Building a Cold Email That Actually Gets Read

Forget templates. The best cold emails follow a structure, not a script. Here's the anatomy of emails that consistently land meetings.

The Problem with Templates

Every sales blog, course, and guru sells templates. "Just fill in the blanks!" they say. The problem? When everyone uses the same template, every inbox starts looking the same. Your carefully crafted email becomes invisible.

The solution isn't a better template — it's understanding the structure behind emails that work, then making it your own.

The AIDA Framework for Cold Email

Attention (The First Line)

You have exactly one sentence to earn the next sentence. That's it. Your opener must be so relevant, so specific, that the prospect can't help but keep reading.

Bad: "I hope this email finds you well." Good: "Noticed your team just expanded the SDR org by 40% — congrats."

The key is specificity. Generic openers get generic results (which is no results).

Interest (The Problem)

Now that you have their attention, connect it to a problem they care about. This is where research pays off.

"Growing that fast usually means your ramp time becomes a bottleneck — new reps take 3-6 months to hit quota, and every month of ramp is money left on the table."

Desire (The Solution)

Here's where most people go wrong: they pitch features. Nobody cares about features. They care about outcomes.

Bad: "Our AI-powered platform uses machine learning to optimize..." Good: "We helped Stripe cut their SDR ramp time from 4 months to 6 weeks."

One sentence. One proof point. That's all you need.

Action (The CTA)

Make it specific, time-bound, and low-friction:

"Worth a 15-minute call on Thursday at 2pm to see if we can do the same for your team?"

The Full Email (Under 75 Words)

Putting it all together:

Noticed your team just expanded the SDR org by 40% — congrats.

Growing that fast usually means ramp time becomes a bottleneck. We helped Stripe cut theirs from 4 months to 6 weeks.

Worth a 15-minute call Thursday at 2pm to see if we can do the same?

That's 52 words. It's specific, relevant, proof-backed, and has a clear CTA. No fluff, no filler.

Three Rules to Live By

The Mom Test: If your mom wouldn't understand what you're offering, it's too jargon-heavy.
The "So What?" Test: After every sentence, ask "so what?" If you can't answer it from the prospect's perspective, cut it.
The Forward Test: Would the prospect forward this to their boss or colleague? If yes, you've written a great email.

Beyond the First Email

Remember: the first email is just the opening move. Plan your entire sequence before sending email #1. Each touchpoint should build on the last while standing alone as a valuable piece of communication.

The best salespeople don't send cold emails. They start warm conversations.