About the Author: Ric F.
Cold Email Expert • Sales Communication Specialist • 6+ Years, Thousands of Emails Sent
Ric F. has been "elbow-deep" in cold email for 6 years, sending thousands of emails and testing what actually moves the needle versus what sounds good in webinars. His performance-backed strategies have helped businesses achieve response rates up to 67% higher than industry averages.
Everything You Think You Know Is Wrong
I just watched another "sales expert" teach cold email on LinkedIn.
He's probably sent maybe 100 cold emails in his life.
Meanwhile, I've been elbow-deep in this game for six years, sending thousands of them and been rejected more times than a telemarketer at dinnertime.
And learned what actually moves the needle versus what sounds good in a webinar.
Here's a tasty lil insider scoop for ya in 2025...
Everything you think you know is wrong.
- • Those templates you found on Google?... AI-generated poison.
- • That "best practices" advice from 2019? Ancient history and is decaying into ruins.
- • That corporate tone you're so proud of? Well... It's why nobody responds...
But here's what IS working right now...
Cold Email Performance Data
Based on 6 years and thousands of cold emails sent: Performance-optimized emails achieve 67% better response rates, 83% improvement with under 150 words, and 35% boost with PS personalization. Data compiled from real campaigns, not theoretical advice.
Source: Internal cold email campaign testing, 2018-2024 performance analysis
The 18 Rules That Separate Pros From Posers
1 Personalize in the PS Section
✅ DO:
Personalize in the PS section (+35% performance boost)
That little PS at the bottom? Pure gold. People read it first, just like they flip to the last page of a mystery novel.
❌ DON'T:
End by asking for everything
Don't ruin it by begging for a 30-minute call, a demo, and their firstborn child. Start conversations, not negotiations.
2 Write Like a Sixth-Grader
✅ DO:
Write like a sixth-grader (+67% better performance)
• "Utilize" → "use"
• "Implement solutions" → "fix problems"
• "Leverage synergies" → DELETE
❌ DON'T:
Sound like a Harvard MBA having a stroke
Your prospect isn't trying to decode the Da Vinci Code; they're scanning emails between meetings while their coffee gets cold.
3 Use Lowercase Writing
✅ DO:
Write in lowercase
Lowercase feels human, like a text from a friend, not a press release from corporate.
❌ DON'T:
Use exclamation points in subject lines
That's a rookie mistake, you're not hosting a game show...
4 Keep It Under 150 Words
✅ DO:
Keep it under 150 words (83% better performance)
75 words are plenty if every word earns its keep.
❌ DON'T:
Write War and Peace
85% of emails get read on phones first. Your 500-word manifesto becomes a thumb-scrolling nightmare.
5 Write in F-Shape
✅ DO:
Write in F-shape
Eyes scan in an F pattern. Short sentences, shorter paragraphs, and white space everywhere.
❌ DON'T:
Create walls of text
Make it skimmable or make it invisible.
6 Focus on "You" Not "I"
✅ DO:
Write more "you"
• "You probably already know..."
• "You're dealing with..."
❌ DON'T:
Write more "I"
• "I think you should..."
• "I wanted to reach out..."
(Truth be told... no one gives a damn what you think.)
Strategy & Approach (Rules 7-12)
7 Pattern Interrupt
✅ DO:
Pattern interrupt
Mental spam filters activate when people recognize patterns. Break them like you're Bane fighting Batman.
❌ DON'T:
Use templates everyone's seen
If it's ranked #1 on Google, a thousand other reps are copy-pasting it right now.
8 Get Straight to the Point
✅ DO:
Get straight to the point
Value-packed sentence is easy on the eyes, or it's trashed.
❌ DON'T:
Start with pleasantries
"Hope this email finds you well" has never found anyone well, and it finds them annoyed...
9 Nail the Preview Text
✅ DO:
Nail the preview text
People scan previews before opening, so use that real estate wisely.
❌ DON'T:
Waste it on introductions
"My name is Bob from..." wastes 20 characters on information they don't care about yet.
10 Find Relevant Triggers
✅ DO:
Find relevant triggers
"Saw you just raised Series A..." shows you're paying attention.
❌ DON'T:
Use boring openers
"We're the world's leading..." makes you sound like everyone else.
11 Lead with Your WHY
✅ DO:
Lead with your WHY
Why are you reaching out? What triggered this email? What's your legitimate reason for interrupting their day?
❌ DON'T:
Lead with your ME
Answer WHY first, or they'll assume you're just blasting everyone with an @company.com email address.
12 Start Conversations
✅ DO:
Start conversations
Cold emails aren't closing tools; they're conversation starters.
❌ DON'T:
Try to close deals
Sell too hard and you'll get marked as spam faster than a priest at a Tinder convention.
Advanced Tactics (Rules 13-18)
13 Focus on Relevancy First
✅ DO:
Focus on relevancy first
Relevancy uncovers urgency, and personalization makes it feel human.
❌ DON'T:
Focus only on personalization
Personalization without relevancy is just stalking with better manners. "I see you went to Michigan State" means nothing if your product doesn't solve their actual problems.
14 Personalize Anyway
✅ DO:
Personalize anyway (5x better performance)
But yeah... still personalize, makes sure it matters.
❌ DON'T:
Skip the research
Generic outbound without research is like fishing without bait; you get lots of motion, and zero results.
15 Use Relevant Social Proof
✅ DO:
Use relevant social proof
Find companies of their size, in their industry, with their problems, and that's social proof that actually proves something.
❌ DON'T:
Name-drop irrelevant giants
"Google uses our platform" doesn't impress a 10-person agency; it intimidates them.
16 Limit Your Numbers
✅ DO:
Use fewer than 2 numbers per email
One powerful stat beats ten mediocre ones.
❌ DON'T:
Turn your email into a spreadsheet
"We increased leads by 47% while reducing costs by 23% and improving efficiency by 61%..." Stop...(collaborate and listen)... You lost them at the first percentage sign.
17 Soften Your CTAs
✅ DO:
Soften your CTAs
"Worth exploring?" beats "Can we schedule a 30-minute discovery call to discuss your needs?" Soft asks get hard responses... Hard asks get deleted.
❌ DON'T:
Demand 30 minutes
Hard asks get deleted.
18 One CTA Per Email
✅ DO:
One CTA per email
Decision paralysis is real. Give them one clear next step, or they'll take none.
❌ DON'T:
Give them a menu of options
Multiple CTAs perform worse than NO CTAs at all...
The Things Your Pappy Never Told You...
Here's what nobody tells you about cold email...
It's not about perfect templates or magical subject lines.
It's about proving you understand their world better than they think you do.
Every rule above serves one purpose...
Showing prospects you're not another random salesperson shot-gunning emails into the void.
You're someone who did their homework, found a legitimate reason to connect, and respects their time enough to get to the point quickly.
And strategies scale better than tactics ever will.
Performance Summary
Ready to Stop Getting Ignored?
Quick Reference Checklist
✅ Do This
- • Personalize in PS section (+35%)
- • Write like a sixth-grader (+67%)
- • Keep under 150 words (+83%)
- • Use lowercase writing
- • Write in F-shape pattern
- • Focus on "you" not "I"
- • Pattern interrupt templates
- • Get straight to the point
- • Nail preview text
- • Find relevant triggers
- • Lead with WHY
- • Start conversations
- • Focus on relevancy first
- • Personalize with research (5x)
- • Use relevant social proof
- • Limit to 2 numbers max
- • Soften your CTAs
- • One CTA per email
❌ Don't Do This
- • Ask for everything in PS
- • Sound like Harvard MBA
- • Write War and Peace
- • Use exclamation points in subjects
- • Create walls of text
- • Focus on "I" statements
- • Use Google template #1
- • Start with pleasantries
- • Waste preview on intros
- • Use boring openers
- • Lead with ME
- • Try to close deals
- • Focus only on personalization
- • Skip the research
- • Name-drop irrelevant giants
- • Turn email into spreadsheet
- • Demand 30 minutes
- • Give menu of options
Cold Email Expertise
Transparency Note: This cold email guide is based on the author's 6+ years of hands-on experience sending thousands of cold emails and testing performance variations. Performance statistics mentioned are from actual campaign testing conducted between 2018-2024. Individual results may vary based on industry, target audience, implementation quality, and market conditions. Always comply with applicable anti-spam laws and regulations when conducting email outreach.