5 Elements of a Cold Email

Why would you ever need to email someone you don’t know? This kind of networking can get you needed information (like about a company, manager, or compensation), an introduction, or even a job.  I like thisarticle that breaks down the elements of an effective cold email. It describes the LinkedIn message that prompted the CEO of The Muse, an online career resource, to hire the sender as head of marketing.  Below is the note in its entirety (written in 2 minutes!):

Hi Kathryn,

While slightly out of place, I attended the Women 2.0 conference yesterday with EatDrinkJobs and had the chance to see your pitch. I was blown away by you, your team, and most of all, your company.

I spent six years at Seamless.com, working closely with amazing leaders like Jason Finger (who you know well). I see such amazing potential in your company, and I would love to be a part of it in any way. My primary focus in marketing, with a lot of experience marketing to the same corporations and users you seem to be attracting. I’d love to tell you more about how my skill set could help you all reach and exceed your current growth goals.

Congrats on all your current success. Again, I’d love to find a time to chat more about the company and tell you how I could help.

Best,

Elliott

The CEO explains what he did right:

1. He made it personal and explained the positive impact she had on him – he had seen her speak at a conference and was blown away by her team.
   
2. He explicitly said he wanted to work with her company, not any other company or one in that general space.
3. He briefly explained his background to show he was a good fit – 2 sentences was enough!.
4. He name-dropped a mutual acquaintance – if she needed to ask someone about him.
5. His request was polite and non-demanding – in contrast to another request she received for a 30-minute phone call the next day.