B2B cold email templates B2B cold email templates

What makes a B2B cold email work?

A cold email works when the reader can tell in seconds why it’s for them: one reader, one problem, one ask. Every template below uses the same six parts:

• Subject line: a few plain words saying what it’s about.
• First line: why you’re writing to this person now.
• The problem: one issue common in their role, in their words.
• The offer: what you do about it, in one plain sentence.
• The ask: one question they can answer in a line.
• Signature: your name, company, postal address and a way to opt out.

Write in plain text, the way you’d email a colleague, and leave out images and attachments.

How do you use these templates?

Words in {braces} are placeholders: replace every one with something specific to the reader. If you can’t fill one truthfully, use a different template for that person.

End every email with a signature like this one, which identifies you and gives a postal address and an opt-out:

What are good B2B cold email templates?

1. First touch

Use it when they likely have the problem you solve. Why it works: it opens with their situation, not your product, and the ask leaves room to say no.

Subject: {problem} at {company}

2. Mutual referral

Use it when a mutual contact has agreed to be named, so ask them first. Why it works: a name they trust gets the email read, and the ask stays small.

Subject: {referrer’s name} suggested I get in touch

3. Right person

Use it when the company fits but you don’t know who owns the problem. Why it works: pointing you to a colleague takes seconds. Send it to one person at a time.

Subject: who looks after {area} at {company}?

4. Trigger event

Use it when something public just changed, like a new role, a hiring push or a launch. Why it works: change creates new problems, and good timing shows you paid attention.

Subject: {event} and {problem}

5. Value offer

Use it when you have no case study yet but can offer something useful. Why it works: saying yes costs the reader nothing. Make the offer real and specific, like notes on their {pricing page or onboarding}.

Subject: a few notes on {company}’s {thing}

6. Their own work

Use it when they wrote, spoke or posted about the problem you solve. Why it works: it answers something they chose to say in public. Only mention work you’ve actually read.

Subject: your {post or talk} on {topic}

7. Breakup

Use it when your follow-ups got no reply. Why it works: it closes the loop politely and gives the reader an easy way to answer. Mean it: if they don’t reply, stop.

Subject: should I close this out?

8. Re-engagement

Use it when a conversation went quiet a few months ago. Why it works: you already know each other, and a new reason makes the email about them, not your pipeline.

Subject: {topic} since we last spoke

How do you write a cold email subject line?

A subject line has one job: tell the reader honestly what the email is about. Short and specific beats clever.

• Keep it short: a few words that fit on a phone screen.
• Name the topic, not the pitch. “Onboarding at {company}” tells the reader more than “Quick question.”
• Write it like a colleague would. Sentence case, no capitals for emphasis, no emoji.
• Never fake a thread. Adding “Re:” or “Fwd:” to a first email misleads the reader, and CAN-SPAM bans deceptive subject lines.
• Drop the sales voice. Skip “urgent,” stacked punctuation and promised results.

How much should you personalize a cold email?

Enough to show why you picked this person, and no more. One true observation tied to the problem beats three compliments.

• Role level: problems common to their job. Use it in every email.
• Company level: news, hiring or a launch. Use it for trigger-event emails.
• Person level: something they wrote, said or built. Save it for your top accounts.

Use only work information people made public, like job posts or press releases. Never mention personal details, or claim to have read something you haven’t.

Personalization is wasted if the address is wrong. Our guides to finding someone’s email address and verifying an email address cover both steps. The free email verifier checks an address’s format, its domain and the domain’s MX records.

What must every cold email include to stay legal?

Which rules apply depends mostly on where your readers are, and sometimes on where you are. Here are the basics for the US, the EU and the UK, as general information rather than legal advice.

United States: CAN-SPAM

CAN-SPAM covers commercial email, and the FTC’s compliance guide says it makes no exception for business-to-business email. Each message must:

• Use accurate “From,” “Reply-To” and routing details that identify you or your business.
• Have a subject line that reflects what the email is about.
• Be identified as an ad, clearly and conspicuously.
• Include a valid postal address: a street address, a registered PO box or a registered private mailbox.
• Explain clearly how to opt out, for example by replying. The opt-out must keep working for at least 30 days after you send.

Honor opt-outs within 10 business days, without charging a fee or asking for more than an email address. Hiring another company to send your email doesn’t move the responsibility off you. The FTC says each violating email can cost up to $53,088.

European Union: GDPR

A named person’s work email, like forename.surname@company.eu, is personal data. The European Commission says GDPR applies to companies in the EU, and to those outside it offering goods or services to people there.

The Commission says a contact list from another organisation is processed on grounds of legitimate interests, and people can object. That organisation must be able to show it collected the data lawfully.

• If someone else collected their details, tell them in your first email that you have them and will use them for marketing.
• Stop when someone objects. The Commission says that once someone objects, you may no longer use their data for direct marketing, and objecting must be free.
• Keep your list up to date, and make sure no one who objected gets another email.

The Commission adds that email marketing must also follow the rules in the ePrivacy Directive. Check the national rules in the countries where your readers are.

United Kingdom: PECR and UK GDPR

The ICO says you can email any corporate body, such as a company or an LLP, without consent. Sole traders and some partnerships are treated as individuals: you need their consent, unless they bought something similar from you and didn’t opt out.

Either way, don’t hide who you are, and offer an opt-out by reply or an unsubscribe link, as the ICO’s checklist asks. The ICO adds that emailing employees at their own work addresses can have data protection implications.

Other countries, such as Canada and Australia, have their own rules. Check them before you add readers there.

Last updated September 28, 2026