How To Write Quality Cold Pitch: 5 Things You Don’t Wanna Mess Up

Sending a cold pitch can’t be that hard. Right?

If that’s what you think, you are right. If you don’t mind getting ignored, it’s not that hard. But emailing someone who had no idea about your existence up until that point and getting that person to reply is another story.

So yeah, writing a pitch is easy.

But crafting a quality cold pitch isn’t.

As a former digital marketer, I know firsthand how frustrating it can be to lose opportunities because of a poorly written cold pitch.

I used to spend hours crafting the perfect email, only to receive a vague rejection or no response at all. It was demoralizing and made me feel like I wasn’t good enough.

But I was wrong. There wasn’t anything wrong with me. I just needed to correct a few things. And making those changes worked wonders for me, as now I can effortlessly write compelling cold pitches that not only get opened but also get me results.

Here’s how you can do the same.

Give Yourself a Solid Starting Point

Answer me this. Why is sending a cold pitch like skipping rope with barbed wire? It’s because you don’t know where to start. That’s not it, most people have no clear idea of:

Who they are mailing to?
Why they are mailing them?
And why would the recipient care?

That’s your starting point. Get answers to these questions and you will have the basics covered. How to do that? Here’s how:

Use the recipient’s name: It shows that you have taken the time to research and personalize your pitch. On the other hand, if you use the wrong name or no name at all, it can create confusion. The recipient might not understand that the pitch is directed to them, or they might even dismiss it as generic spam mail.
Get to the point: According to upland, the average person spends only 12 seconds reading an email before deciding whether to delete or continue reading. So you are better off delivering a clear and concise message that is easy to understand and remember.
Show them the value: Finally, understanding why the recipient would care about your pitch is crucial for building trust and credibility. So you have to demonstrate that your product or service can solve their problems or provide them with value.

Now that you have the content right — let’s get a few more things right.

Make Your Boring Subject Line Irresistible

When it comes to email marketing, your subject line can make or break you. If you fail to grab the other person’s attention, they won’t open it. If you sound too spammy, they will block you.

So how to make a subject line irresistible without making it clickbaity?

Be clear and concise: Avoid using vague or generic words in your subject line, and try to be as specific as possible. This will help the recipient understand what the message is about and why they should care.
Use action verbs: Action verbs can help grab the reader’s attention and make the subject line more compelling. Some examples of action verbs include “discover,” “learn,” “save,” and “improve.”
Use numbers: Including numbers in your subject line can make it more eye-catching and help the recipient understand the benefits of reading the message. For example, instead of saying “Learn how to improve your sales,” you could say “5 tips to boost your sales.”
Personalize the subject line: If possible, try to include the recipient’s name or something specific to them in the subject line. This can help make the message feel more personal and relevant to the recipient.

How To Get the Tone Right in Your Cold Pitch

The sooner you get it, the better. The default position of the person you are pitching to is no. If you want to turn it into a yes, first, you need to bring him to a maybe. Being respectable and polite can serve the purpose well.

There are two easiest ways to get the tone right while writing a cold pitch.

Right after introducing myself and providing the basic context in the first paragraph, I always ask for permission to carry on the conversation. You can use phrases like:

“I hope you don’t mind me reaching out to you, but I was wondering if you would be open to discussing [topic] further?”
“I understand that this may not be the right time, but I would greatly appreciate the opportunity to discuss [topic] with you in more detail.”
“I’m sorry to intrude, but I was hoping to have a conversation with you about [topic]. Would you be open to that?”

I understand if you feel the need to go for the kill from the get-go, but here’s what you need to realize. Those who aren’t interested won’t respond anyway. And those who are curious will appreciate your gesture.

Or if you don’t want to wait for their confirmation and go ahead with the pitch anyway, here’s another trick that can evoke the same sense of respect.

Use these four words: “It is totally cool if…”

As Sean Ogle, the head of Location Rebel quotes:

It’s totally cool if this isn’t a good fit for you. I just wanted to reach out and say hi. It’s totally cool if you’re not looking for additional writers at the moment. I just wanted to introduce myself because I love the work that you’re doing.

By making it easier to say no, it shows that you respect them, it shows that you respect their time. And it’s going to make them more likely to say yes.

Substantiate Your Claims

I’ll keep this one short. Think from the perspective of the other person. When you receive as many cold pitches as they do, you will grow desensitized to all sorts of bullshit.

So, don’t use sentences like “I’m an expert on such and such topic,” “I’m known to deliver effective results,” or “I’m well respected among my clients.” These are just self-attested fluff balls that mean nothing.

On the contrary, include something concrete like measurable results or any other relevant, verifiable achievements. Something like,

“I’ve worked for this particular client, where my content had delivered 60% more traffic,”
“These are the various awards I have won throughout my writing career,”
or “I can make your content more engaging by increasing your Grammarly readability score.”

How To Get Your Cold Pitch Opened

Delivering a really well-written cold pitch is all well and good. But it doesn’t guarantee you a click. Pay close attention. What I’m about to tell you here will make people click on it.

Not only that, but it will single-handedly make the entire process we have talked about up until now a hell lot easier. Since I started using this, the results have been unbelievable.

Remember what I mentioned earlier? If you want their attention, you need to lead with value. But to get them curious, you need to go above and beyond.

The best way to do that is to include customized samples and freebies in the mail. And the easiest way to get them to click is to announce it in the subject line.

For example, “Great Products, But They Can Be Marketed Better (Here’s A Gameplan),” or “I’m a Business Blogger With Ten Years of Experience, I Have Written This One for You.”

That’s how you get your foot in the door. That’s how you get your foot in the door. Now, providing value upfront, without expecting anything in return, helps you to:

showcase your skills and capabilities in a tangible way
cut ahead in the line from your competitors
and make your recipient prefer your pitch over the others

If you think about it, the people on the other end are not as strangers as you had once assumed. They work hard, like you and I. They are short on time, like us. And they want to be left alone, again, like you and I.

So if you want their time, it’s only common decency to make it worthwhile. And the things you have learned here will help you do just that.

Anirban Kar