Person 1: “Why isn’t anyone replying to my cold emails?”
Person 2: “It’s because they’re not personalized enough!”
Some version of this exchange has played out across countless X threads, marketing group discussions, and Facebook groups.
The funny part is, Person 2 is probably wrong.
Why you shouldn’t always use personalization in cold emailing?
People reply to cold emails when they are both 1) relevant and 2) valuable.
People should need what you’re selling, but your email should also indicate some future value to be gained by replying.
In most cases, this simply means convincing the reader that you’re uniquely good at the thing you are selling.
Problem is, personalization does not always increase value. Take these two emails for example…
- Email 1 is highly-personalized with comments on the prospect’s personal blog and Twitter, but isn’t super relevant and doesn’t convey value.
- Email 2 is a copy-and-pasted template with no prospect-specific personalization, but hits the exact pain point the prospect has and conveys value.
People will usually respond to Email 2 while sending Email 1 straight to the trash.
The Crew’s insight
True personalization is making sure the person you’re emailing has a reason to care about your email—not saying “hey, I liked your LinkedIn post last week.”
Focus on the former and you’ll be more likely to see results.
