Short answer: a cold email that gets answered is short, about one person and one problem, and asks for one small thing. Below are eight B2B cold email templates you can copy, each with a subject line, the email itself and a note on when to use it. Replace everything in [brackets]; if a bracket cannot be filled with something true about the reader, skip that template for that person.
What every template below has in common
- A reason for writing to this person. A role, a hire, a post, a tool they use. Not "I came across your profile".
- One problem, in their words. Not a list of your features.
- One proof point you can stand behind. A customer, a number you can show, or nothing.
- One easy ask. A yes/no question beats "15 minutes this week?" in a first email.
- Under 120 words. The reader decides on a phone screen.
1. The direct problem email
Subject: [problem] at [Company]
Hi [First name],
Most [role]s I talk to at [company type] spend [task] by hand: [specific painful step].
We help teams like [customer or peer company] [result in plain words].
Is this on your list for this quarter, or not a priority right now?
[Your name]
Use when: you know the problem is common for the role. The closing question makes "no" an easy answer, and an easy no is still a reply you can learn from.
2. The trigger event email
Subject: congrats on [event]
Hi [First name],
Saw that [Company] [opened a new office / is hiring five SDRs / raised a round]. Teams at that stage usually hit [problem] next.
[One line on how you solve it.]
Worth a short call, or is it too early?
Use when: something changed at the company in the last few weeks. Hiring posts and new job titles on LinkedIn are the easiest triggers to find.
3. The mutual connection email
Subject: [Mutual name] suggested I reach out
Hi [First name],
[Mutual name] mentioned you are looking at [topic]. We helped [Mutual name]'s team with [result].
Would it help if I sent a two-paragraph summary of what they did?
Use when: the referral is real and the mutual contact agreed to be named. Never invent one.
4. The "they use a tool" email
Subject: [Tool] and [problem]
Hi [First name],
Noticed [Company] uses [Tool]. A common gap with it is [specific limitation].
We fill that gap by [one line]. Happy to show how it fits next to [Tool], not instead of it.
Should I send a short example?
Use when: your product sits next to a tool the prospect already pays for.
5. The content email
Subject: your post on [topic]
Hi [First name],
Your point about [specific point from their post] matched what we see with [type of customer].
We wrote up how [customer] handled it: [link]. No pitch in it.
Curious whether it matches what you see at [Company].
Use when: the prospect posts on LinkedIn or writes on a blog. Quote the post accurately.
6. The short case study email
Subject: how [peer company] fixed [problem]
Hi [First name],
[Peer company] had the same [problem] you likely have at [Company]. After [change], they [result you can document].
Want the two-line version of how they did it?
Use when: you have a customer in the same industry and permission to name them.
7. The follow-up email
Subject: re: [original subject]
Hi [First name],
Following up in case this got buried. If [problem] is not a priority, a one-word "no" helps me stop writing.
Use when: three to five working days after the first email, in the same thread. Add one new fact or none.
8. The breakup email
Subject: closing the loop
Hi [First name],
I will stop here. If [problem] comes up later, this thread is the easiest way to reach me.
Use when: as the last email of a sequence.
Mistakes that make templates fail
- Brackets left in. Read every email in its final form before sending.
- Fake personalisation. "Loved your profile" tells the reader it is a template.
- Several asks. A call, a demo and a free trial in one email means none of them.
- Sending to unverified addresses. Bounces hurt the sending domain; see the deliverability checklist before a first campaign.
Where the list comes from
A template is only as good as the list it goes to. Most B2B lists start from a LinkedIn or Sales Navigator search of the right roles. Scrupp exports that search with names, titles and companies, and finds work emails: emails are found for 36.3% of rows, and you pay a credit for an email only when one is found. Sales Navigator stops at 2,500 results per search; Scrupp exports more from the same search. To get emails for a whole search, see bulk email finder for LinkedIn; the free plan gives 100 credits a month to test it.
For more examples in a specific style, see Alex Hormozi's cold email template and cold emails for B2B SaaS.