Reaching out cold is tough, whether through email or LinkedIn, you’ve got one shot to make a first impression. And in a world flooded with messages, most of them never even get opened.
Here are 10 practical, no-fluff tips to boost your open rates, get more replies, and start conversations that lead somewhere.
1. Your first sentence must grab attention
The opening line is everything. It's what decides whether someone keeps reading or deletes you immediately. If you're still starting with "Hope this finds you well" or "We're leaders in our industry," stop. These intros are overused, ignorable, and offer zero value.
Instead, lead with something that matches a pain point or offers instant value, for example:
“Quick idea to save your SDR team 10 hours a week.”
“Noticed you're hiring, I might have something to help speed that up.”
Even a bit of personality works: “Saw you’re into sailing, me too.”
2. Keep it short
If your message looks like an essay, no one’s reading it. Your job isn’t to explain everything in one go, it's to spark interest. Think of it like a teaser, not a full proposal. Keep the message tight, focused, and easy to respond to.
3. Make it scannable
Your reader will spend two seconds deciding if it’s worth reading. Make the structure work for you. Use line breaks, bolding, emojis (if appropriate), and formatting tricks to guide their eye. If they can’t immediately tell what the message is about, they’re not staying.
4. Speak their language
Match the tone and vocabulary to your audience. If you're messaging someone in traditional manufacturing, skip the SaaS jargon. If you're reaching out to a founder, speak like one. Mirror their world. Relevance = trust.
5. Write a subject line that feels human
This might be the most underrated part. Your subject line + first sentence decide whether the message gets opened. Don’t go full clickbait, but also don’t be boring. Try curiosity (“Idea for your hiring flow”), specificity (“3 things slowing down your sales team”), or light personalization.
6. Stop sending PDFs
Nobody wants to open a 7MB deck and scroll through 20 slides. Use tools like Dock.us to send interactive, lightweight content that’s designed to be clicked. Focus on value, benefits, prices, and next steps, all in one clear flow.
7. Cut the fluff
Skip vague claims and empty phrases. Say exactly what the benefit is. "We help you increase conversion rates by 22%" is better than "We’re the future of revenue enablement." Be clear, be specific, be useful.
8. Test, measure, iterate
Don’t rely on gut feeling. A/B test different subject lines and intros across batches of 100+ contacts. Monitor open, click, and reply rates. Let data guide your outreach strategy, not assumptions.
9. Include a real CTA
End with a strong, simple call-to-action. Don’t say “Let me know if you’d like to chat.” That’s passive and easy to ignore. Instead, drop your Calendly link and say: “Pick any time that works for you, happy to jump on a quick call.”
10. Always follow up
Most people won’t reply the first time and that’s fine. Follow up a few days later with a short, friendly nudge. Keep it casual, maybe even funny: “Bumping this in case it got buried (my inbox looks like a war zone too).” One good follow-up can double your reply rate.
