Cold emails take patience. I didn’t have patience. I needed web design work and I needed it fast.
This is typically a horrible combination. But I cold emailed 3 awesome companies using a very simple cold email template and waited.
A couple months later, despite being a total newb, I made $29,000+ from these 3 emails. Even better, I unlocked dream clients.
Today I want to share the exact cold email template I used to win this awesome web design work.
The Best Cold Email Template for Getting Design Work
This template works whether you have a ton of experience or not – and it gets results quickly.
So first let’s look the template in it’s entirely, then let’s go through and customize each section of the template individually. Here it is:
How to Use this Cold Email Template
There’s a few reasons I recommend this email template (beyond the fact that it made me personally, a bunch of money).
Note that the brackets in the template above indicate sections where you should tailor the email to the job/person you’re sending the email to.
That’s where the real magic happens so next let’s dive into exactly how to do that. You can tweak this template to suit your needs for just about any situation.
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1. Subject Line
The first thing you want your recipient to do is open your email. That’s why it’s important to make it about them. Specifically, something you know they desire. For example, if you were emailing someone about a video editing job might say:
Subject Line: Helping you edit your Instagram videos to get shared and grow your audience
Where do you find this desire? My favorite place to pull this info from is directly in the job post or their website. The goal isn’t to persuade or sell, it’s simply to get them to open. So pique their curiosity and let them know it’s not spam.
Ideally, your subject line should be so specific that it could only be sent to the person you’re emailing. That makes it way more likely to this email gets opened. From there, it’s up to your email’s body to actually deliver on the subject line’s promise. Let’s walk through how to do that next.
2. Introduction
Okay, it’s about to get real. Most freelance email templates start with some variation on the following:
Hi, I’m interested in getting this job. I’d love to hear more about [blah blah blah].
But I’ve found this to be totally ineffective. Why? Because clients and employers don’t care about what you want.
Talking about your own desires makes the recipients of your emails instantly tune you out. Instead your opening line should again be focused on the person you’re emailing, for example:
Hi Client,
Your blog is amazing. One of my favorite things about it is how honest you are about personal finance. Love your “buy all the lattes you want” motto.
The key here is to try to make an authentication connection quickly.
Remember, people can smell fake compliments from a mile away. Instead think about what you actually like about the company. It might take a few minutes but if you can’t do that, you shouldn’t be applying in the first place.
Sincerely discovering what YOU think is great about them will not only feel good it will result in 10× better results.
Once you make a connection, next, it’s time to demonstrate your value.
3. Value Proposition
So far, you’ve gotten the recipient to open your freelance email template and read past the first sentence without marking you spam. Awesome. That’s further than 99% of people get. Now it’s time to get to the real meat of your email: your value proposition.
Here’s an example of a great value proposition that continues with our video editing job example:
In fact, your company reminds me a lot of where my client, Marie Forleo, was when she started her video editing program – which probably means you want to grow your Instagram audience from ~50,000 to ~500,000 in the next year too.
That’s it. Simple and focused on results.
Notice how we’re not talking about ourselves in the value proposition. Your skills, past work, and experience don’t matter. What matters is results.
Your value proposition doesn’t need to include a fancy client or a ton of metrics / numbers either. You just need to talk about the end result for the client.
4. Closer and CTA
Okay, so you’ve gotten to the end of your email. Congrats. It’s time to seal the deal.
I got into how to end an email more deeply here, but don’t make the mistake that most people make and shoot yourself in the foot by trying to close the deal in one email or use the phrase: “Let me know what you think!”
It’s not the recipient’s job to connect the dots at the end of your email. Spoiler: they never do. Instead, be crystal clear about what the next step is and what you want them to do.
Make it extremely easy to reply with a simple call to action. If you’re not sure how to do this here are 10+ pre-written call to actions for you to choose from here. Cold Email CTA Templates
And the next time you need to send an amazing email to a potential client, use one of these 4 templates.
What to do next
Here’s the truth. If you use the freelance email template as outlined above, you will see results. Period.
What you need now is an unlimited supply of amazing freelance clients. My new course, Endless Clients, is focused on exactly that.
I teach you how to find 10+ $10,000 dream clients in under 30 minutes any time you want. The course is currently closed and we only open a couple times a year, however, you can sign up below to reserve your spot in a future launch.
Reliable lead generation isn't just difficult. It’s downright nearly impossible to find great leads each month that are both a fit for your agency and looking to hire a team like yours. That's why Folyo exists. We send the 500+ best web design / development RFPs each year. You get instant access to a pool of great hot leads, on autopilot for less than a cup of coffee. Learn more and try Agency Leads PRO today.
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