First-Touch Cold Email Templates
A first-touch cold email opens with something specific about the prospect's company, names one problem it likely causes, backs it with a peer's result, and ends with one easy question. These templates follow that shape in under 100 words, the length Gong found works best, and ask about interest rather than for a meeting, which doubled meeting rates in Gong's study of 304,174 emails.
The first email to someone who has never heard of you. Each one opens with them, names one problem, and asks one easy question.
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{{Purple}} fields are merge fields your sending tool can fill. [Amber] lines are the part you research and write for each person. That part is what gets the reply.
Download all 68 as a PDFFirst-touch cold emails
Observation, problem, proof, ask
Your default first email when you've found one specific thing about their company.
Subject: [their initiative] at {{companyName}}Or try: [their team] and [problem]
Hi {{firstName}}, [A specific observation, e.g. "Four SDR openings in Austin this month."] When teams grow like that, [the problem it usually creates, e.g. "ramp time eats the first quarter"]. [Similar company] cut that from [before] to [after]. Open to seeing how? {{senderName}}
Why it works: It's the three-paragraph shape 30 Minutes to President's Club teaches: a dangerously specific problem, a one-line answer, an interest question. Gong Labs found openers built on company news tripled executive reply rates. (43 words)
Poke the bear
When you know the problem well but have no trigger to mention.
Subject: [problem] at {{companyName}}Or try: how [team] handles [task]
Hi {{firstName}}, Curious, how is [their team] handling [task] right now? Most [job title]s I talk to are still [the old way, e.g. "rebuilding lead lists by hand every week"], which quietly costs [a cost they'll recognize]. Another [peer title] cut that by [specific result] with a less common approach. Worth exploring? {{senderName}}
Why it works: Josh Braun's poke-the-bear question gets them thinking about a gap without being told they have one. Gong and Outbound Squad found pitching cuts reply rates by as much as 57% across 28M+ cold emails. (53 words)
What companies like theirs did
When you work with companies they'll recognize in their own industry.
Subject: [peer company] and [peer company]
Hi {{firstName}}, We work with [two companies in their industry] on [problem]. The pattern we keep seeing: [one insight specific to their industry, e.g. "clinics lose most no-shows in the 48 hours before an appointment"]. [Peer company] [result] after changing that. Is this on your radar at {{companyName}}? {{senderName}}
Why it works: Names they know lower the risk of replying. Jason Bay puts two peer company names in the subject line, and Gong Labs found industry-specific messaging correlates with an 88% increase in replies. (49 words)
One specific idea for them
When you've spotted a concrete improvement and can explain it in two lines.
Subject: an idea for [page or process]
Hi {{firstName}}, Looked at [their page, product or process] and noticed [specific issue, e.g. "the pricing page has no annual option"]. [The fix, in one line]. For [similar company], that meant [result]. Want me to send the details? No call needed. {{senderName}}
Why it works: A concrete idea proves you did the work, and "no call needed" removes the usual reason to ignore a cold email. 30 Minutes to President's Club found a compelling offer, such as an audit or idea, lifts replies by 28%. (42 words)
Ask before you pitch
For senior people you'd rather not pitch outright.
Subject: ideas for [area]
Hi {{firstName}}, I work with [type of company] on [problem], and have two or three ideas on [area] for {{companyName}}, based on [what you looked at]. Mind if I send them over? If they're not useful, tell me and I'll leave it there. Either way, thanks for reading. {{senderName}}
Why it works: Asking permission is the lightest possible ask, and a yes means they've agreed to read your next email. It's an interest question, the call to action Gong found worked best for cold emails, and the "either way" close is a Josh Braun habit that lowers the pressure. (49 words)
Three lines for an executive
For founders and C-level buyers who read email on their phones.
Subject: {{companyName}} and [outcome]
Hi {{firstName}}, [One line on their strategic goal, e.g. "Saw the plan to double enterprise revenue this year."] [Peer company] was up against [the problem that goal creates] and [result] by [approach]. Open to hearing how they did it? {{senderName}}
Why it works: It's the Problem Prompter shape from 30 Minutes to President's Club and Gong: their objective, the problem, how a peer solved it. Gong found C-level executives are 30% less likely to reply to cold email, and that 50 to 100 words works best when they do. (40 words)
They use a tool you replace
When you can see which tool they use (job posts, their site, tech lookups) and you do something it can't.
Subject: {{companyName}} and [their current tool]
Hi {{firstName}}, Looks like {{companyName}} runs on [current tool]. It's good at [something it does well]. Where teams tend to outgrow it is [a specific limit, e.g. "reporting past 10 users"]. [Customer who switched] moved over in [time] and [result]. Is [the limit] starting to show up for you? {{senderName}}
Why it works: Lavender's competitor framework: name the tool, give it honest credit, then say where customers outgrow it. Credit first means you're not attacking a choice they made. (50 words)
How to use the First-Touch Cold Email Templates
- 1
Pick the template
Each one says when to send it. Choose the one that matches what just happened with this prospect.
- 2
Fill in the gaps
Your sending tool fills the purple merge fields. Write the amber lines yourself for each person: that research is what earns the reply.
- 3
Copy and send
Copy the subject and body into your email or sending tool, read it once out loud, and send.
More cold email templates
The full set of 68 cold email templates has every situation on one page, with a six-step follow-up sequence and the research behind each rule. Or jump to another situation:
- Trigger Event Email Templates
- LinkedIn Follow-Up Email Templates
- Referral and Intro Email Templates
- Follow-Up Email Templates
- Breakup Email Templates
- Event and Meeting Follow-Up Templates
- Re-Engagement Email Templates
- Sales Reply Email Templates
- Cold Email Templates for Agencies
- Founder and Partnership Email Templates
Get all 68 templates as a PDF
One file to keep next to your sending tool: every template with its subject lines and when to send it, plus the six-step follow-up sequence.
Need the address first? The Email Permutator lists every likely format for a name, and the Company Email Pattern Finder works out the one a company uses.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should the first line of a cold email be?
Something specific about them or their company: a hire, a launch, a post they wrote. Gong Labs found openers built on company news tripled reply rates from directors and above. Skip introductions like "My name is"; your signature already says who you are.
Should my first cold email ask for a meeting?
No. Ask about interest instead. In Gong's study of 304,174 emails, an interest question led to a meeting 30% of the time, against 15% for asking for a specific time. Save times and calendar links for after they reply.
How do I write a cold email without sounding salesy?
Lead with their problem, not your product. Gong and Outbound Squad found pitching cuts reply rates by as much as 57%. Say what you noticed, what it usually causes, and what a similar company did, in plain words.
How personal does a first cold email need to be?
One real, researched line is the minimum. Hunter found emails with two personalized details got 5.6% replies against 3.6% without. The amber lines in each template mark where that research goes.