Beefree blog

Grow Your Business with Cold Email Marketing Campaigns

Beefree team
Beefree team
Apr 29, 2020
Grow Your Business with Cold Email Marketing Campaigns
Grow Your Business with Cold Email Marketing Campaigns

Cold email marketing campaigns can have a lot of benefits for your business: These unsolicited emails are scalable and effective. But if you don’t handle them correctly, your cold emails might be marked as spam.Ready to launch your own campaign? Keep reading for more information on how to write a cold email that lands in the recipient’s inbox.

Cold email marketing campaigns can have a lot of benefits for your business: These unsolicited emails are scalable and effective.

What Is a Cold Email Marketing Campaign?

Cold emails are a type of email marketing that delivers a personalized message to a recipient with the goal of starting a conversation. These messages are different from a bulk email sent to hundreds or even thousands of customers; cold emails target a smaller subset of people. Generally, you’ll only send a cold email to a lead that you’ve researched and defined as a quality prospect.Cold email campaigns are effective: Companies have seen up to 60% response rates and 80% engagement rates from cold emails. Small businesses in particular can see huge benefits from sending well-written messages. Bottom line — cold email marketing campaigns can pay off big-time.However, if you’re going to launch a cold email marketing strategy, it’s important to do a little research first on best practices. These campaigns are sometimes mistaken for spam. Today, we’re highlighting a few of the best tips on how to write a cold email so your messages land safely in the recipient’s inbox and do their job.

#1. Follow the rules

Play by the book and follow the Federal Trade Commission’s rules for sending emails to people you don’t know:

  • Don’t include false information. Your “From” information should accurately describe who you are.
  • Don’t use misleading subject lines. Cold email subject lines need to be clear about what’s in the message.
  • Identify the message as an ad. Be upfront about the fact that your email is an advertisement.
  • Include your physical address. If you don’t have a street address, use a P.O. box.
  • Explain how to unsubscribe. Allow recipients to opt-out of future emails. (We recommend including this option in the footer or email signature.)
  • Promptly honor any unsubscribe requests. If someone asks to be unsubscribed, take them off your list within 10 business days.
  • Pay attention to what others are doing on your behalf. If another company is taking care of your email marketing, remember that you’re still legally responsible.

Not following these guidelines can result in costly fines and legal troubles. But if your cold email marketing campaign abides by these rules, you’re good to go.

#2. Decide on your email address and “From” line

Many businesses choose to create a new email address to send cold emails. When you’re first getting started, cold email marketing will probably take some trial and error, and you might put the reputation of your current domain at risk. That’s why creating a new domain can often be a smart choice.Once your email address is ready, decide on what your “From” line will say. You can try your company’s name, publication name, a person’s name or a mixture of the above (see a few examples from our inbox below). Test a few different “From” lines to figure out which ones work best.

cold email marketing campaign

#3. Personalize your emails

Personalization is an effective strategy to use with any type of email campaign. But with cold emails, it’s especially essential. Personalizing cold emails can help differentiate them from spam. Use the recipient’s first name and find other ways to make a personal connection, too.For instance, you might open the message by saying, “I noticed you’re located in Chicago — we work with hundreds of customers there” or “I see on LinkedIn that you work with [name.] He/she’s a good friend of mine!” Personalized emails get higher open rates and click rates.

#4. Use plain text

Cold emails are typically plain text emails, not HTML. HTML messages are designed and formatted with images, links and more. Plain text emails are just text on a page and are far less likely than HTML emails to be identified as spam. What’s more, plain text emails perform well on mobile devices and load more quickly. Most importantly, plain text emails feel more personal because they look like emails you’d get from a friend.Subject line: Low-cost writers

cold email example

#5. Cold email subject lines

Your cold email subject lines should be personalized and clearly explain what’s in the email. Keep the subject line short and conversational. Using the word “your” or asking a question can also make people curious.Here are a few cold email subject lines sourced from our inbox:

  • What you’re missing in the Den this week
  • , you’re invited
  • Are you making these mistakes?
  • My biggest mistake
  • , just a heads-up

These subject lines all invite curiosity, encouraging the reader to open the email and find out more.

#6. How to write a cold email

When you sit down to write your cold email, there are a few things to keep in mind as you structure it. The basics: Make a personal connection, explain what the email is about and end with a call to action inviting the recipient to chat further.As you explain your proposition, make sure to be clear about what’s in it for the reader. How would they benefit from saying yes to your ask? When you close, ask for a simple response (such as an email back) and make sure your email signature includes all of your relevant information.

#7. Remember to follow up

Don’t forget to follow up on your cold emails. One study showed that campaigns with 4-7 emails per sequence received three times more responses than campaigns with only 1-3 emails in a sequence. Send your follow-up emails several days apart so they don’t seem spammy. And if your follow-up process is automated, remember to cut it off once you get a response.

Wrap-up: Cold email marketing

After you successfully connect with a plain text cold email, you'll probably want to create future emails for your audience with more HTML design elements! Choose from one of the hundreds of HTML email templates in the BEE catalog or create your own from scratch with our drag-and-drop email editor. Cold emails have huge potential when they’re done the right way. With these tips, you’re ready to help your business grow!

Share this post with your friends! Pin it on Pinterest ?

Grow your business with cold email

Related posts

Email strategies you’ve likely heard of but haven’t implemented yet

While email marketing has come a long way and is changing faster than ever, there’s only so much you can do within 600x1,500 pixels. However, there are no limits to where your creativity can take you. 
Kruti Shah
Feb 5, 2025

How to Leverage Email Campaigns to Gather Sincere Product Reviews

What do customers think about your brand’s products? The best way to find out is to ask them directly, which you can do via strategic email campaigns. Keep reading to learn how!
Beefree team
Jan 22, 2025

How Beefree is Helping Email Makers Scale Their Production

2024 was a banner year for email markers everywhere. From sleek newsletters to interactive promos, you flexed your creative muscle to new heights and did it with a level of speed and efficiency that made crafting award-worthy emails look easy. Let’s dive into the numbers, trends, and stories that made this year unforgettable for email makers like you.
Beefree team
Jan 6, 2025

Email strategies you’ve likely heard of but haven’t implemented yet

While email marketing has come a long way and is changing faster than ever, there’s only so much you can do within 600x1,500 pixels. However, there are no limits to where your creativity can take you. 
Kruti Shah
Kruti Shah
5 Feb
2025

Now, let's be honest—you’ve likely heard about all of these rotating for the last few years. While email marketing has come a long way and is changing faster than ever, there’s only so much you can do within 600x1,500 pixels. However, there are no limits to where your creativity can take you. 

Let’s get into it.  

#1. Unique, tailored experiences 

Damian Grabarczyk, the co-founder and growth marketer of PetLab Co., says, “We faced the challenge of connecting meaningfully with an audience that expects more than one-size-fits-all communication.” 

When we speak about crafting tailored emails we mean going beyond the recipient's first name in the subject line. We’re talking about optimizing your entire email strategy to design multi-stage touchpoints to nurture leads across the customer lifecycle. As well as, leveraging data to send hyper-personalized, relevant, and engaging emails that feel less like a broadcast message and more like a conversation. 

Many are using AI machine learning algorithms and AI automation to analyze customer interactions, past purchases, browsing habits, website visits, and even social media behavior to curate engaging email content that resonates deeply with the real-time needs of recipients.

For PetLab Co this looked like including content such as an individual’s pet health history or product usage timelines. Damian Grabarzyk expands, “This approach transformed the conversion rate and strengthened customer loyalty. As we look ahead, I see brands in 2025 moving beyond generic personalization to adopt strategies that make customers feel truly understood and valued.”

On the other hand, many are leaning into user-generated content (UGC) for crafting tailored experiences. Customers today are more likely to trust the opinions of peers over branded messages. UGC like customer reviews, testimonials, videos, and photos are the best form of social proof depicting real people using and benefitting from your products or services. 

We see the benefits of using both AI and UGC to get the most out of your email conversions ;). 

#2. AI tools as an addition, not a substitution

Experts at NordPass state, "AI-powered content generation tools are not here to replace email copywriters and marketers. These tools make us more efficient. The smarter the tool is, the better equipped we are to create high-performing email content that drives results." 

AI tools can support us by significantly enhancing the speed, precision, and effectiveness of your emails. For instance while traditionally A/B testing has required a lot of time to analyze small variations with AI you quickly implement and test multiple email elements and make adjustments based on real-time engagement data. There are AI algorithms that can even predict which variations are most likely to resonate with different audience segments, leading to more accurate targeting and faster optimization.

In short, AI tools are revolutionizing the way we craft and optimize our email’s deliverability. There are many different types of AI solutions so we suggest finding the right one for your needs. 

#3. Even more transparency around data

With AI continuing to rise, folks are more and more concerned about where their data is going. That’s where zero-party data collection becomes a key strategy in email marketing, allowing you to gather data directly from customers rather than relying on third-party sources. 

Zero-party data includes information that consumers willingly share, such as preferences, interests, and purchase intentions. This data is often collected through surveys, preference centers, quizzes, or interactive content and is highly valuable because it is shared explicitly, ensuring accuracy and deeper personalization without privacy concerns associated with third-party tracking.

As privacy regulations tighten, zero-party data will empower you to deliver hyper-personalized email experiences while respecting user privacy. This approach will help you build trust, as customers feel more in control of their data, and you gain insights that lead to more relevant and engaging email content.

#4. The death of static emails

With attention span getting shorter day after day, digest-format emails are expected to rise in popularity in 2025. Presenting email content in an easy-to-scan, organized, and minimalistic layout will surely help deliver the most relevant information in a fraction of the time. 

Additionally, interactive emails will allow recipients to directly engage within the email without having to visit a landing page or website. Interactive elements like product carousels, polls, and quizzes create a dynamic experience that keeps subscribers engaged, especially in visually driven industries like fashion brands

So what now? 

You’ve heard these strategies before, but now it’s time to actually put them into action. The brands that win at email marketing in 2025 won’t just be sending emails—they’ll be creating experiences. Whether it’s hyper-personalized content, AI-driven efficiency, zero-party data collection, or interactive emails that break the mold, the key is to stay ahead of the curve.

So, what’s the first strategy you’ll finally implement? Your inbox (and your audience) are waiting.

How to Leverage Email Campaigns to Gather Sincere Product Reviews

What do customers think about your brand’s products? The best way to find out is to ask them directly, which you can do via strategic email campaigns. Keep reading to learn how!
Beefree team
Beefree team
22 Jan
2025

What do customers think about your brand’s products? The best way to find out is to ask them directly, which you can do via strategic email campaigns.

Email makes gathering authentic product reviews quick and easy. By collecting sincere feedback, you can build trust, increase sales, boost loyalty, and innovate product improvements. 

That said, requesting reviews via email requires precise timing, personalized messaging, and lots of engagement optimizations. But don’t worry—we’ll walk you through some key steps to create email campaigns that deliver the valuable feedback you need.

Why product reviews matter

Product reviews do more than confirm that you're meeting customers’ needs. Sincere feedback drives loyalty and sales, offers valuable customer insights, and helps you develop a strategic product development roadmap.

  • Fosters customer loyalty: Requesting and listening to feedback makes your customers feel valued and heard. It demonstrates that you prioritize customer satisfaction, which helps you build stronger, long-term relationships. Review requests also act as re-engagement emails by starting new conversations with customers.
  • Increases sales: Social proof drives sales. According to a recent survey by Power Reviews, 90% of potential customers use online reviews to make purchasing decisions. In fact, reviews have more influence over purchasing decisions than product prices. Turning product reviews into customer testimonials and encouraging reviews on third-party sites can significantly boost sales.
Image sourced from powerreviews.com
  • Builds Customer 360 insights: Customer feedback delivers insights into customer needs and sentiments, enriching Customer 360. Exactly what is Customer 360? It’s a unified, 360-degree view of customer data. It empowers you to tailor products and customer experiences to meet individual needs and preferences. 
  • Drives product improvements: Sincere customer feedback reveals what target customers like/dislike about your products. It provides key insight into their value, functionality, and usability, unlocking large-scale development opportunities.

How to create an email campaign to collect product reviews

Want to unlock the power of product reviews? Let’s explore how to create email campaigns that encourage customers to share their feedback.

Segment your audience

Like promotional emails, product review requests shouldn’t be sent to every subscriber.

If subscribers haven’t had the chance to try your product, product review requests will feel irrelevant and may trigger unsubscriptions. So, only send review email requests to customers recently trying your product.

You can do this by segmenting your email list based on where customers are in the buying cycle. Target loyal customers, recent purchasers, and first-time buyers with tailored email campaigns. This ensures that you’re sending emails to customers most likely to respond with insightful feedback.

Write a compelling email subject line

According to Superoffice, 33% of people open an email based on the subject line. 

Image sourced from superoffice.com

To get the click-through rates you want, your email subject lines should be personalized, relevant, and engaging. Here are some examples:

  • Did you love [product]? Or hate it? Let us know!
  • We value your opinion — help us improve!
  • We want YOU to help us make our product better!
  • Up for a discount? Share your feedback for 10% off! 

Learn more > Tips for writing open worthy subject lines.

Optimize for customer engagement

A successful email marketing strategy relies on customer engagement. Here are some key email elements you need to encourage interactions.

  • An attractive email design: With the right layout, color scheme, typography, and images, you ensure easy readability and promote interaction. Use these engagement-boosting email design best practices to help you create a design that boosts conversion rates.
  • Gratitude and value: Thank customers for reading the email and explaining why their feedback is so important. Also, consider including a personalized Gmail email signature with your content details to build trust and encourage customers to engage with your review request. 
  • Personalized, relevant content: Personalized email content motivates engagement. Use customer data platform (CDP) data to tailor messages to individual customers. What is a CDP? It’s a centralized platform that collects and unifies customer information, building comprehensive customer profiles. 
  • Incentives: Offering a small discount can motivate customers to leave reviews, especially first-time buyers. That said, incentives can (sometimes) generate insincere reviews, so stress the importance of honesty. 
  • A strong call-to-action (CTA): Your CTA should direct readers straight to the reviews submission page. Use clear CTAs with bold buttons and typography to make it stand out.
  • Mobile responsiveness: If your emails are slow to load or don’t display correctly on mobile devices, your bounce rate will spike. Leverage solutions that offer advanced mobile optimization features — such as Beefree— to create responsive emails every single time.

Ask specific, concise questions

Complex, drawn-out questions that are too open-ended can disengage customers. So, get straight to the point with concise, direct questions. Here are some examples:

  • What did you think of [specific product feature]?
  • How often do you use our product?
  • What are your favorite/least favorite features?
  • How likely are you to recommend this product?
  • What could we do to improve our product?

Use a mixture of closed and open-ended questions to increase your chances of receiving meaningful responses.

Make it easy to respond

The easier it is for customers to leave a review, the more responses you’ll receive. So, make the process as seamless and convenient as possible. One way to do this is with survey emails.

Email surveys have high response rates. They can be completed within the email with minimal effort, which is a big plus for busy customers. And, they can generate a wealth of quantitative data and metrics that are quick to analyze, leading to faster improvements. BeeFree has an extensive collection of email survey templates to suit every need.

For longer review requests, include a CTA that directly links to the review submission page. Review forms should use simple, clear language, be optimized for mobile, and have a progress bar. 

You could even provide your telephone contact details to allow customers to leave a review via telephone. It’s the preferred communication method for 55% of Baby Boomers according to Hubspot, so it’s worth considering. 

Leverage small business telephone services from Vonage to access call center capabilities like virtual receptionists and CRM integrations, streamlining processes.

Also consider directing customers to leave reviews on popular review sites, such as Google and Amazon.

Optimize email timings

If you send product review requests too early, there’s a chance your customers won’t have tried your product yet. But if you send them too late, your customer might have forgotten their experience. 

So, when’s the best time to request reviews? 

Aim to send review requests within 7-14 days post-purchase. This gives customers a chance to try the product a few times, leading to more sincere, meaningful reviews. Plan for seasonal surges such as Black Friday and incorporate them into your schedules.

Key takeaways

Do email campaigns work for gathering valuable product reviews that drive improvements, boost trust, and increase sales and loyalty? 

Absolutely — but they need to be strategic.

To generate sincere reviews and valuable data, ensure your marketing emails are personalized, engaging, and optimized for convenience. And, use email list segmentation and marketing automation to ensure they’re sent to the right customers at the right time.

Stay informed on all email trends

From the latest creative design strategies that inspire your next campaign to industry best practices and tech advancements, our newsletter is the go-to for all things creation.

Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
By clicking Subscribe you're agreeing with our Privacy Policy