Are you frustrated with low conversion rates on your free trial offers? Do you feel like no matter how much time and effort you put into them, they just aren't performing up to standards? If so, don't worry -you're not alone!

Many businesses struggle to convert their free trials, but there is a solution. To help boost your conversions and maximize the success of your offer, implementing powerful follow-up emails throughout the process can make all the difference.

In this blog post, we will be sharing six proven strategies that have helped other businesses achieve higher conversion rates on their free trials -and these tactics can work for yours too!

What Are Free Trial Emails and Why Does Your Business Need to Use Them?

Free trial emails are an integral part of your SaaS marketing strategy that aims to convert trial users into paying customers. Sent at crucial stages of the user journey, these emails help maintain engagement, provide valuable information about your service, and gently nudge the user toward conversion.

The reason your agency needs them is twofold -

• Firstly, they bridge the gap between sign-up and purchase, acting as a persuasive seller in the absence of face-to-face interaction.
• Secondly, they retain user interest by providing timely assistance and showcasing the value of your product, thereby reducing the likelihood of trial abandonment.

This proactive communication can significantly boost your conversion rates and improve customer loyalty.

Six Major Free Trial Emails You Should Know About

Let's delve into the six major types of free trial emails that can contribute to higher conversion rates:

1. Welcome Email

It is your first direct contact with the customer after they've signed up for a free trial. It's essential to start on the right foot. Personalize your message to make the recipient feel valued and recognized.

Start by introducing yourself and your company, thank them for their interest, and assure them that you are committed to providing a top-notch experience.

Let them know that your team is available to assist them should they have any queries or require support.

A warm, personalized welcome can set the tone for a promising user experience.

Image Source: Litmus

2. Incentive Email

Enticing the user with an irresistible offer can be a surefire way to boost conversion rates. Use this email to offer a generous discount or an extension to their free trial. Make sure to highlight the value they're getting and remind them of the benefits they've been enjoying during the trial period.

It can help nudge the customer towards making a purchase. You can also create a sense of urgency by making the offer time-limited, which encourages immediate action. Make sure the process of availing the offer is straightforward and hassle-free to ensure a seamless user experience.

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This approach motivates the user to convert and gives them a taste of the exceptional service they can expect as paying customers.

3. Feature Spotlight Email

This type of email is designed to focus on the benefits of converting and the unique selling points of your product. Explaining exactly how your service stands out from the competition can be a compelling motivator for customers to convert.

Start by introducing a specific feature that you believe would be beneficial for them and then provide a detailed explanation of how it works. Include relevant images, videos, or testimonials that further emphasize its value.

You might also want to highlight any recent enhancements or updates to your product to show that your brand is continually striving to improve and innovate. Remember to emphasize how upgrading to a paid plan will unlock even more useful features, providing them with a superior user experience.

It can be an effective way of demonstrating your commitment to customer satisfaction and reinforcing the value proposition of your product.

4. Success Story Email

This type of email serves as a testament to the success your customers have achieved by using your product. In this email, share real-life stories of customers who have benefited from your service. These success stories can provide tangible proof of the value your product delivers, thereby encouraging the trial user to convert.

Include details such as the challenges the customer faced before using your product, how your product provided a solution, and the benefits they've seen as a result. It is crucial to get permission from the customer before sharing their story.

If possible, include direct quotes or testimonials, as they can add authenticity and credibility to your message. This type of email humanizes your brand and allows potential customers to see themselves in the success of others, creating a powerful incentive to upgrade from the free trial.

5. Reminder Email

This email serves as a gentle nudge to remind trial users that their free trial period is nearing its end. Frame this message as a friendly reminder rather than a sales pitch, emphasizing that you don't want them to miss out on the benefits they've been enjoying.

You can briefly highlight some of the features and benefits that make your product stand out, reinforcing its value. Include a clear, compelling call to action encouraging them to upgrade their account.

Remind them how easy it is to upgrade and assure them that their customer experience will only improve with a paid subscription. To foster a sense of urgency, you may want to include a countdown or specify the exact number of days remaining in their trial.

This email is a crucial component of your follow-up strategy as it directly targets users who are on the fence, encouraging them to take the plunge and become paying customers.

Image Source: Really Good Emails

6. Last Chance Email

This type of email serves as the final reminder to users that their free trial period is about to expire. It's their last chance to upgrade before losing access to your service. Craft this message carefully - you want to convey urgency without appearing pushy.

Start by thanking them for trying your product and express your hope that they have found it beneficial. Then, emphasize the imminent expiration of their free trial, reminding them of the valuable features they stand to lose.

Highlight the advantages of upgrading, and perhaps offer a final incentive, like a discount or bonus feature, to sweeten the deal. Make sure your call-to-action is clear and prominent, guiding them seamlessly through upgrading.

With the right balance of urgency and value, this email can be a powerful motivator for users teetering on the edge of conversion.

Image Source: Sendpulse

Tips for Creating Effective Follow-up Emails

Creating effective follow-up emails for your free trial users requires careful thought and strategic planning. Here are some valuable tips on crafting emails that garner the best results:

1. Be Personal‍

Personalize your emails to create a connection with the user. Use their name and reference specific actions they've taken or features they've used during the trial period. It can make your communication feel more tailored and less like a generic sales pitch.

2. Stay Relevant‍

Keep your content relevant to the recipient's needs and interests. It means talking about features and benefits that align with their use case and industry. Emails that feel customized and relevant have a higher chance of being read and acted upon.

3. Maintain Clarity‍

Ensure your emails are clear, concise, and easy to understand. Break down complex ideas into simple, digestible chunks. Use bullet points, subheadings, and bold text to direct attention to key information.

4. Use Visuals‍

Including visuals like screenshots, infographics, or demo videos can make your emails more engaging and help users better understand your product's benefits.

5. Create a Strong Call-to-Action (CTA)‍

Your call-to-action should be clear and compelling. Make it easy for users to understand what action they should take next and how to do it. Whether it's upgrading their account, scheduling a demo, or asking a question, your CTA should guide them towards conversion.

6. Test and Analyze‍

Monitor the performance of your emails and learn from the data. Test different subject lines, messaging, visuals, and CTAs to see what resonates most with your audience. Use your findings to continuously improve your email strategy.

Remember, successful email marketing is all about delivering the right message to the right user at the right time. With these tips, you'll be well on your way to crafting follow-up emails that not only enhance user experience but also drive conversions.

Key Metrics to Monitor the Effectiveness of Your Emails

To evaluate the effectiveness of your free trial follow-up emails, it's crucial to monitor certain key metrics. Here are a few that can provide valuable insights:

1. Open Rate‍

This metric gives you the percentage of recipients who opened your email. A higher open rate indicates a successful subject line that captures interest and prompts recipients to read your message.

2. Click-Through Rate (CTR)‍

This measures the percentage of recipients who clicked on a link within your email. A high CTR signifies that your content is engaging and successfully encourages recipients to take action.

3. Conversion Rate‍

This is the percentage of recipients who completed the desired action, such as signing up for a paid plan. It is arguably the most significant metric, as it directly relates to your primary goal of converting trial users into paying customers.

4. Bounce Rate‍

This indicates the percentage of emails that could not be delivered to the recipient's inbox. A high bounce rate can negatively impact your sender's reputation, so it's important to maintain clean, up-to-date email lists.

5. Unsubscribe Rate‍

This is the percentage of recipients who opt out of receiving your emails. A high unsubscribe rate may signal that your content is not resonating with your audience or that you're sending emails too frequently.

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Keep in mind that while these metrics can provide valuable insights, they should not be considered in isolation. Instead, view them together to gain a comprehensive understanding of your email campaign's performance and make any necessary adjustments to improve your conversion rates.

The DashClicks’ white label template software can significantly enhance your email marketing campaign, especially when converting free trials to paid subscriptions. Not only does the software provide pre-built templates specifically designed for each stage of the customer journey, but it also offers customization options to better fit your business needs.

With ready-to-use templates for welcome emails, incentive emails, feature spotlight emails, success story emails, reminder emails, and last-chance emails, the best email management software takes the guesswork out of crafting compelling messages. The templates are designed to engage, inform, and gently persuade your trial users toward conversion.

Moreover, the software incorporates all the tips for crafting effective emails. Each template is personalized, relevant, clear, visually appealing, and includes a strong call-to-action, making it easy to send out high-performing emails without starting from scratch.

Additionally, the template management software also comes with built-in analytics tools that allow you to monitor key metrics such as open rate, click-through rate, conversion rate, bounce rate, and unsubscribe rate. This way, you can assess the performance of your emails and make data-driven decisions to optimize your campaign.

In essence, the software by DashClicks is a powerful tool that can streamline your email marketing process, save you time and effort, and ultimately, boost your conversion rates.

In Conclusion

An effective free trial email strategy is essential for converting trial users into paying customers. These emails not only maintain engagement but also showcase the value of your product, acting as persuasive sellers in the absence of face-to-face interaction.

Employing a variety of emails, from the initial welcome to the final last-chance reminder, can create a comprehensive and compelling narrative that drives conversions. Personalization, relevance, clarity, visuals, a strong call-to-action, and continuous testing and analysis are vital to crafting successful emails.

Moreover, monitoring key metrics, including open rate, click-through rate, conversion rate, bounce rate, and unsubscribe rate provides invaluable insights for optimizing your strategy. Overall, with careful planning and strategic execution, follow-up emails can significantly enhance your SaaS marketing strategy, leading to higher conversion rates and improved customer loyalty.

Are you looking for ways to improve your email marketing campaigns and reach more customers? It’s no secret that the way consumers interact with brands is changing rapidly. Consumers are increasingly turning to automated processes, such as AI-powered systems, instead of direct human contact when making purchase decisions.

With so many AI tools available today, it's hard to know what solutions will take your campaign from average to extraordinary. Luckily, artificial intelligence (AI) has been increasingly used by marketers across the globe successfully—allowing them to unleash their creativity while optimizing operations at the same time.

To help get you started on the path towards creating better email marketing experiences using AI technology, we’ve sliced through all the data out there so you can better understand how powerful and effective it can be for boosting your campaigns!

Understand the Benefits of AI for Email Marketing

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has revolutionized the way we approach many aspects of digital marketing, and email marketing is no exception. In recent years, email automation tools that use AI have become increasingly popular, allowing businesses to efficiently reach and engage with their target audiences on a more personalized level.

By analyzing customer data and behavior, AI-powered email marketing campaigns can segment and target individuals with content and messages highly relevant to their interests and needs, ultimately increasing the likelihood of conversion.

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AI can also help automate tasks such as list segmentation, subject line optimization, and A/B testing, freeing up valuable time for marketers to focus on other important areas of their strategy. As AI continues to develop and become more advanced, the benefits of incorporating this technology into email marketing will only continue to grow.

Explore AI Powered Personalization and Segmentation

With technology advancing at an unprecedented pace, it's no surprise that artificial intelligence (AI) is making its way into various industries. One area where AI is redefining the game is in personalization and segmentation.

It offers businesses the ability to analyze vast amounts of data and extract meaningful insights to personalize customer experiences on a whole new level. By combining AI with customer behavior data, businesses can tailor product recommendations, ad targeting, and even price points to each customer with unparalleled accuracy.

This level of personalization and segmentation can lead to increased engagement, customer satisfaction, and ultimately, revenue growth.

Image Source: Twilio

Use AI for Email Content Optimization

In today's digital age, email marketing has become one of the most effective ways to reach potential customers. However, crafting the perfect email content can be a daunting task.

It is where AI comes in handy. With its ability to process and analyze vast amounts of data, AI has become an invaluable tool for email content optimization. Here’s how you can incorporate AI content optimization for your email marketing.

1. Understand Your Recipient: Utilize AI algorithms to analyze customer data and understand their preferences, needs, and past interactions. It will enable you to tailor your content to the individual recipient.

2. Automate Subject Line Creation: AI can help create compelling subject lines based on past open rates and user preferences. It can significantly increase your email open rates.

3. Content Personalization: Use AI to personalize email content based on user data. It includes tailoring product recommendations, promotional offers, and even the tone and language used in the email.

4. A/B Testing: AI can power automated A/B testing to determine the most effective email design, layout, content, and timing. It helps in refining your email marketing strategy.

5. Predictive Analysis: AI can forecast recipient behavior and engagement, guiding you in creating emails that meet predictive outcomes. It can lead to higher click-through rates and conversions.

6. Improve Timing: AI algorithms can analyze when users are most likely to open emails and engage with content, allowing you to send emails at optimal times.

7. Spam Filter Avoidance: AI can analyze the factors that cause emails to end up in spam folders. Using this analysis, you can adapt your content to improve deliverability rates.

Automate Your Email Campaigns with AI

The world of marketing is constantly evolving and keeping up with the latest trends can be a daunting task. Fortunately, advances in technology have made it easier to reach your audience with targeted messaging and personalized content.

One such innovation is the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to automate email campaigns. Here are some amazing benefits of automating your email campaigns:

1. Increased Efficiency: AI allows for the automation of repetitive tasks such as sending out emails, freeing up valuable time for marketers to focus on other areas.

2. Increased Personalization: By analyzing customer data, AI enables customization of every email sent out, providing a personalized experience for each recipient.

3. Improved Analytics: AI provides in-depth analytics, helping to understand the success of the marketing campaign and areas of improvement.

4. Improved Engagement: AI can help determine the best sending times for emails, thereby improving engagement rates.

5. Spam Filter Avoidance: AI can reduce the chances of an email being flagged as spam, thereby increasing the deliverability rate.

6. Scalability: AI allows the campaign to be easily scaled, whether you're sending a few hundred or several million emails.

7. Improved A/B Testing: AI can automate the process of A/B testing, allowing marketers to identify and implement the most effective strategies.

8. Predictive Analysis: AI can predict customer behavior and engagement, helping tailor emails more likely to result in conversions.

9. Cost Effective: Automation with AI may reduce the cost of email marketing by minimizing human error and increasing productivity.

So if you want to take your email marketing to the next level, consider automating your email campaigns with AI.

Leverage Advanced Techniques in AI to Take Your Campaigns to the Next Level

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming the way we approach marketing campaigns. With advanced techniques in AI, the possibilities are endless. Leveraging this technology can take your campaigns to the next level, giving you a competitive edge over others in the industry.

From predictive analysis to personalized recommendations, AI can help automate and optimize your marketing strategy. By understanding your target audience and predicting their behavior, you can create tailored campaigns that engage and convert your customers.

Using AI can lead to better decision-making, increased efficiency, and higher ROI. Don't get left behind - explore the potential of AI and elevate your marketing campaigns to new heights.

Image Source: Unlayer

Measure the Impact of Your AI-Powered Emails

In a world where technology is constantly evolving, businesses need to embrace the power of AI to stay ahead of the game. AI-powered emails can be a game changer when it comes to engaging and retaining customers, but how do you measure the impact of this innovative approach?

With the right tools and strategies in place, it's possible to analyze and understand the effectiveness of your organization's AI-powered emails. From measuring open and click-through rates to tracking overall engagement and revenue, measuring the impact of your AI-powered emails can help you make informed decisions that optimize your marketing efforts and drive success.

Image Source: Salesmate

The DashClicks' best email management software can be a game-changer in AI-powered email marketing. With its extensive collection of pre-made email templates, this platform enables marketers to quickly and effectively set up AI-driven email campaigns.

The templates are designed to optimize engagement, with AI algorithms integrated to automate personalization and segmentation.

DashClicks' email management software also offer analytics capabilities, allowing marketers to measure the impact of their emails, track engagement metrics, and make data-driven decisions to enhance campaign effectiveness. The app can perform A/B testing, determine optimal timing for email dispatch, and even aid in avoiding spam filters.

By harnessing the power of DashClicks’ white label template software, you can take your AI-powered email marketing to new heights.

Wrapping It Up!

AI has the potential to revolutionize email marketing campaigns. Through automated processes, personalization, and segmentation, you can better reach your email subscribers and maximize engagement.

From content optimization to advanced techniques such as leveraging natural language processing, there is a lot of potential for utilizing AI in your next campaign. Although it may require an initial investment, the impact of improved metrics such as open rate and click-through rate should more than make up for it.

By incorporating artificial intelligence into your email campaigns, you can increase conversions and measure ROI efficiently. Now is the time to use AI to take your email marketing campaigns to the next level!

Are you an agency looking to revamp your sales outreach process? If so, you've come to the right place. Today we are addressing how agencies can win at sales outreach by utilizing five golden rules in their strategy and execution plans.

From understanding who to target and when this post is sure to help any agency elevate its current marketing efforts by offering valuable insights into more successful approaches.

Join us as we explore the world of sales outreach from a different angle ā one sure to bring agencies their business success!

What Is a Sales Outreach? Why Should an Agency Have a Sales Outreach Strategy?

Sales outreach is a process in which an agency reaches out to its prospects to gain new business and increase sales. It involves a combination of targeted communication, market research, lead generation, and effective follow-up activities. A well-planned sales outreach strategy can help agencies increase their customer base and boost revenues.

Successful sales outreach involves more than just cold calling, however. It requires an understanding of who to target and when and a targeted approach to communication. Agencies need to know how to craft their messaging for maximum impact and develop creative strategies for building relationships with potential customers.

To help agencies win at sales outreach, here are 5 Golden Rules to follow:

Golden Rule #1: Start With a Targeted List of Potential Clients

When starting a business, it's essential to have a clear understanding of who your target market is. It can be tempting to cast a wide net and hope for the best, but this approach is unlikely to yield the desired results.

Instead, take the time to research the industry and create an ideal client profile. What are their pain points? What are they looking for in a product or service? Once you have a clear understanding of who your ideal customer is, you can begin to build a targeted list of potential clients. It can be created from various sources, such as industry associations, online directories, and social media.

By starting with a targeted list of potential clients, you can focus your marketing efforts and increase your chances of success.

Golden Rule #2: Be Personal in Your Outreach

When reaching out to potential clients, being personal can go a long way in fostering a connection. Introduce yourself, share a bit about your background and business, and don't be afraid to explain why you think their business could benefit from your services.

By taking the time to show that you've done some research and have a genuine interest in their success, you can increase the chances of them being interested in what you have to offer. After all, people do business with people they know, like, and trust. So, let your personality shine through in your outreach and make a lasting impression.

Golden Rule #3: Use Multiple Channels for Outreach

In today's fast-paced world, it's vital to use every tool at our disposal to effectively reach out to our target audience. Whether through phone calls via a business phone service, emails, social media, direct mail, or other methods, utilizing multiple channels can increase our success rates dramatically.

Each channel has unique advantages and disadvantages, making it essential to tailor our outreach strategy based on the audience and the overall message we want to convey. With the right strategy in place, we can engage with our audience effectively and increase the likelihood of achieving our goals.

So, why limit ourselves to one method when we can employ various channels for maximum impact?

Image Source: Upscale

Golden Rule #4: Follow-up Is Key

Following up is essential for building and maintaining relationships with your clients. It's not uncommon for potential clients to be hesitant or busy, which could lead to missed opportunities if you wait for them to contact you. Don't be afraid to reach out a few times, but be sure to keep track of which clients have been contacted and when.

Consistent follow-up allows you to show your interest and dedication to their needs, establishing a stronger connection between you and your client. It can also help you identify any issues or concerns that may have gone unnoticed without persistent communication.

Image Source: WordStream

Remember, taking the initiative to reach out multiple times demonstrates professionalism and can lead to successful business relationships.

Golden Rule # 5: Leverage Success Stories

Attracting new clients can be a challenge, but leveraging success stories can make a big difference. By sharing case studies or testimonials from satisfied clients, you can showcase the value of your services and help potential clients see the positive impact you can have on their business.

Rather than simply telling potential clients what you can do for them, sharing success stories can give them concrete examples of how your services have helped others achieve their goals.

Whether it's a case study outlining the steps you took to help a client increase their revenue or a testimonial highlighting the exceptional customer service you provided, using success stories is a powerful way to show your expertise and build trust with potential clients.

What Are the Common Challenges Agencies Face During Sales Outreach?

Sales outreach can be challenging for any agency, as success depends on many variables. The most common challenges agencies face include -

1. Not Having a Clear Understanding of the Target Market

Agencies must do their due diligence and take the time to research their industry and create an ideal customer profile before they begin any outreach. Knowing who you are targeting, what they need, and which channels will be most effective for reaching out is essential for success.

2. Being Too Generic in the Messaging

Generic messages don't make an impression on potential clients. Crafting targeted, personalized content that speaks to each individual prospect will help you stand out and increase your chances of success.

3. Not Following Up Enough

Consistent follow-up is key in sales outreach, as it allows you to build trust and demonstrate your dedication to the client. Don't be afraid to reach out multiple times; just make sure you keep track of who has been contacted and when.

4. Not Having a Comprehensive Strategy

Agencies should create an overall strategy for their sales outreach efforts that include research, lead generation, messaging, and follow-up activities. It will ensure that all elements are in place for success and that any potential opportunities don't go unnoticed.

5. Not Utilizing Multiple Channels

Utilizing various channels can dramatically increase the reach of your outreach efforts and help you engage with more prospects. Whether it's through emails, phone calls, social media, or direct mail, make sure you are leveraging every tool at your disposal.

By following the five golden rules outlined above and keeping these common challenges in mind, any agency can improve its sales outreach efforts and increase its chances of success. With some creative thinking and a well-thought-out strategy, agencies can elevate their current marketing efforts and see their revenues soar!

Sending out emails to prospective clients is a huge part of any agency's sales outreach strategies. However, drafting individual emails for every prospect can be an exhaustive and tedious task. That's where DashClicks' white label template software comes in handy.

Our email templates are the only thing you need to scale up your sales outreach efforts. With our template, you can custom-create your emails for individuals or groups of clients effortlessly. Moreover, you can personalize them by integrating relevant data from other applications too.

The Fallback Text feature also ensures that there is no missing text or blank spaces in your email in case any information is not available in the original data source. DashClicks allows you to customize the content and the look of your emails without hassle to get the most out of your email strategies.

Wrapping Up

The key to a successful sales outreach program is preparation and perseverance. With the right strategy in place, such as these five golden rules for agencies, you can ensure your efforts will not go unnoticed. Taking the time to create a targeted list of potential clients and persisting in various outreach channels will benefit your business overall.

Furthermore, leveraging the success stories of other clients through case studies or testimonials will ensure that your services are shown in a positive light. If you struggle with sales outreach, know that by applying these five tips, you can turn the tide and start winning more deals!

The two most prevalent methods of business promotion and lead generation in digital marketing are:

A. Investing money in paid advertisements

B. Implementing inbound and content marketing

These strategies serve both purposes:

A. Creating awareness about the products and services

B. Lead generation and conversion

So, these can be used in various parts of the sales funnel.

Paid Advertising vs. Content Marketing

Both paid advertising and content marketing have their pros and cons.

Paid marketing brings quick results, whereas content marketing requires patience and time, as it drives results in the long run.

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Content marketing builds an audience that is likely to convert and become your customers in the future. Both of these strategies are successful in their domains, but they also have various cons.

If you try paid advertising, you need to have enough money to get noticeable results. On the flip side, while implementing content marketing, you need to invest time and effort.

It would help if you also had lots of patience as you would see results through content marketing in terms of conversion in a long time.

Why Do You Need to Implement Cold Email Marketing?

So, is there a way to generate quick leads, which is cost-effective as well? You can try cold email marketing, which works for many businesses and freelancers.

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Email marketing is quite common, but there is a slight difference between cold email marketing and email marketing. In email marketing, you get the opt-in form filled in by the user when they visit your website, and you get their permission to send them emails.

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The objective of email marketing is to engage users and do business with them. Whereas in cold email marketing, we send an email to a stranger without seeking their permission. Cold email marketing has the following features.

1. High Open Rate

But why would you send a cold email? There are many reasons behind it. According to a study based on the analysis of 20 million cold emails, it was found that these were quite effective. The cold emails had an open rate of 53%, and that's a considerable number because the writer sent them to millions of people.

That is even higher than what you'd achieve through paid ads, and it's a remarkable achievement for a marketer. Secondly, cold pitching yields results faster than any other campaign. People can get results within a week. It is even faster than inbound marketing.

The average time needed is six to nine months to drive any significant result with inbound marketing. With cold emailing, you can start doing business with your prospective client within a few days.

2. Scalable

Cold emailing is scalable. You can potentially send an unlimited number of cold emails. If you do it properly, you can add hundreds of people every day to your email list.

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With cold email marketing, you can easily reach out to as many as 1000 to 15,000 people in a day because it has endless possibilities.

3. It's Free

The best feature of cold email marketing is that it's mostly free. All you need is to have access to an email account. However, you may need to invest in a few tools that will make your life easier.

The biggest problem while performing cold email marketing is to find email addresses. Email Address Finder is a tool that you can use along with an Email Open Tracker. These tools can be a bit costly. However, the good news is buying these tools isn't a must. You can very well achieve the same results by using free tools along with some manual work. However, doing it manually may be a bit time-consuming.

The Legality of Cold Email Marketing

You receive hundreds of junk emails every day that include get-rich-quick schemes and other fraudulent offers, most of which are spam. So, people confuse cold emails with spam emails which is not the case.

So, cold email marketing is not necessarily illegal. Even though spammy and illegal cold emails are commonplace, sending out cold emails is considered legal globally.

However, you should make sure that while sending cold emails, you don’t use the following:

1. False headers
2. Deceptive subject lines
3. No option to opt-out or unsubscribe

There is a law against deceptive subject lines and false headers, known as the CAN-SPAM Act.

The objective of this act is to respect the privacy of the recipients and prevent businesses from cheating or deceiving them. It applies to all types of emails, even the emails sent as part of email marketing. If you comply with the CAN-SPAM Act, cold email marketing is 100% legal.

How to Make a Prospecting List?

Prospecting is the next most important thing, and you should invest a significant chunk of your time in making your prospect list because it will pay you off tremendously. The success of your email campaign will also depend on the quality and length of your email list.

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During prospecting, you develop a list of targets and contacts to send your cold emails to. The more exhaustive and targeted your email prospecting list is, the more success you're likely to achieve with your cold email marketing campaign.

Here is the five-step process of prospecting:

1. First, figure out what your target audience is.
2. Then, find out the related keywords that define your target audience.
3. Perform screening and filtering of prospects.
4. Identify decision-makers.
5. Find out the email addresses of the decision-makers.

A. Defining Your Target Audience

Instead of taking a general approach, you should first try to determine your target audience.

You can further filter your audience to a set of people in a particular niche or people with a certain quality or a trait, such as educational level or income.

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Coming up with the right target audience is extremely important for success in cold email marketing. Furthermore, your success rate is bound to increase with personalized emails. With general targeting, it's not possible to personalize those emails.

B. Finding the Keywords That Define Your Audience

After defining your target audience, you should try to figure out keywords that people use to find such an audience. You can use a keyword tool such as Ubersuggest or Google Keyword Planner for this purpose. For example, if you are targeting business process outsourcing units, you can use keywords such as:

• Business offshoring services
• Knowledge process outsourcing centers
• Business process outsourcing companies
• Remote outsourcing centers

You can use your creativity and secondary information to research the most searched and popular keywords:

C. Perform Screening and Filtering Of Prospects

While screening your prospects, have a look at their websites and other features such as financial strength and business model, etc., so that you don't end up wasting your time on an unintended audience. If their businesses are in nascent stages and cannot earn any revenue, there is little chance that they would even care about the services you offer.

D. Identify Decision-Makers and Find Their Email Addresses

The next most important step after you shortlisted the businesses you need to target is identifying the decision-makers. Usually, you can find it on the "About Us" page on the website and also in the "Team" or "Leadership" section. However, the best place to know the decision-maker is Linkedin.

A decision-maker can be an MD, CEO, CMO, CFO, or CTO, etc.

You cannot start your cold emailing campaign unless you know the correct Email address of your prospects. You can either use an email finder app or try it manually.

You can consider the following email finder apps:

• Find that.email
• Clearbit
• Clearout
• AeroLeads
• Snov.io
• LeadGrabber MF
• Email Hunter
• Voila Norbert
• FindThatLead
• Uplead
• Norbert

Many of these apps are available as Chrome extensions and extensions of popular CRM and other digital marketing tools.

It is not difficult to use these apps. All you need to do is enter the prospect's name and company URL, and the app will try to find the email address for you. Most of these tools offer a free trial but upto 50 free email addresses are free. For extensive use, you can buy their subscription.

If you do not want to invest in a tool or app, you can use the manual approach to try different email variations and check it on Google.

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You can see here that for an imaginary prospect Jane Doe, who works for Deloitte US, there can be different email variations.

According to the screenshot, Deloitte US uses seven other email formats, the combination with the first name's initials and second name, i.e., jdoe@deloitte.com, was used 29.8% of the time. So, you can try this variation along with two others on top, i.e., janedoe@deloitte.com and doej@deloitte.com.

If you choose the wrong variation, don't worry, you'll receive mail from "MAILER-DAEMON" or a "Mail Delivery Subsystem". You can filter such emails out later on.

How to Write Highly Effective Cold Emails?

Here is an example of a very successful email format that the sender claims had earned him $10,000+ in freelance writing income.

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To write such cold mails, you should remember the following things:

1. Personalized

The email addresses the recipient by their first name, and their company name is also referenced in the second sentence. So, the cold email has an element of personalization.

2. Highly Specific, Brief, and to the Point

The email directly talks about the reason for reaching out. So, without any fluff, it helps the prospect to decide whether to continue reading the mail or not.

3. Attention-Grabbing

The sender introduces himself and provides relevant social proof by mentioning that he has been featured in major international magazines such as Forbes and the Huffington Post, and his blog has millions of subscribers. Since he was pitching for writing projects, all of these act as attention grabbers.

4. Specify How You Can Help

The sender has specified how he could help the recipient, giving them different options to choose from. Being specific about your services also helps you write highly engaging emails.

A 5-Step Process to Write an Effective Email

Here is a 5-step process to write effective cold emails that bring quick results:

1. Tailor the Message to the Recipient

Personalization involves taking time to understand your customer and deep-diving into their mind. It is possible only through empathy mapping. So, instead of getting tone-deaf about your messaging, personalize it according to the likes and interests of the recipient.

Personalization comes with the understanding of the human mind, so it involves getting into the thinking process of an individual, what they want and what motivates them. Once you develop that "theory of mind," your homework is done.

The purpose of your email should also be pretty straightforward, even if it sounds like seeking help. According to various studies, people feel motivated to help others when you address them as uniquely qualified. If your story makes sense, they would be more than eager to help you.

With personalization, you cut the crap and don't talk about things that don't make sense or are said with little or no homework.

2. Validate Yourself

When you interact with a stranger or receive an email from someone you don't know, you have a natural curiosity to know about that person.

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Mentioning a familiar friend can help minimize that stranger feeling. If you have the authority, social status, or credibility to qualify for the quick camaraderie, say it.

"Rare similarities" like a shared hometown, strange hobbies, or being part of the same group can also help you connect instantaneously and ward off that stranger feeling.

3. Help Your Audience Alleviate Their Pain

According to various studies, people tend to go overboard to get rid of pain than to acquire pleasure. So, if you have done your research about your audience's pain points and want to offer some relief from it, explain it.

You can use social listening to know the most significant pain points of your prospects. It will simply surprise them and delight them, and in turn, they will also be willing to return the favor. Or, you can help people with something they want or connect them to someone they would like to meet.

4. Keep It Short and Actionable

Keep people's needs and wants in mind and craft a short but power-packed email with a compelling offer. Short emails have a higher chance of being read than long and cold ones that can be annoying. Your emails should request explicit, specific action to get a higher response.

The best way to do it is to keep its tone conversational, just like someone introduces himself at a party and immediately grabs the guests' attention.

Reading your email out loud will immensely help. It will likely be read with enthusiasm if it sounds natural, cordial, friendly, and pleasant. Ask instead of suggesting or instructing people. So, the way you talk to them matters a lot.

5. Be Appreciative, Express Gratitude and Vulnerability

Being slightly submissive and showing vulnerability is a highly effective persuasion skill. It doesn't mean you should bow down like what people did in ancient times before majestic kings.

But, when you approach a stranger for a favor, it pays to express gratitude and a little bit of vulnerability, to make them feel that they are a good person and in a position to help someone in need. While approaching them, could you give them a feeling of power and status?

Conclusion

Experts warn against using a template as it can be annoying, cold, and boring. It may not have the pull required to engage the readers because it lacks personalization and often carries a formal tone. That's why we have refrained from suggesting any template. The tips and tricks offered above will stimulate readers and help you engage with them. Cold email marketing is not really "cold" as it sounds. It all comes down to the value you offer, the personal touch in your language, friendly tone, and brevity of the content.

An email's subject line plays a vital role in determining whether the recipient will open it. Most people scroll through their inboxes looking for relevant emails based on the subject lines.

As a marketer, you must ensure that your subscribers read your emails. To write attention-grabbing subject lines, you can draw inspiration from some of the best email subject lines used by businesses and organizations.

You must have seen the typical promotional headlines in your inbox, such as "how she got a $700 writing client in one week (!!!)" and "these are some great BONUSES!" Readers ignore such hyperbolic emails and move to the next without wasting time.

So, what kind of email subject line should you write? Here are 15 examples that will inspire you to craft attention-grabbing subject lines:

1: "unmotivated? these 2 steps fix it"

Marie Forleo, who Oprah named a thought leader for the next generation, is a motivational speaker and business coach. She creates quality content on her blog and inspires her audiences through the weekly YouTube show MARIETV.

2020 was full of challenges and difficulties, with most people staying inside homes during the lockdown. We also saw a dramatic upsurge in the work-from-home culture. It was a tough time, and millions worldwide struggled financially, physically, and psychologically.

Forleo uses intelligently-crafted subject lines to draw her audience's attention without sounding overly promotional. A relevant case study is: "unmotivated? these 2 steps fix it." Written in lowercase, the message has a casual tone, yet it addresses a much bigger problem ā how to bring your life back on track after a global pandemic? The subject line was researched carefully to echo the global public sentiment.

2: "What Did You Think? Write a Review."

People receive these kinds of messages from eCommerce sites, usually within a fortnight of buying a product. It is the perfect way to ask your customers how they feel about the purchase. Reviews from satisfied customers help website visitors make a buying decision. However, it's important to note that they are not forced into writing a good review. Honest feedback is of paramount importance. It encourages strong relationships and transparency with customers. Consumers feel empowered and valued when they are offered an opportunity to express their opinion.

3: "Your prescription is expiring"

It works as an email alert when your prescription for medication or eyeglasses is nearing its expiry date. A subject line's power lies in its timing. It prompts the user to engage with an email because it is highly personalized and suggests urgency.

4: "Best of Groupon: The Deals That Make Us Proud (Unlike Our Nephew, Steve)"

Groupon uses humor expertly in its marketing messages. For example, "unlike our nephew Steve.ā It makes us laugh. Because it imbues an element of fun in an otherwise serious-sounding message, the sheer contrast compels the user to open the email.

5: "Free (Cool!) Clothes Alert" (Gift emojis)

Clover used emojis in its subject line to evoke specific and vivid responses. The content's visual nature arouses curiosity and invites the reader to see the information.

6: "The timer is going off on your shopping cart"

King Arthur Flour used this subject line as a reminder, signaling urgency. Warning customers that they would likely miss out on the products if they don't act immediately almost always works. It also effectively conveys the implied message that the stock may soon run out.

FOMO, or fear of missing out, is a proven sales technique. If a customer has had a particular product on their wishlist for some time, such messages can push them into making the purchase.

7: "Important Weather Advisory"

People take weather advisory seriously as it impacts their daily routine. It influences their ability to leave the house, travel, and go to work. Businesses with products or services susceptible to the weather are more likely to send such messages to their customers. For example, before an impending hail storm or power outage, the businesses selling internet services might email a weather advisory to their customers.

8: "3750 reward points for you. A lovely gift for your partner."

Specific numbers compel you to open an email, especially when personalized. Usually,Ā banks, airlines, financial services, and superstores send such messages to their loyal customers to show that the company cares. It helps businesses nurture their brand value and build long-term relationships with customers.

9: "Rock the color of the year"

It uses intrigue and mystery to stimulate you into opening an email.Ā Etsy, an eCommerce marketplace, once promoted a product highlighting a single feature: color. They generated curiosity by using the phrase "color of the year." A message like this builds interest enough to make users click on the email.

10: "Black Friday shoppers are the worst customers"

LinkedIn used this subject line to promote an article published on Pulse, its publishing platform. Although the subject line is facetious, bold, and judgemental, it is a cultural observation. And since LinkedIn doesn't sell anything on Black Friday, it does not cause any direct harm.

11: "Don't open this email"

A subject line like this exploits human psychology. We experience a strong desire to do something when asked to refrain from it. Brands leverage this human tendency, known as reactance, and use it to boost the open rate.

12: "I got Botoxā& THIS is what it looked like"

Used by Refinery29, this subject line uses a personal story to create intrigue. People are naturally curious about personal anecdotes. When you include a strong human story in your email, it is more likely to be well-received.

13: "What can you afford?"

Affordability is a significant factor when consumers explore the market for a product or service. When an email tells you that something is within your means, you feel compelled to check out the prices.

14: "As you wish"

It is a popular dialogue from the movie "The Princess Bride." The brand UncommonGoods used it effectively to target the film's fans. It was a simple strategy, but it worked because the brand sent it to a predisposed user base.

15: "Not cool guys"

BuzzFeed's excellent copywriting also reflects in its emails. They engage the reader with catchy and engaging subject lines. It delights their customers and improves the open rate for their emails.

Conclusion

We have discussed just a few examples and ideas you can use when working on the subject line for your emails. The objective is to craft a message that evokes an immediate response. Prior research about your target user goes a long way in creating exciting subject lines. However. there is no magic formula to succeed. Users may click on an email today and be completely turned off by it at another time. The best strategy is to be receptive to innovative ideas. The most effective subject lines entertain, educate, and offer value.