By the Outsquid team · · How we write
Cold email template built around a customer story
A first email that tells a short story about a customer who looks like the prospect.
When to use it
You have a customer in the same industry or of the same size as the prospect, with a result you can share. Works well for segments where you have several such customers.
The template
Subjecthow [customer] [result in a few words]
Hi {{firstName|there}},
[Customer] is [what makes them similar — e.g. "a 40-person agency like {{company|yours}}"]. A year ago they were [the situation before].
They started using [your product] to [what they did with it]. [Time] later, [result with a number].
Happy to send the two-page write-up on how they did it — would that be useful?
Use this template in OutsquidOpens it in the editor, ready to change · 14-day free trial
Other subject lines
[customer] → [result]{{company|your team}} and [customer]
Why it works
- A story about a lookalike company is easier to believe than a claim about your product.
- Before and after with a number makes the result concrete.
- Offering the write-up lets interested readers say yes without committing to a call.
Make it yours
The template is the frame. These are the parts that earn the reply:
- A customer the prospect will see as similar, with permission to name them.
- The before, the after, and how long it took — numbers wherever you have them.
Before you send
- Fill in every [bracketed] part, and preview the email for a few real prospects — especially ones with missing fields. Writing follow-ups
- Send from a domain with SPF, DKIM and DMARC set up, and check it before the first campaign. Free DNS checker
- Ramp new mailboxes up slowly and keep each one to a modest daily volume. Ramping up a new mailbox
- Say who you are, give people an easy way to opt out, and stop when they ask. Unsubscribes in cold email