15 Best Cold Email Templates for B2B to Get More Leads
Writing B2B emails that people in your target audience actually open isn’t easy. Not only are your emails competing with hundreds of others to get noticed, but they might not be reaching the decision-makers you need them to reach. Take a look at these cold B2B email stats:
The average open rate of cold emails is only 23.9% (Mailmodo)
The typical cold email response rate is just 1% (Hubspot)
In 2024, approximately 361.6 billion emails are sent and received every day—4.1% more than 347.3 billion in 2023 (Oberlo)
And writing them takes forever.
So how do you do email marketing in a way that cut through the noise and automates lead generation efficiently? Systematizing works. Try these proven cold email campaign templates you can tweak to fit your brand voice, offer and buyer persona.
How to Write a B2B Cold Email That Gets Responses
1. Write Eye-Catching Cold Email Subject Lines
An email’s subject line makes or breaks it. When a recipient is scrolling through their inbox, they’re making snap decisions about which emails to open and which to delete.
So what makes compelling subject lines?
About 50 characters, or 6-10 words
An intriguing hook they just can’t resist
Personalization
The first point is pretty straightforward; compelling subject lines aren’t more than 50 characters or so. But how can you hook recipients in just 50 characters—and personalize it?
Think about your offer. What makes it so difficult to resist? In other words, which pain point are you providing a solution to? Mention this through a provocative question, numbers and data, or just come straight out and name the problem, then offer a solution.
2. Use Personalized Greetings
Instead of simply “Hope you're well,” start off your cold email outreach with a personalized greeting like:
Hi, Jeremy. It was great to meet you at the SAAS Expo in Austin!
Dear Bijal, Congratulations on your recent graduation!
Hey Andres, Thanks for stopping by the shop last Wednesday.
Notice how each personalized greeting goes beyond using the prospect’s name and includes a quick note about a recent achievement or interaction they’ve had? This authentic personalization shows the recipient that you took the time to learn about them instead of just sending the same mass email you’re sending to your entire list.
Does this mean you have to manually write every email’s opening section, rather than dropping a prewritten email with a first name personalization field into your CRM and calling it a day?
Yes. If you want to connect with recipients through personalized cold emails, you need to show them you took the time to get to know a bit about them beyond their contact information.
3. Present Your Value Proposition in the Opening
Emails need to be snappy. Get straight to the point and right after your personalized greeting, state your offer. This tells the recipient exactly why you’re emailing and if they’re the right target, captures their interest and entices them to continue reading.
In the next few sentences, highlight the benefits of your offer. This could be a limited-time discount, a competitive edge they can leverage, or a more comprehensive service than your competitors can offer. Be upfront about why your offer is in the recipient’s best interest, and through your writing’s tone, show your excitement about it without coming across as pushy or sales-y.
4. Keep the Body Paragraphs Clear and Concise
An email isn’t an essay. After you’ve made your introduction and stated your email’s purpose, provide any additional details the reader needs to make the decision to respond. Nothing more. The email’s body paragraphs should be clear and concise, leaving opportunities for the reader to ask related questions during their phone call with you.
Here are a few tips to keep in mind as you write body paragraphs:
Use bullet or numbered lists to highlight key points
Paragraphs should be no longer than 2-3 sentences
If there’s space and a genuine benefit to including a testimonial or other social proof, include this brief section before your closing.
5. Close the Sales Email for B2B Professionally
The last step in writing an effective cold B2B email is including a well-crafted closing section. This is where you ask them to take action, whether that’s responding to the email, calling you, setting up a meeting through your website, or purchasing your offer.
Start off the closing section by thanking the recipient for their time. They chose to open and read your email, and acknowledging this goes a long way. Then, include the call to action, or CTA. This is the most important part of any cold B2B email, and the right call to action can be the difference between getting results and getting nothing. Here are a few examples of effective CTAs:
Ready to get started? Click here to schedule your discovery call.
Like what you see? Lock in your rate now.
Interested in learning more? Just hit “reply” and let’s talk.
End the email with an appropriate sign-off, then follow this with your name and a professional email signature. Make sure your signature includes your company name and contact information.
Best Cold Email Templates for B2B
Now that you know what goes into writing an effective cold B2B email, you can see how these elements work together to achieve the email’s goal. Take a look at the following 15 cold email templates to see them in action. Keep in mind that these templates employ marketing strategies that can be used in a variety of ways, like cold calling and social media posts, so keep them in mind as you optimize your other marketing strategies.
1. The Pain Point Addresser B2B Cold Email Template
Ultimately, your product/service is a solution for a pain point your customers face. In a cold B2B email, catch their attention by coming right out and stating that pain point plainly. Don’t try to be too clever here; the most effective cold emails are those that get straight to the point and get the reader thinking about their pain point (and how the offer, like a free webinar or case study, will resolve it).
Subject: Getting ghosted sucks. 4 ways to make it stop.
Hi [First Name],
If you’re like a lot of my followers, you’re on multiple dating apps, trying to find your happily ever after, but after dates that seem pretty great, the guys just…ghost.
That’s why I put together my latest workshop, “4 Reasons Why Guys Ghost and How to Make It Stop.” It’s a completely virtual, completely free breakdown of the top four reasons men on dating apps ghost after a date, as told by the 500 guys who completed my survey on the topic last June. And now, I’m explaining them all to ladies like you, followed up by a safe, confidential Q&A session.
Click to reserve your spot now. To provide the best value to attendees, I’m capping each session at 25 participants. Grab your spot now—there are four sessions to choose from.
Don’t give up on getting your dating life in order. You deserve a happy, fulfilling relationship…and my workshop can help you get there. Reserve your spot now.
See you there!
—Carrie
2. The Helpful Resource Offer Cold Email Template
One of the most effective ways to break the ice with a cold prospect is to offer something for free. But it can’t just be anything—your offer has to be something valuable to the prospect. An in-depth case study about tracking TikTok metrics is useless to a introdogwalker who relies on word-of-mouth referrals, but extremely valuable to an up-and-coming video marketing agency.
Be generous and offer resources that align with your prospect’s wants and needs. This is where AI tools like Artisan can eliminate guesswork—our B2B data tools can instantly show you exactly what’s resonated with specific customer avatars. Once you’ve determined which offer is ideal for the clients you’re targeting, an effective email template would be something like this:
Subject: Learn how to invest like the pros [Free Webinar]
Hey [First Name],
Have you always been intrigued by calls and puts, but once you start reading examples, your head starts spinning?
No worries. That’s the case for a lot of us. Which is why I put together my latest free webinar, Making Sense of Calls and Puts.
The truth is, options aren’t that complicated once you understand how they work. But they’re buried under so much jargon that to the average investor, trying to understand feels like you’re trying to hacksaw through a glacier 😵💫
In Making Sense of Calls and Puts, I break options down and make them easy to understand and more importantly, easy to start using right away.
Reserve your spot now.
Don’t miss out on huge opportunities because they seem too complex—once you get the hang of it, they’re basically a stock market cheat code 😁
See you there!
Best,
Steve
3. The Personalized Cold Sales Email Template
This template is ideal for any B2B outreach where your offer involves building on the prospect’s existing achievements. It’s highly personalized, and this personalization starts with the subject line.
Subject: Looking for a paralegal, [First Name]?
Hi [First Name],
Congratulations on launching your law practice, [Practice name]! Starting your own business is a huge achievement, so I’d like to first extend a hearty “congrats!” and wish you all the best. I know your new personal injury firm will be a wonderful resource for the people of Tampa, Florida.
I’d also like to offer you my services as a fractional paralegal. When you’re just starting out on your own, you might not need an in-house paralegal right away…and you probably don’t have the budget yet. But you still need that crucial service.
I’m happy to hop on a call to explain my services and learn more about your business. If you’re interested, just grab a spot on my calendar here.
I’m looking forward to chatting with you. Congratulations again on your launch!
Sincerely,
Pat Vasquez
Partial Paralegal, LLC
4. The Question and Curiosity Approach Cold Email Template
Asking questions shows that you’re engaged with the prospect. Questions are how we learn about each other, which is why we ask and answer so many of them in conversations. With this cold B2B email template, you show interest in the prospect and ask them to engage by asking a question that’s relevant to their industry or pain points. Here is an example:
Subject: Are you using AI? (and are you seeing results?)
Hey [First Name],
It seems like all over the marketing world, AI is the topic du jour. So I was wondering about your thoughts on it. Are you currently using AI? And if so, how are you using it? And are you getting results?
I’m trying to talk to as many marketers as I can about AI results because I’m putting together a cool new product that I think you’ll really like. But I need input from actual marketers. So, can you help me out?
Just reply to this email with your thoughts. No pressure, I’m not trying to sell you anything, I just want to hear your thoughts and experiences with using automation for business development.
Thanks!
—Karolina
5. The “I Saw Your Post” B2B Email Template
Another effective B2B email template is one that mentions a recent social media post by the prospect. Just like asking a question, mentioning a social media post is a way to engage personally, making the email a conversation rather than a hard sell. Take a look at an example of this kind of email in action:
Subject: Thoughts on your recent LinkedIn post, [First Name]
Hi [First Name],
I really enjoyed your recent LinkedIn post! I had no idea you used to drive an ice cream truck…that’s really cool! I thought it was really interesting, too, how you were able to leverage your ice cream sale skills (when the product melts, you’ve gotta act fast!) to build up your consulting business.
But I have a quick question for you: What kind of reach did it get?
As a social media nerd, I’m always poring over engagement and reach data. One of my biggest passions is helping creators like you get further reach and more engagement.
If you don’t mind sharing, reply to this email and let me know. I’m really curious about how that post performed!
Talk soon,
Mikie
Social Media Nerd
6. The Mutual Connection Email Template for B2B
When you have a mutual connection with a lead, that can be a great opening for a cold B2B email. Capitalize on this by mentioning in your message.
Subject: Hey [First Name], I noticed we both know Iggy.
Hi [First Name],
I hope all is well with you. My name is Mina, and I’m a financial advisor with World Finance Capital. I was scrolling through LinkedIn yesterday and I noticed we both know Iggy Juniper.
Iggy’s been a friend of mine for years! How do you know him? He and I have worked together in the past, too, since our businesses complement each other well.
I see you’re a loan officer and I’d love to get to know you and your business more. Do you have time for a quick call this week? Let me know, I’ve been looking to connect with a loan officer!
My Calendly.
Looking forward to chatting,
Mina
7. The Brief Cold Email Template
B2B cold emails should be short. How short depends on a few factors, like your offer and the recipient. When you’re emailing a busy decision-maker, the email needs to get straight to the point, like this email:
Subject: Be a beta tester for AI video editing
Hi [First Name],
I know you’re busy, so I’ll make it quick. We’re launching a new AI-powered video editor, and we need beta testers—specifically, agencies who can beta test the tool. Beta testers get first dibs on the final product at a steeeeep discount.
Want in? Reply to this email with “I’m in.”
Lana DeMarco
Head of Product Development
AiVids
8. The B2B Cold Email Template to Find the Decision-Maker
Sometimes, you’re not sure who the decision-maker is at the company you’re looking to connect with. When that’s the case, it’s perfectly fine to just ask. Use this template:
Subject: Who chooses the products for {{Store}} shelves?
Dear [First Name],
My name is Theresa LoCurcio and I’m part of the sales team with Tikro Pens. I would love to explore the possibility of your store stocking Tikro products, but I’m not quite sure who would be the appropriate person to connect with for that discussion. Could you help me out and possibly make an intro?
Thanks!
Theresa LoCurcio
Brand Ambassador
Tikro Pens
9. The Effective Cold Email Template to Get a Response
When you need an immediate response, your email needs to communicate urgency. Here is a template you can use in this situation:
Subject: Does Benno Movers, LLC have time to save kittens?
Dear [First Name],
As a fellow local business, we’re asking for your help. Would you help us get the word out that the shelter is overflowing with kittens looking for homes?
We know Benno Movers, LLC has a large social media following and email list, and if you’d be willing to share our latest IG and Facebook posts, that would help us out and show the world where you stand on helping animals.
If you could help us out, we’d really appreciate it! And of course, we’ll help you promote your business any way we can. Respond ASAP to let me know if you’re game.
Thanks,
Cheryl
City Animal Shelter
10. The B2B Cold Email Template to Use When The Prospect is Busy
Similar to the brief B2B cold email template, this template is best for prospects who are busy and unlikely to read a multi-paragraph email. Consider it for a follow up email.
Subject: [First Name], Save Big on Payment Processing with Autopay
Hi [First Name],
You’re busy, so I won’t waste your time. Autopay can streamline your payment processing and save you a ton of money. How? Through our blockchain-based paygate that operates at a fraction of the cost of traditional paygates.
And it’s easy. Like, set-up-in-two-clicks easy.
Set up your Autopay demo now.
Got questions? Just hit reply and I’ll answer them ASAP.
Best,
Steven Mathay
Autopay.co
11. The B2B Email Template When You’re Getting Ignored
If you’re getting ignored, you need a cold B2B follow up email that shows the prospect why it’s in their best interest to speak with you. Be explicit; tell them exactly what they’re missing by ignoring you. Here’s a template you can tweak:
Subject: Trust me, [First Name], you don't want to miss this
Hi [First Name],
I haven’t heard a response from you yet, but I wanted to give this one last shot because I really believe we’re a good fit.
You’ve been trying to sell your home for eight months now, with no bites. As an experienced realtor in our city, I can tell you exactly why:
1. Our market isn’t like most markets
2. You’re not targeting the right buyers
That’s just the truth. But I know you want to sell the house and move on with your life, and I can help you do that. So if you’re interested, my number is 555-111-2222. Reach out anytime to set up a 10 minute call.
Best,
Joel Kramer
Realtor
City Realty
12. The AIDA Formula B2B Cold Email Template
The AIDA formula guides potential customers through the purchasing process in four stages: attention, interest, desire, and action. Use this in cold emails to encourage connections and sales.
Subject: A once in a lifetime opportunity
Hi [First Name],
Our doors are open!
After almost a year, we’re opening the doors to our exclusive Chef Academy for just one week. Don’t miss this opportunity to upgrade your skills and become a significantly more attractive candidate to restaurants—Chef Academy alumni report a 40% increase in responses, and 37% report they’ve been scouted by top restaurants!
Get in with a top-paying restaurant this year. Grab your spot at Chef Academy now.
Don’t wait—once all 50 spots are full, that’s it! Our doors close again until next year, and we can’t guarantee we’ll offer the same pricing next year.
See you there!
Larson Kenney
Admissions Coordinator
Chef Academy
13. The PAS Formula B2B Sales Email Template
The PAS formula stands for Problem-Agitate-Solution. It's a popular copywriting framework for all kinds of marketing materials, including B2B cold emails. It works by first naming the reader’s problem, then using imagery to really emphasize the weight of the problem and the discomfort it’s causing the reader. After sufficiently agitating the reader through this imagery, the text offers a solution: your offer.
Here’s a PAS template you can tweak for your own offer:
Subject: Hate hiring? Us too
Hello [First Name],
Nobody likes the hiring process. It’s time-consuming, it’s cumbersome and even when you find a great candidate, there’s the whole negotiation and onboarding process. When you need to take time out of your day to handle interviewing and hiring, the whole office’s workflow slows down.
You can’t not hire new people. Then your whole team gets bogged down doing extra work, and that slows them down even more.
Instead of spending hours on the hiring process or slowing down your team, get qualified temporary workers delivered right to your office. Jennison Connections specializes in the vetting and onboarding processes, so you can focus on doing what you do best while we handle staffing.
Take a look at our website now to learn more about Jennison Connections and schedule your discovery call.
For the past 40 years, we’ve been building teams through thoughtful employment connections. Don’t spend another moment interviewing candidate after candidate—we’ll take care of that!
Schedule your discovery call now.
Sincerely,
Tasha
Recruiter
Jennison Connections
14. The BAB Formula B2B Email Template
The BAB formula stands for Before-After-Bridge. It's another popular copywriting framework used in B2B emails because it paints a picture that the prospect recognizes: their current situation (before), their desired situation (after), and the bridge between these two situations: the sender’s product/service.
Take a look at this brief example:
Subject: Is it time to grow?
Hi [First Name],
Your yoga studio has a great community of loyal members, and that’s awesome. Yoga is about more than exercise, it’s about mental well being and finding your best self. As a neighborhood studio, there’s nothing better than watching members grow in their practice.
But your studio needs to grow too. Growth means more people coming through your doors, more participants in classes and a thriving community of yogis.
That’s why we’re offering you a free 30-day SMS campaign. We see what you’re doing, and we want to be part of your success story by giving you the tools you need to grow your studio. If you’re interested, just reply to this email and we’ll get you set up.
Namaste 🧘
StarChild Marketing, LLC
15. The FAB Formula Cold Email Template
The FAB formula stands for Features-Advantages-Benefits. It’s another classic copywriting framework used in sales and marketing.
With it, you present your product or service in a way that highlights its key features, translates these features into specific, tangible benefits, then explains the value the benefits provide. Here’s a quick example:
Subject: Stay ahead of the real estate curve
Hi Javier,
After we met at the real estate meetup last week, I wanted to show you our product’s latest features. Investolist Pro now pulls real estate listings from every MLS in the country, compiling a personalized daily list using your selected filters and delivering it to your inbox.
This way, you see properties sooner and share them with your buyers faster—and as you know, this industry moves at a lightning pace. By getting you and your buyers ahead of the crowd, Investolist Pro can help you close more deals.
Interested in seeing a demo? Schedule your free demo session now.
Sincerely,
Rachel Tenneman
Sales Representative, Investolist
Upgrade Your B2B Email Outreach With AI Sales Tools
So we’ve established that simply sending out mass emails isn’t going to get you the results you want. But we also know manually writing each email isn’t a realistic solution. So what can you do?
Leverage AI tools like Artisan to assist with B2B email outreach. Today’s business world moves faster than ever, and it’s only going to keep speeding up. If your business wants to stay competitive, you need to be not only using AI tools, but using them to their maximum functionality. At a glance, here’s what Artisan’s AI B2B email tools can do for your next email campaign:
Beat writer’s block. Artisan generates exactly the email you need using cutting edge software and expansive data sets.
Personalize emails to prospects. Using these same data sets, Artisan writes emails tailored to each Ideal Customer Profile (ICP).
Save time. Above all, AI tools save you time. And time is your most precious commodity.