Here’s the Thing About Cold Emails…
They’re kind of like throwing a paper airplane into a crowded room. If you scribble the right message on it and aim well, someone might pick it up, read it, and respond. But if you just chuck a generic flyer at a stranger’s face… well, don’t be surprised when it ends up in the trash.
And here’s where most folks miss the mark: they skip the research.
Cold emailing isn’t about casting a wide net anymore. It’s about making a small group of the right people feel like your message was written just for them. Which, spoiler alert, means you need to know who you’re emailing. What they care about. What they’ve tried. What keeps them up at night.
So, how do you figure all that out without going full-on stalker? Let’s break it down.
Why Startups Can’t Afford to Skip the Homework
Startups are scrappy. You’ve got tight budgets, tight timelines, and probably someone named Alex doing three different jobs—including marketing. That’s why cold emailing is such a useful tool—it’s cheap, scalable, and fast. No ads. No paid leads. Just you and an inbox.
But here’s what’s often overlooked: a cold email’s power doesn’t come from sending it—it comes from sending it well.
And that begins with research.
Research makes your message relevant. Relevance gets attention. Attention turns into replies. Simple as that.
Need proof? Woodpecker’s 2024 report showed that emails with personalized first lines get 30% more replies. Add in context from the recipient’s role or industry? That jumps to 50% more.
So yeah. A little homework goes a long way.
So, Who Are You Talking To?
This might sound obvious, but stick with me—because most people get this wrong.
“Target audience” isn’t just a demographic. It’s not “SaaS CEOs aged 35-50” or “marketing teams at mid-sized fintech companies.” That’s a start. But when you’re researching cold email prospects, you want actual humans with names, roles, and problems.
Start here:
- LinkedIn – Goldmine. Look at their recent posts, job description, who they follow. Are they hiring? Launching a product? Complaining about churn?
- Company Websites – About pages, press sections, or even the careers page can reveal what a team’s focused on.
- Crunchbase or AngelList – Track funding rounds, acquisitions, or leadership changes. Big changes = high urgency = potential opportunity.
- Podcasts, interviews, or webinars – If your prospect’s been talking publicly, they’ve likely mentioned a few pain points. That’s your in.
What you’re trying to piece together is a working picture:
Who is this person?
What are they working on?
What could they possibly need help with?
Make It Feel Like It Was Meant for Them
Once you’ve done the research, here’s the real trick—use it.
Don’t dump data into your message. Weave it in. Make it feel like a natural comment you’d make if you bumped into them at a conference.
Let’s say you’re reaching out to Maria, a VP of Marketing at a fast-growing HR tech startup. You see on LinkedIn that they just rolled out a remote onboarding product. You could say:
“I saw your company just launched a remote onboarding product—congrats!”
Meh. Better than nothing, sure. But what if you said:
“Saw your team launched a remote onboarding tool last month—smart move, considering how many HR leaders still struggle with the first 7 days. I imagine adoption’s tricky with remote teams, though—are you running into any friction there?”
See the difference? One is a pat on the back. The other is a conversation opener. It shows you’re paying attention and that you understand their world.
You Know What Gets Ignored? Generic Emails
There’s a reason “Hey there” emails go straight to the trash. They feel like they were mass-produced in a factory. And guess what? People can smell that stuff a mile away.
Let me explain:
We live in an era of algorithmic everything. People crave real now. Human tone. Familiarity. A cold email that feels warm.
So if you’re going to research, don’t stop at the company level. Go personal (within reason). Find a blog post they wrote. A quote from an interview. Something you can genuinely reference without sounding fake.
And please, for the love of deliverability, don’t start your message with:
“I hope this email finds you well.”
Just… don’t.
Wait, What Tools Can Help With This?
Not gonna lie, researching every prospect manually takes time. But there are tools that’ll save you hours:
- Hunter or Apollo – Great for pulling contact info and basic job data.
- Clay or PhantomBuster – Use them to scrape LinkedIn bios, posts, and more at scale.
- UseINBOX – Yeah, shameless plug, but it’s legit. Not only can you send automated, personalized email sequences, but you can also trigger follow-ups only if someone doesn’t reply. No awkward “just checking in” loops. Plus, the analytics are clean—open rates, reply rates, click-throughs—you name it.
Honestly, if you’re sending cold emails without any way to track what works, you’re driving blindfolded.
Let’s Talk Email Anatomy (Just For a Second)
Once you’ve researched your prospect, writing the email becomes… well, not easy, but way less stressful.
Here’s a quick (not rigid) structure that works:
- Subject line
Short. Personal. Teasing curiosity or value.
→ “Quick question about your onboarding flow” - First line
Show your homework. Mention something specific.
→ “Caught your recent piece on user drop-off—super relevant right now.” - Problem or insight
Talk about something they care about, not you.
→ “A lot of companies we work with hit a wall around activation.” - How you can help
One sentence. No hard sell. Just a nudge.
→ “We built a lightweight tool that helps product teams cut churn without extra dev time.” - CTA
Soft ask. Specific time.
→ “Would a 10-minute chat next Wednesday work?”
That’s it. No big pitch. No buzzwords. Just signal, not noise.
Don’t Just Email and Ghost
Here’s something most people won’t tell you:
More than 60% of replies happen after the second email.
Yep. One and done rarely works. So if you’re not following up, you’re leaving money on the table.
That doesn’t mean spam, though. It means thoughtful follow-ups that build on your previous message. Maybe link to a recent case study. Mention a new feature. Reference something they shared on LinkedIn.
UseINBOX makes this a breeze—set your follow-ups to trigger automatically based on time and response behavior. No mental notes. No “Did I send that already?” stress.
A Few Mistakes to Dodge
Cold emailing isn’t rocket science, but it’s easy to trip up. Avoid these:
- Copy-paste personalization
If you’re writing “I loved your recent post…” make sure there was a post. Fake personalization backfires. - Being too formal or robotic
You’re writing to a human, not filing a tax return. Relax a little. - Skipping the CTA
Even a simple “Is this worth chatting about?” is better than nothing. - Writing a novel
If your email takes more than 20 seconds to read, it’s too long.
Wrap-Up: What All This Comes Down To
Cold emailing is a lot like dating. You don’t walk up to someone at a bar and ask them to move in. You ask about their day. Their favorite band. You listen, show interest, and maybe suggest coffee.
Prospect research is your way of showing you get it. That you’re not just selling something—you’re solving something. And if your email shows that, your chances of getting a reply? Way higher than average.
So next time you’re prepping a cold email, pause. Pull up their LinkedIn. Read a blog post. Find that one thing that turns your message from “cold” to “surprisingly relevant.”
And when you’re ready to send? Use a tool that respects your effort—like UseINBOX—and make sure your email lands where it belongs: right in front of the person who’s been waiting for it without even knowing.