Cold email templates for B2B outbound

First-touch templates

1. Template 1

   The new leader

   Use it when: Someone has just started as head of sales, RevOps or marketing. New leaders tend to review the stack and the process in their first months, so the timing is the reason to write.

   Subject lines

   • Your first 90 days at {{company}}
   • Question on {{company}}'s «team» plan

   Copy email

   Hi {{first_name}}, Congrats on the move to {{company}}. «One line on what they did before, e.g. "You built the SDR team at {{previous_company}} from scratch."» Most leaders we talk to in a new seat look hard at «the problem you solve, e.g. how pipeline gets built» before they change anything else. If that's on your list, we help «teams like theirs» «the outcome, in one plain clause». Worth a 20-minute call once you've settled in, or is it too early? {{sender_first_name}}

   Why it works

   It names a fact the prospect knows is true, says why it matters to them now, and asks a question they can answer with one word.

   Check before sending

   Confirm the start date on their profile or the company's announcement. A note congratulating someone a year into the job reads as automated.

2. Template 2

   The funding or expansion round

   Use it when: The company has announced a round, a new office or a new market. The announcement usually says what the money is for, and that's the hook.

   Subject lines

   • {{company}}'s push into «market»
   • After the «round» announcement

   Copy email

   Hi {{first_name}}, Saw that {{company}} «raised its round / is opening in market», and that the plan is to «what the announcement says the money is for». That usually means «the consequence for their team, e.g. "doubling the outbound team before the process is written down"». «Your company» helps with exactly that part: «one-clause outcome». Would it be useful if I sent over how «a similar team» handled it? {{sender_first_name}}

   Why it works

   It ties your offer to a plan the company has already made public, instead of guessing at their priorities.

   Check before sending

   Every vendor emails after a round. Quote what the announcement actually says the money is for; "congrats on the raise" alone is what everyone else sends.

3. Template 3

   The technology change

   Use it when: A technographic signal shows the account adopting, dropping or outgrowing a tool next to yours.

   Subject lines

   • {{company}} and «tool»
   • Now that you're on «tool»

   Copy email

   Hi {{first_name}}, Looks like {{company}} «recently moved to tool / stopped using tool». Teams that make that switch often find «the gap it leaves, e.g. "their routing rules don't come across with it"». We «how you close the gap, in one sentence», and it «works with / replaces» «tool». Is that gap something your team is already handling, or worth a look? {{sender_first_name}}

   Why it works

   A stack change is a moment when the prospect is already rethinking how the pieces fit together, so a relevant offer is easy to place.

   Check before sending

   Technographic data can be months old. Phrase it as something you noticed ("looks like") rather than a certainty, and check the job posts or their site first.

4. Template 4

   The hiring signal

   Use it when: The account is hiring several people for the team your product serves (for example, SDRs, AEs or RevOps).

   Subject lines

   • {{open_roles}} open «role» roles
   • Ramping the new «role»s

   Copy email

   Hi {{first_name}}, Noticed {{company}} is hiring «number and role, e.g. "four SDRs"» right now. When a team grows that fast, «the problem, e.g. "new reps spend their first weeks building lists by hand"». «Your company» «what you do about it», so «the outcome for the new hires». Should I send a short walkthrough of how that works for a team your size? {{sender_first_name}}

   Why it works

   Job posts are public, recent and specific, and they say in the company's own words what the team is trying to do.

   Check before sending

   Write to the hiring manager, not the recruiter, and re-check that the roles are still open on the day you send.

5. Template 5

   The website visit

   Use it when: Visitor identification or intent data shows someone at the account reading a page that maps to your product, such as pricing or an integration page.

   Subject lines

   • «Topic» at {{company}}
   • Quick question on «topic»

   Copy email

   Hi {{first_name}}, Teams at companies like {{company}} usually start looking at «topic» when «the trigger, e.g. "inbound volume outgrows the people routing it"». If that's where you are, here's «a guide, checklist or short answer» on how «a similar team» handled it: «link». Happy to walk through it if it's useful. If «topic» isn't on your plate, who should I ask instead? {{sender_first_name}}

   Why it works

   It uses the signal to choose the topic and the timing without telling the prospect they were watched.

   Check before sending

   Never write "I saw you visiting our pricing page." Company-level visit data rarely says which person visited, and saying so reads as surveillance.

6. Template 6

   The referral or mutual connection

   Use it when: A customer, colleague or mutual connection suggested you get in touch, or you share a real connection the prospect will recognise.

   Subject lines

   • {{referrer_first_name}} suggested I reach out
   • Intro via {{referrer_first_name}}

   Copy email

   Hi {{first_name}}, {{referrer_first_name}} at {{referrer_company}} suggested I get in touch. «What the referrer said, e.g. "She mentioned you're rebuilding outbound after the reorg."» We «what you did for the referrer's team, in one plain sentence». Open to a short call next week to see if it applies at {{company}}? {{sender_first_name}}

   Why it works

   A name the prospect trusts does the work the first line of any other cold email has to do.

   Check before sending

   Only name a referrer who has agreed to it. Prospects check, and an invented introduction ends the conversation.

7. Template 7

   The peer result

   Use it when: You have a customer in the same industry or at the same stage, and a result from them you are allowed to share.

   Subject lines

   • How «peer company» handled «problem»
   • «Problem» at {{industry}} companies

   Copy email

   Hi {{first_name}}, «Peer company» had the same problem a lot of {{industry}} teams have: «the problem in their words». They «what they changed», and «the result, exactly as the customer approved it». If «problem» sounds familiar at {{company}}, I can send the two-paragraph version of how they did it. {{sender_first_name}}

   Why it works

   Proof from a company the prospect sees as a peer is more persuasive than any claim you make about yourself.

   Check before sending

   Use only a result the customer has approved, word for word. Don't round it up or turn it into a percentage it never was.

8. Template 8

   The specific observation

   Use it when: You found something concrete on the prospect's site, in their product, in a talk or in a post they wrote, and you have a useful thought about it.

   Subject lines

   • Your post on «topic»
   • A thought on {{company}}'s «page or process»

   Copy email

   Hi {{first_name}}, «The specific thing you noticed, e.g. "Your demo form asks for seven fields before it books a call."» «Why it matters, in one sentence, e.g. "Every extra field is another chance for a ready buyer to leave."» «One concrete suggestion they could act on without you.» We help teams «the broader outcome». Want me to send a couple more ideas like that? {{sender_first_name}}

   Why it works

   It gives something useful before it asks for anything, and the observation proves the email was written for them.

   Check before sending

   Keep the critique generous and fixable. An email that lists everything wrong with a prospect's site gets forwarded for the wrong reasons.

9. Template 9

   The event or webinar follow-up

   Use it when: The prospect attended, spoke at or registered for an event or webinar you were also part of.

   Subject lines

   • After «event»
   • Following up on «session»

   Copy email

   Hi {{first_name}}, «How you know they were there, e.g. "Thanks for coming to our session on lead routing" or "I caught your panel at event"». «One line on something specific from it, e.g. a question they asked or a point they made.» «A resource that follows from it, e.g. "Here's the routing checklist we mentioned."» If it's useful to talk it through for {{company}}, I'm around next week. {{sender_first_name}}

   Why it works

   It picks up a conversation the prospect already chose to be part of, while the event is still fresh.

   Check before sending

   Send it within a few days, and only to people who actually attended or opted in. Bought attendee lists are cold contacts, not event follow-ups.

10. Template 10

    The former customer or champion

    Use it when: Someone who used or bought your product at a previous company has moved to a new one, or a closed-lost account's situation has changed.

    Subject lines

    • Congrats on {{company}}
    • Picking up where we left off

    Copy email

    Hi {{first_name}}, Congrats on the new role at {{company}}. «One line on the work you did together at {{previous_company}}, e.g. "It was good working with you on the routing rollout."» If {{company}} is facing «the problem you solved together», I'd be glad to show you what's changed since then. Coffee or a quick call in the next couple of weeks? {{sender_first_name}}

    Why it works

    The prospect already knows what you do and has seen it work, so the email only has to ask.

    Check before sending

    Make sure the shared history is accurate. If the rollout went badly, acknowledge it or don't send this one.