Community, Diversity, Sustainability and other Overused Words
Community, Diversity, Sustainability and other Overused Words
Most sales reps think cold email is broken. "Nobody reads cold emails anymore," they say.
"Email is dead."
They're wrong.
What's broken isn't the channel — it's the approach. Apollo.io analyzed thousands of cold emails sent to CEOs, founders, VPs of sales, and other executives to understand why some emails get forwarded to procurement teams while others get deleted in three seconds.
The difference isn't luck. It's science.
In this analysis of cold outreach to executives, only 8% of emails generated meaningful responses. But here's what's interesting: Those 8% followed specific, repeatable patterns that anyone can master.
The other 92% failed because they violated one or more of the six fundamental laws discovered.
Before diving into what works, you need to understand how executives actually consume email.
The 3-Second Scan Rule
Executives spend an average of three seconds deciding whether to read, forward, or delete an email. Your subject line and first sentence determine everything.
The Mobile Reality
73% of executive email opens happen on mobile devices, usually between meetings. Your email needs to deliver value in a thumb-scroll.
The Pattern Recognition Filter
Executives have developed sophisticated mental filters for sales emails. They can spot generic templates from the first word. Personalization isn't optional — it's survival.
The Data: The average subject line length in high-performing emails is 7.4 words or 49 characters.
Why It Works: It’s short enough for mobile, but specific enough to create curiosity.
The Findings:
High-Performing Subject Line Formulas:
When To Use: The company just announced funding, new product, acquisition, or major hire.
Subject: Congrats on [specific event]
Hi {{first_name}},
Congrats on [specific event + detail that shows you read about it]. With [context related to the event], I imagine [specific challenge they're likely facing] is top of mind.
We just helped {{peer_company}} navigate something similar post-[event type] and [specific result achieved in X timeframe].
Worth a quick call to share what worked for them?
Best, {{your_name}}
Why It Works: It shows you're paying attention to their business, connects the event to a likely challenge, and provides peer proof.
The Data: 100% of high-performing emails used {{first_name}} personalization. 67% referenced recent company news or role-specific context.
The Research Hook Formula: Start with something that shows you understand their world.
Examples That Work:
Examples That Fail:
When To Use: You've identified a specific problem their company likely faces based on industry, size, or recent changes.
Subject: Quick question about [specific business area]
Hi {{first_name}},
I noticed [specific observation about their company/industry]. That's exactly what {{peer_company}} was dealing with before we helped them [specific result].
The approach we used might work for {{company_name}} too — it's pretty different from what most [their industry] companies try.
Worth a 10-minute call to walk through the strategy?
{{your_name}}
Why It Works: It leads with observation, not a pitch. It creates curiosity about the "different approach."
The Data: High-performing emails communicated their core value in 15 words or fewer.
The Formula: We help [specific type of company] [achieve specific outcome] without [common pain point].
Strong Value Props:
Weak Value Props:
When To Use: You have a strong case study from a similar company.
Subject: How [peer company] hit [specific metric]
Hi {{first_name}},
{{Peer_company}} just hit [specific achievement] using an approach that's pretty different from the standard [industry] playbook.
Based on what I know about {{company_name}}'s [specific initiative/goal], I think you could see similar results.
Want me to send over the three-minute breakdown of what they did?
{{your_name}}
Why It Works: Peer benchmarking is powerful for executives. It offers value upfront without asking for time first.
The Data: 78% of high-performing emails included peer company references or specific metrics.
Peer Company Strategy: Reference companies similar in size, industry, or geography.
Metric-Driven Proof: Be specific with numbers.
Mutual Connection Leverage: When possible, reference shared connections.
When To Use: There's a relevant industry trend or change affecting their business.
Subject: [First_name], quick thought on [industry trend]
Hi {{first_name}},
You've probably seen [industry trend/change] affecting [their industry]. Most companies are responding by [common approach], but there's actually a better way.
We helped {{peer_company}} turn this exact challenge into a competitive advantage — [specific result in timeframe].
Curious if this approach could work for {{company_name}}?
{{your_name}}
Why It Works: It positions you as an industry expert, challenges conventional wisdom, and implies competitive advantage.
The Data: 73% of high-performing emails ended with a question rather than a statement.
Question-Based CTAs That Work:
Calendar Link Strategy: When including calendar links (found in 27% of high-performing emails):
When To Use: You have a genuine mutual connection who can provide credibility.
Subject: [Mutual connection] suggested I reach out
Hi {{first_name}},
{{Mutual_connection}} mentioned you might be interested in how we helped [their company or similar company] [achieve specific result].
The approach is pretty straightforward and might work well for {{company_name}}'s [specific goal/initiative].
Worth a quick call to walk through the details?
{{your_name}}
Why It Works: It borrows trust from a mutual connection, it’s specific about the outcome, and offers a low-pressure CTA.
The Data: The average word count of high-performing emails is 127 words. The average paragraph length is 1.8 sentences.
The Scannable Structure:
Formatting Rules:
When To Use: You have a valuable resource or insight to share upfront.
Subject: 2-min read: [specific insight] for [company_name]
Hi {{first_name}},
Saw {{company_name}} is [specific initiative]. This reminded me of a strategy that helped {{peer_company}} [achieve specific result] in [timeframe].
Here's the two-minute breakdown: [brief insight or link to resource].
Think this approach could work for {{company_name}}?
{{your_name}}
Why It Works: It leads with value, not a request. Short commitment, specific outcome.
The Company Research Stack
Before writing any cold email, spend three minutes gathering the following.
The Role-Specific Angle
Tailor your approach based on their title.
The Timing Intelligence
Send messages when executives actually read email:
The Spray-and-Pray Approach
Sending the same generic template to 500 prospects. Executives can spot mass emails instantly.
The Feature Dump
Listing product capabilities instead of business outcomes. No executive cares about your 47 features.
The Aggressive Follow-Up
Sending daily follow-ups or using guilt or pressure tactics. This burns bridges permanently.
The Attachment Overload
Including PDFs, case studies, or presentations in the first email. This screams "sales pitch."
Avoid using vague subjects like "Quick question" or "Following up." These get deleted unopened.
Primary Metrics
Secondary Metrics
Cold email is rarely about the first touch. Here's the proven follow-up cadence.
Touch 1: Initial Value
Send your cold email (one of the templates above).
Touch 2: Additional Value (3 days later)
Share a relevant resource, case study, or industry insight.
Touch 3: Different Angle (1 week later)
Try a different value proposition or approach.
Touch 4: Soft Breakup (1 week later)
Give them an easy out while keeping the door open.
Touch 5: Long-Term Nurture (3 months later)
Re-engage with a new trigger event or insight.
The cold email isn't dead — the bad cold email is dead.
The executives in this analysis who responded weren't responding to luck. They were responding to emails that proved the sender understood their world, offered genuine value, and made it easy to say yes to a conversation.
Use these templates, follow the six laws, and watch your reply rates climb from the 92% who get ignored to the 8% who get responses.
This story was produced by Apollo.io and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
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