Cold Outreach Copywriting Essentials: Best Practices for Deliverability and Engagement

Overview

1. Subject Line

2. Personalized Greeting

3. Brief Message

4. Call-to-Action

5. Signature

1. Subject Line

• Aim for Curiosity and Relevance: Keep it simple and catchy.

• Hook in the First 1–2 Sentences: Preview lines matter—optimize for what’s visible at a glance.

• To Title Case or Not: There is no clear industry standard, so it’s up to you to determine tone. Examples:
• Title Case: “Correct Address For Samples?”
• Sentence Case: “Correct address for samples?”

2. Personalized Greeting

• Use Merge Fields:
• Automatically pull in personalized fields using {{Braces}}: {{FirstName}}, {{RestaurantChain}}, {{MenuItem}}, {{Location}}
• Manual: [Brackets] indicate fields you customize yourself.

• Connect to Their Menu: Reference specific items or trends to show relevance.

• Customize by Segment: Tailor by region, chain size, cuisine type, or trend. You focused on this group for a reason. Make your point.

3. Brief Message (2–5 Sentences Max)

• Show You’re Human: Conversational, casual—like a trade show chat.

• Avoid Salesy Language: Skip exaggerations and ad copy.

• Be Conversational: Friendly, informal, and easy to engage with.

• Emphasize Problem-Solving: Focus on value. How does your product solve their operational challenge? (e.g., saves time, reduces prep, consistency, cost).

• Clear Value Proposition: Communicate benefits in the first few lines (e.g., “ready in 45 seconds”).

• Add Social Proof: Stats, quotes, or examples from similar restaurants.

• Directness Matters: Be brief and crystal clear—especially on mobile.

• Keep It Short: 2–5 skim-friendly sentences. Most people read emails on their phone.

• Avoid HTML-Heavy Layouts: Stick to plain text.

• Avoid Links & Images in First Email:
• Keeps deliverability high.
• Looks more personal and less like marketing.

4. Call-to-Action (CTA with One Link, if Needed)

• Use a Low-Friction CTA: Ask a question with a simple yes/no answer, or make it an easy response for next steps. For example:
• “What’s the best address for samples?”

• Always End with a Question: Increases reply rate.

• If You Must Include Links (preferably later in the sequence):
• Limit to 1 (max 2).
• Use hyperlinked text, not naked URLs.
• ✅ “Schedule a time here”
• ❌ “https://calendly.com/your-link”
• Use branded domains (e.g., meet.yourcompany.com)
• No UTM parameters (they flag spam filters).
• Place near the end of the message.

5. Signature (Minimal, with Optional One Image or LinkedIn Link)

• Put it in the email body: This increases deliverability.

• Minimize Signature Design: Simple is better.

• Image Guidelines:
• One small image max (e.g., logo), under 100KB.
• Host externally (don’t attach).
• Use ALT text.
• Avoid background images or HTML formatting.

• Compliance Essentials:
• Include physical mailing address (CAN-SPAM).
• Opt-out link (in header and footer if supported). People will do whatever’s easiest: They’ll either mark you as spam or opt out. Make your opt-out easy.

Deliverability Protection (Behind the Scenes)

• Disable Click & Open Tracking:
• Prevents spam filter triggers.
• Avoids Gmail's "suspicious content" warning.

• Avoid HTML-heavy Layouts: Plain text improves inboxing.

• No Link Shorteners: Avoid bit.ly, tinyurl, etc.