relevant details you’ve researched. Personalized sales emails lead to more conversions.
• Provide value: Try to share insights, relevant data, or a resource they can benefit from. When prospects see that you understand their needs and aren’t just trying to push a sale, they’re more likely to engage.
• Verify email addresses: Use a tool like our BounceShield to automatically remove invalid email addresses from your contact list. This can significantly reduce your bounce rate and increase deliverability.
• Include social proof: People are more likely to trust you if they see that other companies have benefited from working with you. Share testimonials, case studies, or client success stories to build credibility.
• Schedule follow-ups: Most prospects won’t respond to the first message, so following up is key. Schedule polite, value-added reminders at regular intervals to maximize engagement and conversion rates.
• Track your emails: Use email tracking tools like Mailmeteor to monitor your open-rates, click-through rates, and response rates. Then use this data to refine your prospecting strategy and create better emails.
• Run A/B tests: Test different subject lines, email copy, and CTAs to understand what’s working and what isn’t. Experiment with the timing of your sends to find out the best time to reach your target audience.

Final thoughts

Email prospecting is too good to ignore. This simple outreach strategy has an impressive ROI of $36 for every $1 spent, and is easy to scale. It can help you grow your customer base and drive revenue, at minimal cost.

The issue is that the competition is fierce. Most companies use email prospecting to find new clients. So your recipients’ mailboxes are probably already saturated with commercial electronic messages.

To stand out in crowded inboxes, make sure to use special tools, such as Mailmeteor, to personalize your prospecting emails. And research your prospects thoroughly to create hyper-targeted and relevant sales messages.

This requires more effort than simply blasting out a generic, one-size-fits-all promotional email. But it’s definitely worth your time. Because personalized prospecting emails generate more opens, clicks, and conversions.

What’s next? Sign up to Mailmeteor to create your first email prospecting campaign today. Our free plan lets you send up to 50 personalized messages a day. You can also track your emails, schedule follow-ups, and more.

Happy sending 💌