How to End a Cold Email: 9 Proven Strategies to Get Replies
You’ve crafted a curiosity-evoking subject line your recipient won’t be able to resist.
You’ve opened with a personalized, razor-sharp hook.
And you’ve primed your body copy to build interest and trust with a tailored offer backed up by evidence you can deliver.
Now what?
Your cold email ending is where you stand on all your previous work to generate a response. If you do it well, you’ll more than double your response rate. If you get it wrong, your email will end up as another forgotten pitch in the trash folder.
Let's explore proven strategies to get recipients hitting that reply button.
How to End a Cold Email to Get More Replies
The end of a cold email refers to the section after you’ve made your offer. It includes the closing paragraph, your call to action (CTA), your closing, your signature, and (if you’re using one), the post script (P.S.).
1. Use a Clear Call to Action (CTA)
Your CTA should offer a specific and low-friction way of taking action. Typically this will be in the form of a question, but you can also use a declarative statement if appropriate.
That said, there’s no one-size-fits-all rule, and the effectiveness of different CTAs will vary across industries. As always, test, test, and test some more.
How to Write a Clear CTA
Here’s how to write a CTA that generates responses:
Define your most desired action. Do you want your recipient to ask for more information, book a meeting, forward your email to other stakeholders, or respond in some other way?
Align with the email body copy. Your CTA should follow smoothly from your body copy. For example, if you’ve outlined detailed technical information, jumping straight to a meeting may be premature.
Tailor to your target audience. Some recipients, like busy founders, may want to go straight to a meet. Others may want to take things more slowly and see brochures, case studies, or additional technical specifications first.
Make it easy for the recipient to respond. Don’t make it difficult for your recipient to respond. It should be as easy as saying “yes” or “no” or clicking a link.
Examples of Effective CTAs
Would you like to learn more?
Just hit reply to this email if you’d like more info.
Shall I send over my Calendly?
Send your calendar link and I’ll book a time that works for you.
Can I show you how our solution works?
2. Ask a Question
There’s one question that outperforms others in eliciting responses from cold emails: the interest question.
Research conducted by Gong shows that the best questions for generating responses are variants of “Would you be interested in learning more?”
How to Ask Questions in Cold Emails
Keep them relevant. Questions should fit in the context of the email and speak directly to the recipient’s pain points if possible.
Avoid unnecessary complexity. Your recipient should be able to answer your question in no more than a few words.
Your question should flow from the preceding paragraph. The best questions are a natural culmination of the preceding text. For example, a question like “Are you free for a meeting?” will sound miscalibrated if you closed the previous paragraph with, “I imagine you’re having a busy time at the conference.”
Don’t (always) go for the meeting. Sometimes, asking the email recipient directly for a meeting will be appropriate. Other times, it should wait until the first exchange after receiving a reply (or later).
Examples of Effective Cold Email Questions
Would you like to learn more?
Would you like to see a case study?
Is this something that you’re struggling with?
Would you like to hop on a quick meeting?
Can I send some more detailed info?
3. Add Calendar Links
Calendar links simplify scheduling and make it easier for recipients to book a meeting at a time that works for them.
Including a calendar link isn’t always the best approach. In fact, most of the time you’ll want to avoid it, saving the calendar link until after you’ve received a response. But it can sometimes work.
How to Add a Calendar Link to a Cold Email
Use a well-known service like Calendly or Google Calendar. This will turn off any spam or phishing alarm bells ringing in your recipient’s head.
Tell the recipient they can reply with times if they prefer. Don’t force them to use your choice of scheduling tool.
Note your time zone. Make it clear which timezone you’re working in to avoid confusion, and make it clear you can be adaptable.
Specify the length of the meeting. Shorter tends to work better in the early stages of cold email outreach. Keep it under 30 minutes.
Try asking for the recipient’s calendar link. Sometimes, it’s easier for the recipient to send their calendar link. Let them know you’re open to this.
Examples of Calendar Links in Cold Emails
Want to have a quick chat? Here’s my Calendly link: https://calendly.com/Ava
If you’d like meet for a 15-minute chat, here’s my Calendly: https://calendly.com/Ava
I’m free during working hours EST if you want to talk: https://calendly.com/Ava
Would you like to have a chat? Feel free to send some times or your calendar link
4. Personalize the Email Closing
The “closing” is the paragraph before or immediately after the CTA. It’s an opportunity to round off the email and add some additional personalization. It may be a short paragraph or a single closing sentence.
How to Personalize an Email Closing
Make it (mainly) about the recipient.
Elaborate on your offer a little more.
Provide additional evidence or social proof.
Show a deep understanding of the recipient’s problems.
Provide a context for the CTA.
Examples of Cold Email Closings
I see from your recent LinkedIn posts that Widget Company is facing significant issues with sales hiring and onboarding.
Judging by your G2 score (we both share 5-star averages), you’re already providing a stellar product. We would love to help you reach new markets.
I’m certain we can double your ROI from Facebook ads before the end of this quarter. In fact, one of our past clients called us “the fastest agency I’ve ever hired.”
Personalizing hundreds of emails a day is a practical impossibility for most businesses. That’s why they’re increasingly turning to generative AI.
Artisan’s virtual sales rep, Ava, has access to over 300 million leads, all with detailed profiles. This lets our users send thousands of highly personalized emails. If you’d like to see Artisan in action, get in touch to book a demo.
5. Add a Personal Touch
Don’t get us wrong, we love automation. But it’s easy for the human element to get lost. Adding your personality to your cold outreach can build connection and deepen rapport. It makes you more than another salesperson trying to slide your way into your prospect’s wallet.
How to Add a Personal Touch
Mention a shared interest or experience. Have you attended any of the same events? Worked at the same company? Follow the same influencers?
Mention shared location. If you’re in the same city, state, or even country, mention that.
Ditch “Kind Regards.” If appropriate, sign off with something a little more personal and original like, “Keep up the good work,” or, “Don’t forget to take a break from winning awards!”
Examples of a Personal Touch
If I’m not mistaken, we were both at the SaaStr Annual Conference last year.
I see we live in the same city. I hope you like it as much as I do.
Enjoy the weekend (it’s going to be a scorcher here in the UK).
6. Show Your Gratitude
Expressing gratitude is a powerful way of building trust. But it must be sincere. There’s nothing like phony appreciation to turn a potential customer off.
Often, the best way to show gratitude is by thanking your reader for their time or referencing the company they work for.
How to Express Gratitude
Keep it simple. Don’t go overboard, and avoid gushiness at all costs. A few well-chosen words are all it takes.
Be honest. Don’t make something up. If you like something the company’s doing, say something like “Thanks for your continued innovation” (this can work well with founders). Otherwise, stick to thanking the recipient for their time.
Don’t be over-familiar. At the end of the day, the recipient doesn’t know you. Unless you’ve got a good reason for doing so, don’t bring too much emotion into the equation.
Examples of Gratitude
Thanks for your time.
I appreciate your consideration.
Thanks for reading. I know you’re busy.
I appreciate your work.
Thanks for your continued innovation.
7. Reiterate Your Value Proposition
The end of an email is a great place to reinforce your value proposition. It’s an opportunity to mention the key benefits or unique selling points (USPs) you offer and re-emphasize to your recipient what they’ll be missing out on if they don’t reply.
How to Reiterate Your Value Proposition
Identify the most relevant benefit. Focus on the benefit your email recipient is most likely to connect with.
Express it in a single sentence. A concise, to-the-point statement is much more likely to generate a positive response.
Keep it focused on the recipient. When you reiterate your value proposition, use the second person (you) and not the first (I).
Include it after the CTA. Experiment with a reiteration of your value proposition after the CTA as a final prod to leave an impactful last impression and encourage them to respond.
Examples of Value Reiteration
Looking forward to discussing how our solution can save you time.
Excited to show you how we can help increase your sales.
Can’t wait to show you how we'll automate your manual tasks.
Eager to talk about the specifics of how we can double your ROI from paid ads.
Would love to show you case studies of increased revenue from past clients.
8. Write Professional Email Sign-Offs
There’s no one-size-fits-all rule when it comes to sign-offs. Some brands will adopt a more professional tone with a sign-off like “Best regards,” while others might go for something more informal like “Keep hustling!”
It all depends on your brand. The key is to remain consistent. If you’re writing a formal email, maintain formality. If your brand voice is more upbeat, stick with a casual tone (but don’t overdo it).
How to Write a Professional Email Sign-Off
Clarify the tone you want to achieve. Your tone should fit with your brand voice and the overarching “feel” of the email.
Don’t reinvent the wheel. The best sign-offs are ones that won’t stand out too much. You want the focus to remain on your CTA.
Use humor or casual language only if appropriate. The line between funny and cringe is a fine one in sales. Only use humor if it fits with your brand voice and you can pull it off.
Examples of Email Sign-Offs
Best regards
Kindly
Sincerely
Thank you
Looking forward to hearing from you
Keep being amazing
Keep hustling
Keep innovating
Thanks for your time
Appreciate your time
Best wishes
9. Include Your Email Signature
According to one study, emails that include a professional signature receive 32% more responses on average than those that don’t (across a variety of email types).
They’re very helpful for demonstrating professionalism and overcoming fears that your email is spammy or fraudulent. It also gives recipients an opportunity to explore your company’s website or LinkedIn profile or call you directly if they want to.
What to Include in Your Email Signature
Name and job title
Professional picture
Company name and address
Contact information, including email and phone number
LinkedIn account
Awards you or the company has received
G2 score or very short testimonial
Mistakes That Could Ruin Your Cold Email Closing
Once you’ve put the foundations in place, it’s time to troubleshoot. Even the best cold email copywriter will make mistakes when writing email endings.
Let’s look at the most common mistakes that spoil cold email campaigns.
Overly Aggressive CTAs
Aggressive CTAs deter recipients. Anger and annoyance are the last things in the world you want a prospect to feel.
Here’s how to avoid aggressive CTAs:
Use open “interest” questions like “Would you like to learn more?”
Don’t assume that a recipient is ready to meet.
Avoid pressure tactics like “The offer ends at midnight.”
Lead nurturing cycles can often involve several exchanges and follow-up emails before a prospect is ready to meet. It’s important to push towards a call or Zoom meeting, but sales reps need to strike a balance of not being too pushy.
Neglecting Follow-Up Information
Your email is likely one of hundreds that your recipient will receive. That’s why it’s essential to make the whole process of responding to it as frictionless as possible.
Clearly state how interested recipients call follow up with you. This may be something along the lines of, “Just hit reply to this email,” or “Let me know which times work for you.” If your CTA is a question, it should be self-evident that they can reply directly.
Also, make it known that you’re happy for recipients to call you directly using the information in your signature by indicating that they can “Feel free to call me on….” or something similar.
Not Paying Attention to Email Deliverability
You have a 0% chance of being seen if you don’t reach your recipient’s inbox.
Monitoring and optimizing deliverability ensures that emails have the best possible chance of being seen, which will have a knock-on effect on your open rates and response rates.
Here are the three most common causes of email deliverability issues:
Spam trigger words
Overuse of images
Including too many links
Using warm-up tools and writing straightforward copy free of sales language and jargon (especially in email subject lines and email openings) are the best ways of achieving high deliverability.
A tool like Artisan includes automated email domain warm-up. Artisan’s AI virtual sales rep, Ava, will deliver to various inboxes so that your domain has a high deliverability rating before you begin your cold email marketing, making it unlikely that you’ll trigger spam filters. All of this happens on autopilot. If you’d like to see Ava in action, get in touch to book a demo.
Generic Closings
Cold prospects are busy and have limited attention. A generic closing can quickly have them tapping on the trash icon.
Here’s how to craft a unique and engaging closing:
Keep it consistent with the tone of your copy and email closing line (before the CTA).
Use a quirky closing like “Stay amazing” if appropriate.
Don’t be afraid of adding a postscript (PS).
Equally, don’t forget to include a professional signature, which is the last thing the recipient will see before deciding whether or not to respond.
Final Quick Tips When Crafting an Effective Cold Email Ending
Four final quick-fire tips to be ultra-certain that your email endings will hit the mark.
1. Tailor to the Recipient
Gather data about the recipient from the web, social media, and third-party data and incorporate this, where appropriate, into your ending.
Ideally, this should be automated. Artisan, for example, has access to a database of over 300 million leads with AI-enriched details and can formulate human-like endings on autopilot.
2. Test Different Closings
Experiment with different closings to see what works best. Ultimately, A/B and multivariate testing is the only way you’ll know what works.
Here are the main elements to split test:
Closing paragraph
Call to action (CTA)
Closing
Signature
Postscript (PS)
Use B2B cold email templates as the basis for A/B and multivariate tests and to scale winners.
3. Build Relationships with Recipients
Cold emailing is only the beginning of the sales process. The focus shouldn’t be on making an immediate sale or conversion but on laying the foundation for a long-term relationship with the recipient.
Referencing any of the following can help initiate a longer-term relationship:
Past conversations
Mutual connections
Common industry challenges
Shared experiences
Collecting lead data at scale is one area where AI can help, allowing you to personalize at scale.
4. Use AI Tools
AI tools and their associated AI sales development representatives (SDRs) can simplify and enhance the cold emailing process by automating personalization, crafting and testing different CTAs, and optimizing copy for engagement. AI is capable of carrying out many tasks that have been beyond the scope of traditional automation. It’s now possible to send out hundreds and even thousands of human-like emails per day, all on autopilot.
Get Higher Reply Rates With Smart and Tailored Email Endings
AI is transforming the way salespeople create and send cold emails. Virtual AI sales assistants can write thousands of personalized opening lines, run A/B tests, optimize deliverability, and, of course, write powerful endings. All on autopilot.
By automating large portions of the outbound sales process, AI gives sales reps and account executives (AEs) more time to focus on what they do best—closing deals.
Artisan’s virtual AI sales rep, Ava, can handle all of the following tasks:
Domain warm-up and deliverability optimization
Waterfall-based personalization based on the most current data
Prospecting from a database of over 300 million leads
Data enrichment from multiple sources across the web
In-depth email tracking and analytics
LinkedIn outreach
A/B and multivariate testing of openings, endings, CTAs, and more
Auto-creation of email content based on successful playbooks
Integrations with third-party tools and CRMs
If you would like to see how Artisan can help you improve your response rates and drive revenue, get in touch to book a demo.
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