5 Cold Emails I Couldn’t Ignore

Welcome to Peaceful Growth, where you will find actionable tips to grow your agency to $5M without working overtime.

In this issue, you'll learn:

• What makes a cold email impossible to ignore—real examples that actually worked.
• The mistakes that get your email trashed—and how to avoid them.
• How to write emails that get replies—clear, actionable strategies you can steal.

I’m not a huge fan of cold emails—sending or receiving.

But I’ll admit, a few have impressed me enough to make me buy.

Love them or hate them; when done right, cold emails work.

I get hundreds of cold emails every month, and since the rise of AI, my inbox has been flooded with some wildly creative ones.

Even though cold emailing has become easier, most people still miss the mark.

Out of 100 emails, maybe one truly grabs my attention and makes me want to respond.

When I come across an email that’s good enough to make me reply or buy, I save it immediately in my "Best Cold-Email Examples" notes in Notion.

I use a few of these emails as a starting point when I am drafting an email to:

• Ask a client for a referral,
• Request an introduction,
• Invite someone to my podcast,
• Pitching my services, or
• Seek feedback on a product or idea

Cold emails aren’t magic, but the right one at the right time? Game changer.

Today, I’m sharing a few real examples of good and bad cold emails—why they caught my attention (or missed the mark) and, most importantly, the lessons we can all take from them.

Cold Email #1: Focus on Them, Not You

Let me start with one of those 99 emails that I marked as spam and trashed immediately.

Subject: Business Opportunities

Hello there,

So after spending years and years building my tech company, I can finally say it's time to meet new people. You guessed it, networking!

With my experience and innovative mindset, I’m on a mission to connect with amazing companies, just like yours.

There are plenty of things I wish I’d done differently in my business journey, and I think your company could learn from my expertise.

If you’re interested, let me know so we can talk about some ideas I have! I’ve got a couple in mind, but I’d love to hear your thoughts too.

Kindest regards,
Sid

I’m sure Sid is a nice guy, but as much as I want to help him out,

• I’ve no idea who he is.
• I have no idea how this benefits me in any way.
• Sid didn’t clearly state why he is reaching out or what he wants from me. Am I supposed to take him seriously?
• In the remote chance I was interested, he’s left the logistics of setting up a meeting to me. I’d have to figure out what timezone he’s in, when he’s free, when I’m free, and so on.
• Additionally, it’s all about him. He hasn’t even bothered to personalize the email, so I know he’s copying and pasting the same ineffective message to many other recipients.

Sorry, Sid, that’s a fail!

Cold Email #2: Make Saying Yes a No-Brainer

Subject: Oracle, Storyful, Ryman

Hey Anil,

Saw you all work with some big organizations. Congrats.

After researching your client-base, I’m 90% sure we could add 3-20M in additional revenue in 18 months.

That’s because you're similar to Big Nerd Ranch and Stellar Elements (two IT/digital firms who added $12.2M and $14M with this approach).

And we guarantee a 4x ROI or you don't pay.

We get these results by by training your project leads/account mangers on an approach that's proven to work in the IT/dev firm space to identify and win opportunities to extend engagements with current accounts.

It involves comparing your team to in-depth research data from highly successful teams at 33,000+ companies. Then, we use that comparison to spot the highest-return improvements and apply our our decades of experience to train your team on those changes.

(Plus, our approach requires only 10 minutes/day from your team and if you don't see a 4x ROI you don't pay).

Does this sound like it could benefit you?

Best,
Ken

Here’s what I love about this email:

• The subject line has the names of my clients—clearly, Ken has done his homework.
• Highlights a bold, specific benefit: $3–20M in additional revenue.
• Builds trust by mentioning similar companies and their quantified success.
• Reduces risk with a 4x ROI guarantee or no payment.
• Clearly explains the proven process with relevant details.
• Emphasizes minimal effort required—just 10 minutes/day from my team.
• The email centers on my potential gains rather than just what the sender offers.
• It ends with a simple, direct question: "Does this sound like it could benefit you?" This encourages a response without being pushy.

I ended up forwarding this email to my director of business development. He also scheduled a meeting with Ken to explore his services.

Cold Email #3: Be Short, Be Memorable

Subject: Multidots: Beat WebDevStudios in Texas?

Hello Anil,

If Multidots could connect with 83 different digital publishers and large enterprises quicker than WebDevStudios, would that be intriguing?

Lauren

========================

[Follow up email]

Subject: WebDevStudios did this...

Hey Anil, it’s Lauren.

As I previously mentioned, I recently finished up a project that enabled James from WebDevStudios convert 56 digital publishers and large enterprises as clients.

Want me to explain how I can do this for Multidots?

Lauren

Here’s what I love about this email:

• Mentioning WebDevStudios, one of Multidots’ competitors, right in the subject line and message grabbed my attention immediately.
• Referring to Texas (my office and home location) added a local touch—mentioning a specific location always makes it feel more relevant.
• Lauren clearly knows our Ideal Customer Profile (ICP)—digital publishers and enterprises—and the "83 leads" work as a strong hook.
• I’m not sure if James is actually with WebDevStudios, but dropping a name was a smart move to build credibility.
• The message is incredibly short, direct, and easy to digest.
• It ends with a simple, engaging question that makes it easy to reply.
• Overall, it’s concise, focused, and compelling—hard to ignore.

Cold Email #4: Show Your Human, Authentic Side

This wasn’t a cold email but a cold Slack message from a founder group I’m part of. Normally, I’d ignore a random dinner or meeting invite from someone I don’t know. But this time, I decided to go—and it turned out to be an absolute blast.

Hey Anil

I know this is super last minute - my company is hosting a private dinner for a few clients/prospects at Hestia tomorrow. Since I just joined Hampton, I wanted to save 3-4 seats for the Hampton crew in the ATX area to try to get to know more people in the community. Let me know if you are interested!

Revelo is footing the bill, but there will be no selling/pitch/slides. Just good food and good conversation. The rest of the gang joining us are Tech Executives and CTOs - great if you are interested in expanding their network.

Hope to see you there!

Here’s what I love about this message:

• It opens by openly acknowledging it’s last minute—honest, thoughtful, and refreshing instead of feeling rushed or inconsiderate.
• The invite is personal and community-focused, saving seats for the “Hampton crew in ATX,” which makes it feel relevant and tailored to me as part of the local circle.
• It removes all pressure by clearly stating “no selling/pitch/slides”, setting expectations and eliminating any hint of a hidden agenda.
• It highlights the value of attending by calling out the attendees—Tech Executives and CTOs—a perfect fit for my interest in networking with peers.
• The tone is casual and approachable, like an invite from a peer, not a pitch, which makes it feel natural and easy to engage with.
• And the clincher? Good food and good conversation—no fluff, just a relaxed and enjoyable evening on the table.

Cold Email #5: The One That Started a $400M/Year Company

February 2010. Jason Cohen had an idea for a new WordPress hosting service (WP Engine). He logged onto Linkedin, searched for Wordpress consultants, and sent 40 of them the following email.

Hey,

I'm the founder of a new WordPress hosting company.

It's designed for folks like you so I'd love to talk about any pain you've got with WordPress and get some feedback.

Now, I know your time is valuable. You're a consultant. I don't want you to feel like I'm trying to grab time from you.

I'm very happy to pay whatever you think is fair for an hour of your time. Even if it's more than your normal hourly rate because I appreciate it's a weird one-off thing.

— Jason

Here’s what I love about this message:

• No fluff, straightforward, and credible from the start.
• It focuses on the recipient, asking about their “pain with WordPress” and seeking feedback. This makes it feel collaborative, not like a pitch.
• It respects the recipient’s time, saying, “I don’t want you to feel like I’m trying to grab time from you.” That level of awareness builds immediate trust.
• It offers fair compensation, even acknowledging, “I’m very happy to pay whatever you think is fair.” This shows genuine appreciation and removes any hesitation.

The email works because it’s thoughtful, respectful, and makes it easy for the recipient to say yes without feeling pressured. A masterclass in cold outreach.

And there you have it—the five best cold emails I’ve ever received.

Reply to this email and share some of the best cold emails you’ve received. Also, I’d love to know: do cold emails work for your agency?

[On a totally different note, here’s something I’m excited to share to help you sharpen your copywriting skill as a founder in 2025]

How a simple email made millions for this small business (real story)

When CD Baby, a small online music store, sent its now-famous welcome email, something magical happened.

It wasn’t just a boring “thanks for your order” message. It was fun, quirky, and personal:

“Your CD has been gently taken from our CD Baby shelves with sterilized, gloves, placed on a satin pillow, and is now being carried to our private jet…”

Customers loved it.
They shared it.
It went viral.

That playful email helped transform a small indie store into a company that sold over $100 million in music (Google it).

Why? Because great writing sticks.
It creates experiences, builds trust, and drives sales.

Not just CD Baby—companies like Groupon and Basecamp have built their success on great copywriting. It’s a 24/7 sales rep that never sleeps.

As founders, we write every day—pitches, emails, job posts, tweets. But if our words don’t connect, we lose deals, customers, and time.

Here’s a good news: WRITING IS A SKILL. You don’t “have it”, you learn it.
If you can learn only one new skill in 2025, make it writing.

I’ve spent over $10,000 on writing courses, and out of all of them, I highly recommend CopyThat—an email-based copywriting course you can complete in just 30 minutes a day for 10 days.

Check it out here: CopyThat

👋 Until next time, Anil / CEO and Co-Founder of Multidots.

FYI…I also write about personal growth and Enterprise WordPress.

In Case You Missed It

By the way, in my last issue, I shared “A Million-Dollar Education: My 5 Costly Mistakes and the Lessons I Learned”.

In this issue, you'll learn:

• My five mistakes collectively cost my business 1 million dollars.
• Lessons I learned (and you can too) from these reflections.
• Inspiration to do the reflections on past decisions.

Click to Read

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