2/ Below I’ll be highlighting some of the keys to a good cold email:
How to break the ice
How to establish credibility
How to frame your ask
How to stick the landing
3/ To start, here is the full email
Let's get into it
4/ BREAK THE ICE
show that you value what they value
when I emailed
@austin_rief about getting a job with the Brew, I led with a really niche David Dobrik reference
David is his dude
ice=broken
5/ ESTABLISH CREDIBILITY
this is where amateur cold emailers often make the biggest mistake. They are afraid to self promote and I feel that
so I took an alternate approach
i mentioned one of Morning Brew’s competitors, Axios
6/ by casually name-dropping Axios, I immediately showed that I must have something of value to add
or else Axios wouldn’t be talking to me
7/ other ways to build credibility
1. interact with them on a social platform (in a positive way) then mention the interaction
2. provide some insightful commentary on a piece of content they’ve created
3. reference a mutual acquaintance
8/ other ways to build credibility cont.
4. show off something you’ve built, not something you accomplished
(You built your own newsletter whereas graduating from a certain college is something you accomplished)
9/ FRAMING THE ASK
you have to reach out with a purpose
I didn’t ask for a job (which is what I really wanted)
I offered them a chance to see my vision for a new content vertical
now the power dynamics have changed
10/ I’m not requesting an interview
or for Alex and Austin to look at my application
only to consider a potentially valuable Brew product
plus its unique
11/ I doubt many people have pitched them on a new newsletter...
then actually wrote a new newsletter
(not sure if this pic will work put here's a loooooooong JPEG image of the Sports Brew I wrote)
12/ Brew managing editor
@Neal_Freyman agrees
“There are a zillion writers who would love the position but not many would take the time to unsolicitedly write out an entire newsletter. That's what made your email stand out.”
13/ STICKING THE LANDING
you’ve done the dirty work
all that’s left is to go ahead and ask for what you want
always finish the email with a request
14/ instead of a less direct “Let me know what you think,” or “Thank you for your consideration”
establish a sense of urgency and give your chain of communication an actionable next step
15/ Telling
@BUSlNESSBARISTA and
@austin_rief that I’ll get on the next bus shows that I mean business...
and a few emails later
I actually did get on that bus
did get an interview
and the rest is history