How to Write Cold Emails

Securing funding is a vital part of the startup ecosystem, and one of the most polar ways to do this is by contacting Venture Capitalists (VCs). However, due to the massive volume of startups doing the same thing, you must know how to write cold emails that get responses.

1. Before emailing an investor
2. Step One: The Email Subject Line
3. Step Two: The Email Body
4. Step Three: The Pitch Deck
5. Other Useful Tips
6. Automating Outreach
7. Conclusion

Firstly let's take a closer look at three key points to focus on before deciding to email an investor:

1. Can a VC fund you?

Make sure you are at a stage where a VC would like to fund you. They will have strict requirements regarding market size, scalability, capital efficiency, and traction. Make sure you qualify before reaching out.

2. Are you relevant to that VC?

You must adequately search and filter the VCs before you email them. It is crucial that they either have an investment record in your industry or have expressed a desire to begin investing in that area.

3. Is it showing a positive future?

You need to show at least one or more positive points. For example, do you have a significant IP, (Intellectual Property, ie. Copyrights, Trademarks and Patents) strong traction, an excited and dedicated founder, a talented team, etc.? Investors are unlikely to invest in a startup with absolutely no proven factors.

STEP ONE: Writing an email subject that gets the email opened

1. Keep your email subject under 60 characters. This means it will be fully readable on a mobile phone notification.
2. Avoid mentioning ‘investment opportunity’ or similar phrases in the subject. You will be using up the limited space with little value phrases.
3. Be sure to include an essential piece of important info about the industry of your startup. Think of it as a two or three-word description of your product.
4. Include a piece of info that shows the positive growth of your business. For example, mention your excited founders, growth percentages, whether you've secured a lead investor, etc.
5. Include the funding stage you are at; this helps clarify your email's aim.
6. If there is space, include the company name.

STEP TWO: Writing an email that gets your pitch deck opened

How to layout the email:

PERSONAL GREETING: Avoid generic intros such as ‘Dear Sir/Madam or Dear all.’ It creates a far better impression to personalize this to your recipient and use their name. 

INTRO: Make your intro straight to the point; state who you are, your title, and a brief statement on the company to hook them in.

CONNECT: Tell them why you're contacting them. Is their investment track record in a similar business? Their social media feeds? Why did you decide they're interested in investing? 

YOUR COMPANY: Now is the time to let your business do the talking. Mention the vital positive factors of your startup. Mention the team, the traction, the product, and the growth. It should be easy to read.

KEY LINKS: Now is the time to include your deck and Calendly link for efficiency. Make sure they know the next steps and that you have made it easy for them.

OUTRO: Kind regards, Best wishes, etc. Make this simple and friendly.

Essential Rules to Consider:

• Don’t apologize for reaching out. No ‘I'm sorry to disturb’ or ‘Thank you in advance.’ It is entirely unnecessary; all it does is bulk up an email.
• Keep it short. It is well-known that the longer the email, the less likely you will receive a response.
• Don’t ask if you can send your pitch deck; just send it in the first email
• Don’t be vague about the facts. Provide actual statistics when talking about the growth and traction.
• Avoid long paragraphs. Use concise paragraphs that get all the information across effectively.
• Don’t fill up the email with links and images. There should be a maximum of 2 links, the deck and the calendly link. Pictures and links can trigger spam detection filters, so it is essential to keep their use to a minimum.

STEP THREE: Write a deck that gets a reply

You must have a deck that encourages and excites an investor to reply. Thankfully we have a whole blog post on this exact topic. Check it out here.

Other Key Points to Consider

When you send your emails: Emails should ideally be mailed early in the week and early in the day. This ensures they appear at the top of the investor's mailbox.

Commit time to it: It can take hours to research and send enough emails to start getting responses and meetings.

Use a professional email address: It will appear far better to an investor if you use a professional company email address rather than a Gmail or Outlook address.

Automate It

Thanks to the Angels Partners built-in automated campaign tool, you can do all this outreach more quickly and effectively. We have over 100k listed investors in many verticals and customizable campaign templates to help you ace your outreach and secure your funding!

In Conclusion:

We hope this article has helped you understand how to write those all-important cold emails and help fund your startup! Also, check out our blog for articles about fundraising and the startup world.