Prospecting email, the complete guide [+ examples]

What is a prospecting email?

A prospecting email is a message sent to a prospect, i.e. a person or a company that might be interested in the products or services offered by the sender. The purpose of this email is to arouse the prospect's interest in the sender's proposal and to incite him to get in touch or to learn more.

In general, emailings are very well targeted to reach a specific audience, and prospecting emailings offer the opportunity to reach people who have not yet done business with your company, but are potential buyers.

By 2022, an average of 22% of B2B prospecting emails will be opened, giving you an excellent opportunity to reach the right people to grow your business. Emailings can also be used to invite prospects to meetings and to propose them a more efficient implementation of your tools or services. It is therefore a very interesting tool to consider if you want to increase your target audience.

Types of prospecting emails

The introduction email

The introductory email is a very powerful tool to establish the first contact with your prospect and arouse his interest. You must therefore take care to prepare this message well by focusing on your products or services, but also on how these products or services can bring benefits to your potential customer.

The information email

The purpose of this email is to introduce your company and give information about your product or service. The goal is to inform the prospect so that they can make an informed decision. This informative email can be accompanied by links to blog articles, testimonials or videos that will allow the prospect to learn more about your company and its products or services.

The confirmation email

This email is used to confirm that you have received the message from your customers and to remind them of the information they have sent you. It is also useful to maintain a relationship of trust and show that your company is professional.

The reminder email

This email serves as a reminder to prospects that you have not yet gotten a response to your emails or that you have yet to hear back from them. It is important to use a friendly and personalized tone so as not to annoy the prospect, but simply remind them that you are on their side.

The loyalty email

This email is used to keep in touch with your customers and encourage repeat sales. You can use it to send special offers or information about a new product or service to keep your customers interested in your business.

The promotional email

This email is a great way to promote your business and encourage prospects to buy your products or services. It can be a special promotional offer, a discount coupon or a promotion linked to an event (birthday, celebration ...). It is an excellent way to increase the loyalty of your prospects and to increase the conversion rate.

According to a study, 50% of customers appreciate receiving promotional emails. So use this opportunity to make sure your message gets through and helps you generate a sale!

The closing email

This is the most important email! It's the one you send to close a sale and encourage your prospect to take action. Clearly address your end goal, add a call-to-action to your website and encourage them to buy. Only send this email when your prospect is about to make a purchase to maximize your chances of success.

A successful emailing - The 4C's method

Rule n°1 - Capture - An eye-catching object

Keep it Short

Your subject line should be short and to the point, while revealing to recipients what they will find in your email. It should also spark their interest in reading your words and responding positively.

Avoid overly long, tempting phrases that promise a quick fix or non-credible benefits. Try to keep it around 50 characters, as most email providers limit the subject line to this length.

Insert the right keywords

It is important to place the most important terms at the beginning of the subject line, those that define and characterize your product or service. This way, even if the prospect's webmail truncates the subject line after a certain number of characters, the most important information will remain visible.

Also keep in mind that your recipients probably receive this kind of e-mail by the dozen (or even by the hundred for the least tidy inboxes!) and that you must therefore attract their attention as best you can so that they pay particular attention to your e-mail.

Name your recipient in your subject line

Naming your recipient in the subject line is very important. This increases the chances of the email being viewed by 50%, as you are creating a personal link with your recipient. You can mention this in your subject line, for example:

"Hello {First Name}, are you one of the companies that are successful with their prospecting emails?".

If you have a larger database, you can use variables to customize the subject line. Fortunately, most email marketing platforms offer this type of functionality, otherwise it would be far too tedious to customize your emails one by one for large prospecting campaigns.

In short, this approach is very useful, as it increases your recipient's engagement and increases the chances of the email being opened.

Avoid the spam box

Finally, in order for a prospecting email to be delivered to the recipients' inboxes on time and without clutter, certain keywords should be avoided. Spammers check specific phrases to determine if a message is likely to be unwanted.

Avoid words such as "free", "exceptional" or "guaranteed". Also avoid overly specific terms that could be associated with spam, such as "refund" or "bonus".

According to a study by Mailjet, there are nearly 80 words that should absolutely be avoided in your subject line if you want your email to arrive safely. Here is the list of words and groups of words that are most often found:

• Help

• Do it fast

• Urgent

• Buy

• Increase your sales

• Gift

• Sales revenue

• You won

• Free of charge

• Free

• €€€

• $$$

Stand out

To stand out and increase the open rate of a prospecting email, you can use more provocative or intriguing words. This can be words like "mystery", "revelation" or "secret" that pique the recipients' curiosity and make them want to read your message.

Also focus on a specific problem that your product can solve, for example "How do I solve X problem in Y time?". This will catch the attention of the people to whom the email is addressed and demonstrate that you are fully aware of their needs.

Your subject line should be both impactful and relevant. Try to find unusual words or phrases that grab attention and clearly describe your product or service.

Limit special characters

Finally, avoid using special characters in your subject line. Email providers may block emails that contain non-ASCII characters and are therefore not readable by some older email clients.

Also, special characters can be misinterpreted and alter the understanding of your subject line. Keep this in mind to prevent your emails from being filed in the spam box.

Rule n°2 - Captivate - The catchphrase

A catchphrase is the introduction to your email and it plays an important role in capturing the attention of your recipient. A catchphrase should be short (about 50 words), informative and engaging.

You can start your email with a simple sentence, like a speech, to give more structure to your message. A short, punchy sentence can be very effective in getting your recipient's attention.

You can use the catchphrase to add context to the message, explain what the email is about and arouse the recipients' curiosity.

If you are comfortable with a humorous tone, you can play on words by using a graphic expression or a joke. This can help create a personal connection between you and the recipient.

Rule n°3 - Convince - The content

Start by introducing yourself

You should briefly introduce who you are and why you are writing. This is a good marketing practice to create a bond of trust with your recipient and increase the chances that the prospecting email will be opened and read.

Preferably, introduce yourself naturally at the beginning of the email, avoiding writing a long text as if you were on a sales page. Write a few sentences to explain who you are and why you are writing to the person.

A good presentation will help the recipient understand who you are and why you are sending an email. This can be done very simply, in a few lines.

To make it even easier to get in touch later, remember to leave your phone number in your signature if it is not already there. Some of your prospects will prefer to talk by phone rather than via their email address.

Be warm, you are not a robot

Remember that emails are not just impersonal computer messages. Your recipient is a person and your message should reflect that. You should add a personal touch to your emails and show empathy to your recipient.

Add warm expressions and personalized greetings to make your message more human. A good practice is to write the email as if you were talking to a person face-to-face, the idea being to create a sense of belonging between you and the recipient.

It is also important to be enthusiastic and encourage your recipient to take action. Use words that inspire and make you want to take action.

These few simple rules should help you write a powerful, interesting and engaging email. Remember that the goal of your email is to catch your recipient's attention and convince them to take action. So put your heart into it!

Personalize your message (according to you and your recipient)

It is easy to fall into the trap of impersonal prospecting emails and make mistakes that can be fatal upon receipt. To avoid this, personalize your message to fit each recipient. This can be as simple as mentioning their interests and profession.

A good practice is to segment your contact list and send personalized prospecting emails to each group. This allows you to tailor the content to each group and refine your message for better reception.

The goal of a well-crafted prospecting email is to solicit a response, and to do that, you need to understand what the recipients want. Study their interests and concerns, making sure your message answers those questions.

In addition, you can add additional information to the message to show that you are knowledgeable about the recipient's situation or needs. This can be very helpful as it will show that you have taken the time to understand the person and their goals.

Focus on short, but qualitative content

"Quality is better than quantity", does this quote ring a bell? You should know that it is also the case in a commercial prospecting process. This is why it is important to privilege a short but qualitative content.

The ideal length of an email would be between 50 and 125 words. It is in this range that the canvassing emails obtain an average opening rate of over 50%.

Your message should be short and concise, focusing on key points. Limit the number of words to be used so as not to lose your reader's attention and waste their time. Also, keep the message clear and direct, avoiding long or complex words that may confuse your recipient.

In addition, it is important to always highlight your company's strengths and focus on key points that will help the recipient make a decision. Remember, your goal is to lead the recipient to a decision and to encourage them to act.

Break down your content

To make your prospecting email more readable and engaging, you'll need to air out the content. Use bulleted lists or short paragraphs, which will make it easier to read and encourage the recipient to read more.

If you want an indicator, we advise you to write paragraphs of no more than 60-90 words in your prospecting emails. This will make your message easier to read and prevent your recipient from being put off by the volume of text.

You can also add blank spaces after paragraphs to encourage the reader to read on. Subheadings and titles can also help to break up the content and make your message more readable.

Finally, we remind you once again that your email must be short, clear and direct. Avoid filling the message with unnecessary information or visual clutter that could distract the recipient and make him lose interest in your prospecting email.

Picture your email (but not too much)

Images can add dynamism to your prospecting email and make the content more attractive. However, make sure you use appropriate and relevant images. You should not include too many images in one message as this can slow down the loading of the email and discourage your potential customers.

If you want to include images, choose ones that are professional and relevant to your message. Images can help illustrate your point more easily and grab the reader's attention. You can also associate an image with numbers or statistics to make it easier to understand.

Finally, make sure that your images are optimized for better viewing, i.e. compressed and if possible in a reasonable definition. Use "light" image formats such as jpg or more recently webp and make sure they are well compressed (around 60% of the original quality will do the trick) to limit the loading time of your email.

Pay attention to spelling and grammar

Although it is important to ensure that your prospecting email presents a qualitative and coherent content, you should also take the time to express yourself in good French and take care of your spelling and grammar.

Once your message is written, proofread it carefully to correct any errors. We also recommend that you ask a friend or colleague to review it for accuracy.

If no one around you can help you, you have a number of tools at your disposal such as the very powerful Antidote available in several languages and which does a great job. For a quick online resource you can use Grammar (be careful, it is not as reliable as a paid software but it can help you out).

Well-written emails are more likely to be read and engage the reader, which will increase your chances of conversion.

To summarize, the content is the most important part of a prospecting email because it is what will determine if your recipients will take action. It is therefore essential that you take the time to write an attractive email that will be short, concise and to the "personal" attention of your recipient. It is also important to air out your content and use relevant images to make the message more engaging. Follow these tips and you'll be sure to get significant results with your prospecting email!

Rule n°4 - Convert - The call-to-action

The last step of your email prospecting is the addition of a call-to-action. This can be a simple button to a resource, a clickable link or a form to fill out to contact you. This way, the recipient can easily access what you are offering in the first place and get in touch with you.

Your call-to-action is the reason you send your prospecting email. You want to prompt the reader to do something, such as:

• Download a document

• Visit your website

• Start a free trial of your solution

• Contact you to make an appointment

• etc.

Make it clear and catchy to motivate the reader to take the desired action. You can also take inspiration from the way your competitors do it.

Finally, be sure to place your call-to-action in places throughout your email if necessary to make sure it is clearly visible. Remember, the goal is to get your recipient to take action, so be specific and clear to better communicate that message.

For example, you can use the wording "I want to generate more sales" rather than "Contact us" or "Request a quote".

By following these four tips, you will be able to write effective and impactful prospecting emails. Your recipient will immediately know what you are offering and will be encouraged to contact you. Good luck!

When to send your prospecting emails?

Once your email and its content are ready to be sent, you will need to choose the best time to send it. To do this, you will need to consider several factors such as the type of content, the level of engagement of the recipients and the frequency with which you send emails.

As a general rule, it is advisable to send your emails in the morning, early afternoon or early evening, because this is when people check their emails. However, there is no universal rule as it will depend on your audience and your approach.

Which day of the week to choose?

It is generally accepted that Tuesday would be one of the best days of the week to expect a response on your email. You have to put yourself in your recipients' shoes.

In the case of a BtoB prospecting email for example:

You arrive at the office on Monday morning after a weekend of disconnection (at least we hope you did!) and you check your inbox.

You certainly have more emails than you can handle in a day, so you do what everyone else does, you prioritize.

Therefore, this already drastically reduces the chances of this prospecting email being viewed with attention on Monday, or even viewed at all.

And on Tuesday what happens? Either you leave this email lying around in your inbox to delete it one day or you delete it right away because it is no longer of the day, so it has lost much of the interest it might have had the day before!

Moral of the story? We strongly advise you not to send your emails on Mondays (or on weekends for that matter).

According to a study published in 2022, Tuesdays and Thursdays seem to be the days with the best potential.

What time should you send it?

Again, there is no easy answer, but there are trends. As we mentioned above, a pro generally checks his emails in the morning and early afternoon. So you can use this as a guide.

Statistically, 10am and 3:30pm would be the times of day with the best email open rates.

In this sense, we advise you to favour the morning in order to maximize your chances that your email will be consulted during the day.

However, if the result is not there, don't hesitate to experiment and change the sending period until you find the one that works best for you and your audience.

Sending frequency

Finally, we advise you to think about the frequency of sending your emails. Here again, you need to test and adapt according to your audience. It is possible that you need to send several emails to achieve a certain result.

However, don't send too many emails to the same person, the recipient might feel harassed and ignore the communication.

Schedule the sending of your prospecting e-mail

Now that you have defined what day and time you will send your email, it's time to schedule the sending!

We strongly advise you not to send your emails one by one or to send them all at once by adding all the recipients in bcc.

• First of all, it doesn't look very professional (yes, it shows)

• Secondly, you are missing out on a lot of essential customization and statistical features offered by tools designed precisely for this task.

Therefore, we strongly advise you to use an emailing software of which we present you some advantages in the following section.

To familiarize yourself with what email marketing is, we recommend our introductory article on the subject.

Which software should I use for my prospecting campaign?

Emailing software is intended to accompany you in your commercial prospecting and is perfectly adapted to this use. They allow you to manage quickly and easily the sending of your emails to your audience.

In addition, such a platform offers a variety of features that make the communication process more efficient and accurate:

• Create customizable campaigns with intuitive tools

• Take advantage of analytical features to track your performance and trends.

• Segment your prospect lists to adapt your email to each type of recipient.

• Use predefined email templates that you can customize through an easy to use interface (Drag-&-Drop)

• Opt for split-testing in order to test different versions of emails and retain only the best performing ones

• Automate the sending of emails according to specific cases (registration, purchase, etc...)

E-mail marketing software is a powerful tool that allows you to manage communication with your audience more efficiently and optimally. Thanks to these tools, you can send personalized e-mails, segment your mailings and track the performance of your campaigns. You will be able to improve the opening rate, the click rate and increase your ROI (return on investment).

To get you started, we provide you with a selection of the best email marketing software, all adapted to the creation and implementation of commercial and promotional prospecting campaigns.

What's next?

Analyze your results

Once your emails have been sent, you need to analyze the results to determine if your campaign was successful or not. Your email tracking tool should provide you with detailed information on the number of opened, clicked and unread emails. You can also see the percentage of positive and negative responses.

By analyzing this data, you'll be able to know if there are areas for improvement and change your strategy accordingly. You can also find out if your campaign has generated interest among your prospects and if there is engagement.

These statistics are essential to run successful and efficient email campaigns. By analyzing the data, you will be able to improve your emails and adapt your strategy whenever necessary.

Follow up with reminders

Don't forget to follow up with your prospects after the first mailing if you don't get enough responses. It is important to remind them of your presence and encourage them to respond. If seven days after sending your first email, nothing happens, you can set up follow-ups.

To do this, one of the most important tips is to write a typical follow-up email that makes some changes to your introductory email. For example, try a new approach to approach your contact or add additional information.

You can also send another reminder email a few days later, but this time keeping it courteous, much shorter and showing your interest in the relationship you have with the recipient.

Don't hesitate to offer alternative solutions if your prospect doesn't seem interested in your initial offer. This can be a good way to keep the dialogue open and ensure that your prospecting efforts are not in vain.

In short, the most important thing is to measure your follow-ups to avoid overloading your prospect and making him back off. Do not exceed 3 emails without getting a response from him and do not hesitate to adapt your tactics according to the situation in order to obtain the best results.

If after these reminders, you still haven't received a return, turn to another contact in the company who might be more receptive to your message.

Examples of prospecting emails

You've made it to the end of this guide and now you have all the tools you need to write a prospecting email that will grab your audience's attention! If you don't know where to start, you'll find below a few prospecting email templates that you can customize according to your business and your goals.

For each of these examples, we will be the sales manager of an IT services company, specialized in the creation and maintenance of its customers' websites.

Cold introduction

This is simply an introductory email to a prospect with whom you have never had contact before and for whom you do not necessarily have the opportunity to personalize your approach (by choice or by spite). The main objective of this email is to attract the attention of the recipient and persuade him that your product or service can meet his needs.

Suggest a solution

In this example of a prospecting email, you propose a solution that can help the prospect solve a specific problem. Your goal is to show the customer that your product or service is the best solution for their needs (don't overdo it, you're not their customer service either, at least not yet).

Offer an interesting content

In this email, you offer your prospect content that can help them better understand their business and optimize their results. You highlight your ability to advise him, without being too intrusive.

Offer a free quote

In this sample prospecting email, you offer your prospect a free quote that can help them make an informed decision about the services you offer. Your goal is to show the customer your commitment and seriousness in the work you do.

Offering a personalized service

In this example of a prospecting email, you offer your prospect a personalized service that will perfectly meet his needs. By showing that you take the time to understand the issues and constraints of your customer, you reassure him and show him that you are listening.

Offer innovative solutions

In this example of a prospecting email, you present your company as an expert who can offer innovative solutions to its customers. This strategy can help your client gain a competitive advantage and stand out in their market.

Congratulate the recipient

In this example you break the ice by congratulating the recipient of your email on a particular event or by showing them that you know their business. For example, you could say that you were impressed with their accomplishments or that you have been following their brand with interest.

Flattering the recipient

If your goal is to entice the customer, you can use this method to flatter the recipient and show that you appreciate their business. You can highlight specific qualities or point out the success he or she has had in the past.

Constructive comment

In this method, you'll give the recipient constructive feedback and show that you're aware of the issues they face. For example, you might say that the prospect's website is not optimized for mobile use or that the content is too generic to attract visitors.

Arouse curiosity

This method allows you to engage the recipient by asking questions and soliciting feedback. For example, you can ask the prospect about the difficulties they have with their current website, the help they need and the plans they have for the site.

Conclusion

Email prospecting is an incredibly powerful tool for making sales and expanding your prospect portfolio. By following the rules outlined in this article, you can create a prospecting campaign that will be effective and successful.

These examples can also be used as a starting point to create the perfect text so that your message is read and heard by all those for whom it is intended.

However, keep in mind that you should always tailor each email to the specific needs of your prospects by highlighting how your products or services are designed to meet their specific demands.

To help you get started with your email marketing campaign, check out our selection of the best software on the market. Each of these tools offers advanced features that will help you generate more leads and run an effective email campaign.