5 Tips to Optimize Your Cold Email Call to Action (CTA) + 30 Examples
Put your cold emails to work for you with these helpful tips, plus thirty real-world examples of killer CTAs that get more meetings booked!
Are you wondering how to effectively reach out to potential clients through cold email? Nowadays, the most successful tactics for optimizing call-to-actions (CTAs) involve utilizing data analysis and creative techniques.
Your CTA should be extremely specific and provide a clear direction about where someone needs to go next after reading your email.
In this blog post, we'll propose five tips on structuring an effective CTA in cold emails as well as 30 unique example CTAs you can use as inspiration when crafting personalized cold emails with strong results!
Let's get started.
Your CTA should be extremely specific and provide a clear direction about where someone needs to go next after reading your email.
In this blog post, we'll propose five tips on structuring an effective CTA in cold emails as well as 30 unique example CTAs you can use as inspiration when crafting personalized cold emails with strong results!
Let's get started.
1- Provide a Calendar Link
Make scheduling a breeze for your prospects by dumping out the annoyance of back-and-forth date debates. Just drop them a calendar link, and watch the magic happen.
Why does it work?
Tools like Calendly and Doodle turn the tiresome task of finding the right time into a cakewalk. No more endless email chains, no more time zone acrobatics – just a simple click to open the calendar and pick a slot that suits them.
What's the deal? Your prospect doesn't need to type out a response or hit 'reply.' It's as easy as clicking their preferred time. Plus, these tools often send automatic reminders, so everyone's on the same page when the meeting day arrives.
In a world where time is of the essence, why complicate things? A calendar link simplifies scheduling and adds a touch of ease to your prospect's day.
We previously talked in this blog about cold email deliverability good practice is not sending any links in the body, but when it is just one, and is a calendar link, it is okay to do it.
Why does it work?
Tools like Calendly and Doodle turn the tiresome task of finding the right time into a cakewalk. No more endless email chains, no more time zone acrobatics – just a simple click to open the calendar and pick a slot that suits them.
What's the deal? Your prospect doesn't need to type out a response or hit 'reply.' It's as easy as clicking their preferred time. Plus, these tools often send automatic reminders, so everyone's on the same page when the meeting day arrives.
In a world where time is of the essence, why complicate things? A calendar link simplifies scheduling and adds a touch of ease to your prospect's day.
We previously talked in this blog about cold email deliverability good practice is not sending any links in the body, but when it is just one, and is a calendar link, it is okay to do it.
2- Send a Specific Date & Time
When your sales game is about moving from email to a meeting or call, precision is your secret weapon.
Picture this: your prospect is ready to engage, and now, you want to make it irresistibly easy for them to say 'yes.' That's where sending a specific date and time comes into play.
Why does it work like a charm?
Consider this scenario:
CTA 1: "Are you available for a chat?"
CTA 2: "How about a quick 20-minute chat on Nov 22 at 2 PM CST?"
The second option takes the cake by providing all the necessary details upfront. It's like handing them a ready-made invitation – no mental gymnastics needed. Your prospect doesn't have to ponder over how much time to allocate, which date works, or the time zone puzzle.
You're cutting through the cognitive clutter for your prospect by offering a specific date and time. It's a streamlined approach that removes barriers and sets the stage for a smooth interaction. So, if you're aiming for a frictionless transition from email to conversation, precision is the name of the game.
Picture this: your prospect is ready to engage, and now, you want to make it irresistibly easy for them to say 'yes.' That's where sending a specific date and time comes into play.
Why does it work like a charm?
Consider this scenario:
CTA 1: "Are you available for a chat?"
CTA 2: "How about a quick 20-minute chat on Nov 22 at 2 PM CST?"
The second option takes the cake by providing all the necessary details upfront. It's like handing them a ready-made invitation – no mental gymnastics needed. Your prospect doesn't have to ponder over how much time to allocate, which date works, or the time zone puzzle.
You're cutting through the cognitive clutter for your prospect by offering a specific date and time. It's a streamlined approach that removes barriers and sets the stage for a smooth interaction. So, if you're aiming for a frictionless transition from email to conversation, precision is the name of the game.
3- Restate Your Value Proposition
Ever wondered what could tip the scales when your prospect is on the fence about that crucial call? Let's break it down:
Consider this:
Option 1: "Are you free for a call tomorrow at 4 pm?"
Option 2: "Are you free for a call this Friday to discuss how you can increase your employee productivity."
Your Call to Action (CTA) is your golden chance to echo your value proposition and gently nudge that prospect toward a conversation. It's not just about setting a time; it's about reaffirming the value you bring to the table.
Why restate your value proposition?
By reintroducing your value proposition, you're reinforcing the core message of your email. It condenses your offering into a clear, compelling statement of benefits, ensuring that your prospect sees the value of taking the next step.
So, when crafting your CTA, don't just list features; focus on the magic your prospect stands to gain. Whether it's a meeting that moves them toward their goals or an offer that transforms their professional landscape, let your CTA be the promise of a better, brighter tomorrow.
Consider this:
Option 1: "Are you free for a call tomorrow at 4 pm?"
Option 2: "Are you free for a call this Friday to discuss how you can increase your employee productivity."
Your Call to Action (CTA) is your golden chance to echo your value proposition and gently nudge that prospect toward a conversation. It's not just about setting a time; it's about reaffirming the value you bring to the table.
Why restate your value proposition?
By reintroducing your value proposition, you're reinforcing the core message of your email. It condenses your offering into a clear, compelling statement of benefits, ensuring that your prospect sees the value of taking the next step.
So, when crafting your CTA, don't just list features; focus on the magic your prospect stands to gain. Whether it's a meeting that moves them toward their goals or an offer that transforms their professional landscape, let your CTA be the promise of a better, brighter tomorrow.
4- Ask an Open-Ended Question
Smart salespeople ask smart questions. Apart from the confirmation questions that we covered in the previous section, open-ended questions are another conversation starter with your prospects.
Unlike the binary nature of yes-or-no queries, open-ended questions invite a more expansive response. They encourage your prospects to share insights and delve into the nuances of their business landscape. But, why would they open up to you, a relative stranger?
Consider this approach: position yourself as an expert in a relevant domain. Then, curate open-ended questions tailored to reveal the challenges your prospects face within that topic.
Why this strategy works:
By cultivating an environment where your prospect feels heard and understood, you pave the way for a richer dialogue.
A bonus tip to augment this strategy is to inquire about their current problem-solving processes. This provides valuable intel on their operations and unveils the pain points they grapple with.
Unlike the binary nature of yes-or-no queries, open-ended questions invite a more expansive response. They encourage your prospects to share insights and delve into the nuances of their business landscape. But, why would they open up to you, a relative stranger?
Consider this approach: position yourself as an expert in a relevant domain. Then, curate open-ended questions tailored to reveal the challenges your prospects face within that topic.
Why this strategy works:
By cultivating an environment where your prospect feels heard and understood, you pave the way for a richer dialogue.
A bonus tip to augment this strategy is to inquire about their current problem-solving processes. This provides valuable intel on their operations and unveils the pain points they grapple with.
5- Use Humor
Humor can actually open doors that are pretty hard to find a way through otherwise.
Why does humor work its magic?
It transforms your email from just another addition to their inbox into a refreshing, memorable encounter.
Even if your prospect is knee-deep in work or initially disinterested, a well-placed joke or a playful tone can prompt them to respond, thinking, "Alright, let's see where this goes!”
Why does humor work its magic?
It transforms your email from just another addition to their inbox into a refreshing, memorable encounter.
Even if your prospect is knee-deep in work or initially disinterested, a well-placed joke or a playful tone can prompt them to respond, thinking, "Alright, let's see where this goes!”
What is a Cold Email CTA?
A Cold Email Call to Action (CTA) is a specific instruction or prompt included in a cold email to guide the recipient toward a desired response or action.
In cold outreach, the goal is typically to encourage the prospect to take the next step in the sales process.
The Cold Email CTA serves as a bridge between your message and the prospect's response. It can take various forms depending on the objective of your email.
The key to an effective Cold Email CTA is clarity and relevance. It should be compelling, easy to understand, and aligned with the overall objective of your cold email campaign.
In cold outreach, the goal is typically to encourage the prospect to take the next step in the sales process.
The Cold Email CTA serves as a bridge between your message and the prospect's response. It can take various forms depending on the objective of your email.
The key to an effective Cold Email CTA is clarity and relevance. It should be compelling, easy to understand, and aligned with the overall objective of your cold email campaign.
Benefits of a Strong Cold Email CTA
Omitting a Call to Action (CTA) is akin to throwing a dart blindfolded – there's a slim chance you'll hit the target.
The benefits of incorporating a strong CTA into your cold emails are akin to taking off that blindfold and hitting the bullseye every time.
Encourages Action: A compelling CTA acts as the most actionable segment of your email, urging prospects to take the necessary steps. Think of it as the moment you turn the tables in your favor.
Increases Response Rates: Crafting a well-worded CTA boosts the likelihood of eliciting responses, ultimately contributing to higher response rates. It's the hook that reels your prospects in.
Improved Brand Awareness: A memorable CTA does more than just prompt action; it reinforces your brand messaging. This touch of memorability ensures your email stands out in the competitive inbox landscape.
Provides Direction: Lost in the email abyss? A CTA serves as a guiding beacon, giving prospects a clear direction on what steps to take next. It helps them navigate through the email seamlessly.
Higher Conversion Rates: The persuasive charm of a well-crafted CTA isn't just about responses; it significantly boosts the chances of turning prospects into paying customers. Simplifying the path for your prospects leads to smoother conversions.
Helps Track Success: Want to measure the triumph of your cold email campaign? A CTA is your tracking beacon, gauging success by tallying clicks or responses generated. It's the data-driven insight you need.
Better ROI: Elevate your sales outreach's Return on Investment (ROI) by leveraging a compelling CTA. It's the secret sauce that enhances the effectiveness of your email efforts.
A strong CTA isn't just a sign-off; it's a strategic move that propels your prospects toward the desired action—booking that crucial meeting with you!
The benefits of incorporating a strong CTA into your cold emails are akin to taking off that blindfold and hitting the bullseye every time.
Encourages Action: A compelling CTA acts as the most actionable segment of your email, urging prospects to take the necessary steps. Think of it as the moment you turn the tables in your favor.
Increases Response Rates: Crafting a well-worded CTA boosts the likelihood of eliciting responses, ultimately contributing to higher response rates. It's the hook that reels your prospects in.
Improved Brand Awareness: A memorable CTA does more than just prompt action; it reinforces your brand messaging. This touch of memorability ensures your email stands out in the competitive inbox landscape.
Provides Direction: Lost in the email abyss? A CTA serves as a guiding beacon, giving prospects a clear direction on what steps to take next. It helps them navigate through the email seamlessly.
Higher Conversion Rates: The persuasive charm of a well-crafted CTA isn't just about responses; it significantly boosts the chances of turning prospects into paying customers. Simplifying the path for your prospects leads to smoother conversions.
Helps Track Success: Want to measure the triumph of your cold email campaign? A CTA is your tracking beacon, gauging success by tallying clicks or responses generated. It's the data-driven insight you need.
Better ROI: Elevate your sales outreach's Return on Investment (ROI) by leveraging a compelling CTA. It's the secret sauce that enhances the effectiveness of your email efforts.
A strong CTA isn't just a sign-off; it's a strategic move that propels your prospects toward the desired action—booking that crucial meeting with you!
What Makes a Bad Cold Email CTA?
CTAs are a formidable challenge in the realm of cold emailing.
Our in-depth research echoes this sentiment, revealing that many struggle to create CTAs that truly resonate with their prospects, resulting in dismal open rates, lackluster engagement, and poor conversion rates, which can ultimately lead to spam.
Let's examine the challenges:
1. Lack of Catchy Subject Line: Your CTA journey begins with the subject line. If it fails to captivate the recipient's attention, your CTA might never see the light of day. Crafting a subject line that intrigues and compels is the crucial first step.
2. Vague CTA: Ambiguity is the enemy. If your CTA lacks clarity and specificity, the recipient may be uncertain, unsure of what action to take. A clear and direct call to action is paramount.
3. Overwhelming Choices or Too Many CTAs: Less is more. Too many CTAs in a single email can overwhelm the recipient, making it challenging for them to decide. Simplicity and focus are key; provide a single, clear next step.
4. Lack of Personalization: Generic appeals fall flat. If your CTAs don't address the recipient's specific needs, pain points, or interests, the motivation to take action dwindles. Personalization creates relevance and connection.
5. Fail to Address Objections: An effective CTA anticipates and addresses objections. If it doesn't, lingering doubts may hinder the recipient from taking the desired action. Overcoming objections is integral to success.
6. Trust: Trust is the currency of cold emails. If your email lacks credibility, the prospect may hesitate to respond to your call to action. Establishing trust is foundational for effective CTAs.
7. Value Proposition: Clearly communicate the value. Your CTA's value proposition should outline the benefits the recipient gains by taking action. If the perceived value is low or unclear, the response may wane.
8. Failure to Follow Up: CTAs need reinforcement. Without strategic follow-ups in subsequent communications, the recipient may forget or overlook the initial call to action. Strategic follow-ups are crucial for increased response rates.
9. Language and Tone: Your CTA's language and tone matter. Persuasion and respect for the recipient's communication preferences are key. Avoid pushiness, generic language, or impersonal tones that might repel the recipient.
Our in-depth research echoes this sentiment, revealing that many struggle to create CTAs that truly resonate with their prospects, resulting in dismal open rates, lackluster engagement, and poor conversion rates, which can ultimately lead to spam.
Let's examine the challenges:
1. Lack of Catchy Subject Line: Your CTA journey begins with the subject line. If it fails to captivate the recipient's attention, your CTA might never see the light of day. Crafting a subject line that intrigues and compels is the crucial first step.
2. Vague CTA: Ambiguity is the enemy. If your CTA lacks clarity and specificity, the recipient may be uncertain, unsure of what action to take. A clear and direct call to action is paramount.
3. Overwhelming Choices or Too Many CTAs: Less is more. Too many CTAs in a single email can overwhelm the recipient, making it challenging for them to decide. Simplicity and focus are key; provide a single, clear next step.
4. Lack of Personalization: Generic appeals fall flat. If your CTAs don't address the recipient's specific needs, pain points, or interests, the motivation to take action dwindles. Personalization creates relevance and connection.
5. Fail to Address Objections: An effective CTA anticipates and addresses objections. If it doesn't, lingering doubts may hinder the recipient from taking the desired action. Overcoming objections is integral to success.
6. Trust: Trust is the currency of cold emails. If your email lacks credibility, the prospect may hesitate to respond to your call to action. Establishing trust is foundational for effective CTAs.
7. Value Proposition: Clearly communicate the value. Your CTA's value proposition should outline the benefits the recipient gains by taking action. If the perceived value is low or unclear, the response may wane.
8. Failure to Follow Up: CTAs need reinforcement. Without strategic follow-ups in subsequent communications, the recipient may forget or overlook the initial call to action. Strategic follow-ups are crucial for increased response rates.
9. Language and Tone: Your CTA's language and tone matter. Persuasion and respect for the recipient's communication preferences are key. Avoid pushiness, generic language, or impersonal tones that might repel the recipient.
30 Examples of CTAs that Book More Meetings
CTAs for booking meetings
- Our companies have a great collaboration opportunity and I would like to discuss let me know about your availability
- Is there a time that works for you to talk about how our product/service can help you achieve your goals?
- Let’s discuss your goals and plans. You can use this link to book directly on my calendar.
- It would be great if we could work together as a team to achieve mutual success. Are you available for a meeting?
- I see great potential in your business but I came across your website and the flow might be affecting your inflow of leads. Let me know if you are interested to know about it.
- We can help you implement more strategic marketing campaigns that will increase your traffic by 10X. Let’s get on a call to discuss how.
- Are you open to a quick 15-minute call to discuss your current marketing efforts and see if there is a good match for us to work together?
CTA for Followups
- Hope you receive my previous mail. If you have any questions or concerns in light of my previous mail feel free to reach out.
- Did you go through my last week proposal? Let me know if you need more information
- I understand you must be busy, should I check back in a few months?
- Let me know if you are not the right person for this collaboration and if there is someone else in your company that I can reachout to
- Greetings and best wishes to you. I still look forward to discussing how our product/service can benefit your business. Are you available this week?
- Following up to make sure nothing was missed. If you have any feedback or concerns, please let us know
- I understand your schedule is likely busy. However, I wanted to touch base and see if there are any updates or if we can assist you with anything.
- You should have received and reviewed our contract by now. Feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns you may have.
- It has been a while since we talked. Is there any update on your situation and how we can best help you?
- I wanted to follow up and see if you’re still interested in learning more about how our product/service can benefit your business. Would you be available for a call next week?
Super short CTAs
- Worth a chat?
- Open to checking it out?
- Think this could help?
- Curious to see how?
- Worth discussing?
- Opposed to learning more?
Funny CTAs
- Want to see how other companies who wanted [similar goal] were able to achieve it?
- There’s a case study link below my email signature. If you want to learn what [company] would do differently knowing what they know now, let me know.
Conclusion
To summarize, the call to action in a cold email is one of the most powerful components that can help you increase engagement and generate leads.
Knowing how to optimize the CTA can give your cold emails an incredible edge over competitors. Always keep in mind the 5 tips we discussed when creating a CTA: Keep it simple, use action-oriented words, supplement it with relevant visuals, make sure there’s a clear purpose, and bring out your personal touch.
With these points in mind, use any number of our 30 examples as inspiration when crafting your own.
Knowing how to optimize the CTA can give your cold emails an incredible edge over competitors. Always keep in mind the 5 tips we discussed when creating a CTA: Keep it simple, use action-oriented words, supplement it with relevant visuals, make sure there’s a clear purpose, and bring out your personal touch.
With these points in mind, use any number of our 30 examples as inspiration when crafting your own.
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