6 prospecting email templates for you to swipe from right now

How many times have you heard that one before?

Hey, there’s a reason why prospecting is one of the most important sales activities for any given team.

Rather than play the waiting game during email marketing, prospecting allows you to actively pursue sales and strike up conversations with people who are actually interested in what you’re selling.

The beauty of prospecting via email is that you don’t have to think on the fly with a potential customer. Instead, you and your sales team can tailor your message to the specific needs of your prospects without the real-time pressure of a sales call.

That is, if you and other sales professionals know how to write a killer prospecting email.

The challenge? The homework and legwork behind any sort of email campaign can be time-consuming for salespeople.

That’s exactly why it helps to have some proven prospecting email templates on deck that you and your sales team can use.

Because the ability to plug and pull from templates from your CRM can seriously shave down your time spent conducting outreach. Here's how it looks in Copper, which is conveniently integrated with Gmail:

Whether it’s cold emails or follow-ups from your CRM, prospecting doesn’t have to eat up the clock—thanks to these templates you and sales professionals can roll out ASAP.

Now, we know what you and other sales reps might be thinking.

“Templates? Really? How do I make my messages stand out when everyone’s cutting and pasting them?”

Fair question.

However, consider that hitting realistic sales quotas requires being as efficient as possible for email marketing. Starting each and every prospecting email you and sales reps write from scratch is the exact opposite of efficiency.

Adapting a template is totally fair game, granted your templates are loose enough to personalize and plug in your prospect’s information.

The keyword here is adapt.

Your prospects have specific wants and needs, which is why you need a variety of templates based on specific sales scenarios. Below are six common scenarios which are perfect grounds for outreach throughout the sales pipeline.

These templates, combined with touch points like CRM data and social media interactions, feel like anything but a copied-and-pasted message when you’re through with them.

Context: Reaching out after a prospect has a released a new blog post, video, or any other piece of content relevant to your business.

Hey there [prospect name],

Just wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed [piece of content]. It’s always refreshing to hear some fresh takes on the industry. In particular, you really hit the nail on the head about [talking point, quote].

Great timing, too. Our team at [company] actually just published a similar piece of content on [topic] that might be of interest to your audience. Whether you want to check it out or give it a boost on Twitter, I’ll drop a link below.

[Link]

Either way, keep up the awesome work! Looking forward to more in the future.

All the best,

[Your name]

Why it works: Considering how long it takes to produce any given piece of content (over six hours for a blog post), creators always welcome appreciation. A timely, positive prospecting email following a fresh post signals that your message and business are relevant to your prospect’s own interests, which will make them continue through the sales pipeline.

Context: Prospecting based on social interactions such as new LinkedIn threads, Tweets or Facebook comments.

Hi [prospect name],

I saw your recent comment on [LinkedIn influencer]’s latest post on [topic] and wanted to give you props.

You were totally spot on about [topic] and wanted to add that [additional comment].

Based on our conversation, I thought you might want to check out a recent case study we did on [related topic]. Some of the findings were pretty fascinating, including [data point or shocking stat]. Figured it was something worth sharing with your team.

Either way, thanks for your time!

[Your name]

Why it works: Social media is a brilliant avenue to supplement your prospecting email campaigns. Your prospects’ social activity is unfiltered for you to see, providing a window into their desires and pain points. This lets you decide if the potential prospect is the right person to target for your sales campaign.

Also, remember the marketing rule of seven which states that prospects need to “see” you at least seven times before being sold to.

Through social media, you can make those touch points via likes and comments before sending that initial prospecting email.

Context: Asking your prospect, or potential customer, for their opinion on trends or topics in your industry, either out of curiosity or for a piece of content you’re putting together (think: blog post or round-up).

Hey [prospect name],

Hope all is well!

I’m reaching out as I’m putting together a [blog post] on [industry topic] and am trying to get in touch with experts in the space.

Having been a regular reader of [company blog] and your work (like your recent post [“title”]), I figured that your insight would be a perfect fit. If you have a second, I’ve put together a quick [survey, doc] below.

[Link]

Or if you’d rather just go back-and-forth via email or provide a quote, that’s totally cool, too!

Anything you can contribute would be greatly appreciated. We’ll obviously drop you a link and make sure this study reaches our audience of [X], not to mention our social followers and email list.

Thanks so much for your time!

[Your name]

Why it works: This type of prospecting email is a sort of “win-win” for recipients. Not only does it highlight that you see your prospect as an expert, but also gives them an incentive to expand their influence even further by responding. In short, taking the time to reply is worth it for them.

These factors encourage thoughtful responses from your prospects, granted you’re asking a meaningful question.

Context: Congratulating your prospect based on a company milestone, press mention, or other industry news.

Hey [prospect name],

You’re probably hearing it a lot, but congratulations on your new role as [role] at [company X]!

Just wanted to reach out as a point of contact at [your company] in case there’s anything you need as you’re settling into your new role.

For example, we have a working relationship with [relevant influencers, companies] and would be happy to help you get the word out on any new promotions or campaigns.

Congrats again! If you need anything at all, also feel free to reach me at [phone number].

Thanks,

[Your name]

Why it works: Framing your message as a “congratulations” immediately piques your prospect’s interest to see what you have to say next. If there’s someone you’ve been mulling over reaching out to, breaking news is a great excuse for you and salespeople to initiate the conversation.

Context: Following up with a prospect based on a comment (think: social, blog, Quora) speaking to a pain point that your product could solve.

Hi [prospect name],

Couldn’t help but notice your recent comment on [network] and wanted to see how I could help.

Specifically, you mentioned struggling with [problem, pain point]. We at [your company] regularly deal with [pain point] and I definitely think we can point you in the right direction. In short, we [briefly summarize product or service].

If you aren’t interested in a full-blown demo quite yet, here’s a recent blog post we put together that might be able to help, too: [link].

Either way, hope you get it all sorted soon. Thanks!

[Your name]

Why it works: Bear in mind that your prospects might be so overwhelmed with information that they’re too paralyzed to take action. Approaching them and suggesting your solution directly by following this email template can ultimately get the ball rolling.

Context: Reaching out to a prospect based on solutions they use or brands they support.

Hey [prospect name],

I recently saw that you started working with [brand X] and figured I’d introduce myself.

We at [your company] have had a long working relationship with [brand X]. If you need a point of contact or want me to introduce you to [person at brand X], I can warm things up for you.

Likewise, I was just curious as to how you’re planning on using [brand X]’s solution. In the past, they’ve helped us massively with [pain points A and B]. Are you looking for something similar?

Anyway, just wanted to make an introduction and say best of luck!

Regards,

[Your name]

Why it works: Finding common ground between you and your prospects, starting with the subject line, puts you on a level playing field. Doing so also opens the door to working together.

Remember, there’s so much more to prospecting than just blasting email after email using prospecting email templates.

Here are some quick “golden rules” to keep in the back of your mind to ensure the success of your prospecting email efforts.

When in doubt, keep it short.

According to research by Sleeknote, the ideal email length sits between 75 and 125 words.

The lesson here? Be as economical with your words as possible, which includes not strictly following an email template. Just as your time is valuable, so is your prospect’s.

Besides, if your prospect is legitimately interested in your offer, they’ll be more than happy to iron out the details in a follow-up. The purpose of your initial prospecting email is to get the conversation started with the right person.

Personalize wherever possible.

As we noted above, email templates underperform when they feel like templates.

Personalized emails received higher open and engagement rates than one-size-fits-all messages according to Campaign Monitor.

Small touches such as including first names and references to specific interactions (like social comments) immediately show that you aren’t totally templating your outreach.

Grabbing these references only takes a few seconds with the help a CRM, meaning that personalizing your emails is actually not as time-consuming as most people think it is.

Make your message about them.

When it comes to your email copy, prioritize “you” over “I.”

Your prospects’ inboxes are more than likely flooded with prospecting emails already. Rather than draw attention to yourself, highlight what you can ultimately offer them as a result of your outreach.

Maybe it’s more exposure. Perhaps it’s a solution to their burning problems. Either way, put that benefit out in the open.

Think “quality over quantity.”

This might seem like a no-brainer, but one or two thoughtful, personalized emails will outperform a dozen rushed ones.

Sure, you should speed up your outreach through templates and hit your quotas. That said, rushing through your prospecting emails, including subject lines, can ultimately hurt your business’ image if you’re careless.

Working with templates and tools like Grammarly can help keep your messages error-free and professional.

Always suggest a next step.

Whether it’s a question or call-to-action (“check out our case study”), make a point to give your prospect something to do to round off your email.

Without a CTA, your email might feel like little more than “So what?”

If you’re struggling to write the perfect sales email for your prospects, don’t panic.

Rather than try to reinvent the wheel, perhaps it’s time to take advantage of email templates that have become the bread and butter of today’s top sales teams.

Doing so allows you to not only ramp up your prospecting efforts, but also spend less time agonizing over what to write.

With these templates at your disposal, initiating that ever-so-important first contact becomes so much easier.