Cold Email CTA - All to Know

Are you an SDR looking for that perfect call to action (CTA) to use in your cold emails?

Look no further!

Cold email CTAs can differentiate between a potential customer ignoring or engaging with your cold email, so getting it right is crucial.

In this article, we'll provide some practical advice and tips on how to craft compelling and effective cold email CTAs that drive meaningful results.

From understanding what 'action words' work best for inspiring people to click-throughs, a breakdown of the different types of CTA available and which type might be more suitable for each scenario; this guide will leave you feeling knowledgeable and filled with inspiration to help produce powerful messages through your cold emails.

Let's get into it!

A call to action (CTA) is a critical element of any effective cold email. It's a statement encouraging the recipient to take a specific action, such as visiting a website, making a purchase, or scheduling a product demo.

In a cold email, the CTA guides the recipient on what they should do next. It's an opportunity for the sales rep to initiate or move a conversation in a certain direction to generate a lead or sale in the long run.

Without a clear CTA, the recipient may not know what action to take, and the email may be ignored or deleted. On the other hand, a CTA that is more general and less imperious can be a great way to break the silence.

In addition to providing direction to the recipient, a well-crafted CTA can help establish a sense of urgency and create a sense of importance. It can encourage recipients to take immediate action using strong action verbs and concise language.

Now you might be curious about what these CTAs can look like.

The next section provides several ones you can use in your next cold email.

A conversation starter is a CTA that doesn't ask for something specific. It is more of an open-ended question that asks for the interest or opinion of the recipient.

It can be a powerful step for starting a conversation because it encourages the recipient to take action without asking for too much.

Also, it can help you to establish a clear goal for the email and guide the recipient toward the next step in the conversation.

This CTA has the advantage of greatly reducing friction and effort for your prospect. Any response is preferable to none, particularly if you have spent time following up repeatedly.

You make it simpler for the prospects to respond by giving them three straightforward options that fit their needs. They only need to choose a number and press reply. For the prospect, it is effortless and without complication.

Provide your prospect with a solution to an issue, then ask whether they are currently experiencing it.

Alternately, state a problem, offer a remedy, and then validate whether resolving the issue is a top priority by asking a question.

If you use a CTA that asks straight for a demo with the lead, your reply rate can actually drop because of that. However, that doesn't mean it isn't useful. Especially in a longer sequence, it's recommended that you change your CTA's to find out how your contact wants to communicate.

Let's say we have 4 step sequence, in which the first cold email has a conversation starter CTA to which the contact didn't reply. With our second email, you can provide more info and ask for a specific day and time for a demo. If your contact harmonies with the second email, he might agree on a demo, and we're all set.

Use clear and concise language to describe the demo and what your recipient can expect.

Offer your recipient different options for scheduling the demo, such as a specific date and time or a link to your scheduling tool.

Let's stick to the example above.

Our recipient didn't reply to 3 out of 4 emails. There can be a situation in which the contact actually isn't the right person to contact.

In this situation, we can ask the recipient in the last email to guide us to the right person.

• Let me know which of the following best describes you.

1. You are not interested
2. This sounds interesting, but now is not the right time
3. Interested. Let's talk now!

Just reply with a 1 or 2, or 3.

If you have a calendar link:

• Please choose a date and time of your choice using this link.
• Let's catch up for 15 mins. Just select any date and time on my calendar link.
• Feel free to pick a time from my calendar.

If you have a particular time mind:

• Available for a 20 mins chat on Aug 10 at 11 am CST?
• How about a quick 30 min call next Wednesday at 3 pm EST to discuss more?
• Can I steal you away for a 15-minute phone call tomorrow at 6 pm PST

Or time-related but open-ended:

• Do you have time next week to meet
• What about next Monday to discuss?

This counts for your whole cold email including the CTA.

If your CTA is too long or complex, the recipient may not understand what action you want them to take, and they may not take any action at all.

Short and direct ones are more memorable and easier to remember. This is important because you want the recipient to remember what action you want them to take, even after reading your email.

Likewise, a short and direct CTA helps to create a sense of urgency and encourages the recipient to take immediate action. If the CTA is too long or complicated, the recipient may delay taking action or forget about it altogether.

If you want to get them to respond to you back, make sure your CTA initiates that. It is important to include relevant info so the recipient has something to respond to.

Tell them what to expect from this chat if you want to get them on the phone. Offer some deadlines and dates to help the decision-maker.

This might sound contradictory initially, but it's true if you think about it longer.

Imagine a sales rep has asked you to buy something you've just read three sentences about.

Would you buy it at this point?

If you want to sell your good or service, which is important to keep in mind, avoid attempting to sell them in the first email.

Don't use CTAs that sound overly salesy, such as "Visit my website to benefit from our discount campaign!" or "Sign up for my newsletter "here" and get 10% off your next purchase" These CTA are ineffective because they sound overly pushy and salesy.

Of course, you want them to make a purchase from you in the long run. However, the goal of a cold email is always to establish a connection rather than to make a sale. It's intended to spark a discussion.

It's intended to spark a discussion and create a conducive collaboration environment, which could ultimately lead to your lead purchasing your good or service.

It's recommended to limit your cold email CTAs to just one. Multiple call-to-actions cause people to experience "Decision Paralysis," when they cannot decide what to do. Instead, they opt to remain undecided and give up.

Your email's call to action should be as easy to follow as practical. Choose just one action that you want them to do.

This could be responding to a cold email, setting up a quick meeting or demo, or downloading some useful information like a whitepaper.

However, asking for a demo can often be too much already. The simplest action for the recipient is to answer a CTA when you ask, "Worth a chat?", "Opposed to taking a peek?" and similar.

Make sure to use a CTA that requires less action & thinking from the lead to get a reply.

To recap, cold email call-to-actions are critical to successful cold emails. By understanding the types and importance of CTA's, you can avoid the common pitfalls and create ones that will help you book more meetings.

By focusing on CTAs with minimal risk and maximum reward, you can encourage prospective clients to engage with your message actively. Take some time to craft CTAs that work for your brand and situation.

Through thoughtful and creative CTA's you'll have an easier time achieving your cold email goals. As always, it's important to keep in mind that marketing is all about trial and error - don't forget about A/B testing for different ideas! Remember – any success in cold email hinges on a great CTA.