Written by a company that sells letters, so treat the last section as the sales pitch it is.
Six emails for six situations, with a note on where each one falls down. Company names have been genericised: these are our examples, not messages sent on behalf of the brands they were written for.
Subject: We met at the show, and we owe you biscuits
Hi Dean, still recovering from three days of stand coffee. Good conversation on Tuesday, and I said I would send something over. Here it is, with no sales pitch attached. If you do want to talk about the IT side, I am easy to find.
Where it stops working. Everyone at that event is emailing the same list on the same Monday. If your name is not already familiar, you are one of forty. This is the situation where something physical arriving on Thursday does what an email on Monday cannot.
Subject: It has been three years, and we have changed
Hi Rebecca, it has been about three years. The platform is faster, the reporting is better, and the thing you did not like is gone. Rather than list features, here is a two minute look at what is different. If it is not for you, no hard feelings.
Where it stops working. If they left unhappy, the inbox is the wrong room for the conversation. Acknowledge the reason they left in the first line or do not send it.
Subject: The two things you asked about
Hi Phil, thanks for your time. You asked about two specific things and I have answered both below rather than sending the deck. If it is useful I can put together what the first ninety days would actually look like for your team.
Where it stops working. The moment it becomes a recap of your product rather than an answer to their questions. If you cannot name two specific things they asked, the demo went worse than you think.
Subject: Probably relevant, possibly not
Hi James, we help finance teams cut what they lose on currency conversion. If you move money between currencies regularly there is usually a number hiding in there. Two minute breakdown at the link. If the number is small, ignore me.
Where it stops working. Cold email works at volume and fails at seniority. The more senior the recipient, the more likely this never reaches a human decision at all.
Subject: Closing the loop
Hi Sarah, I have chased twice, which is my limit. I am going to assume the timing is wrong rather than that you hate me. If that changes, reply to this and I will pick it straight back up.
Where it stops working. Nowhere, really. This is the best performing email most teams never send, because it requires giving up, which sales training tends to discourage.
Subject: A favour, easy to say no to
Hi Tom, you know Priya at the group better than I do. Would you be willing to forward the note below? I have written it so you can send it without editing, and if it is awkward, just say so and I will never mention it again.
Where it stops working. If you have not earned it. Doing the work for them, with a forwardable paragraph, is what makes the difference between yes and silence.
Here is our bias, stated plainly. We build software for sending post, so of course we think there is a moment to switch channel. That moment is usually the third unanswered message, or any time the person is senior enough to have someone filtering their inbox. Post has no spam filter and roughly no competition on the desk. It also costs more and takes longer, so it is the wrong choice for volume and the right one for the twenty accounts that actually matter.
Sam works at Rockkt, which sells the alternative to the last email in your sequence, so weigh the final section accordingly. More on how we write these guides.
Address found, letter written, personalised page built, engagement tracked. Studio Free is five fully worked prospects a month, by invitation.