Sick of sending cold emails and hearing nothing back? You’re not alone. Cold outreach works—but only if it feels like it was written by a human, not a robot. If you’re using Reachout for sales, recruiting, or partnerships, this guide is for you. We’ll walk through how to personalize your cold email templates in Reachout so you actually get replies, not just “unsubscribe” clicks.
No fluff. No magic bullets. Just a practical, step-by-step approach to making your emails worth opening.
Why Personalization Matters (and What Actually Works)
Let’s get something out of the way: Personalization isn’t just slapping someone’s first name in the subject line. Most people can spot a mail merge from a mile away. Proper personalization is about showing you’ve done your homework—enough to make someone think, “Okay, this isn’t total spam.”
What works: - Reference something specific: A recent blog post, a company announcement, or a mutual connection. - Relate to their pain or goals: Show you actually understand their world. - Keep it short and relevant: Nobody wants to read a wall of text from a stranger.
What doesn’t: - Overdoing the flattery: “I love your inspiring journey!” sounds fake if you say it to everyone. - Canned compliments: If you can copy-paste it into any email, so can everyone else. - Irrelevant details: Don’t mention their dog’s birthday unless you’re selling dog treats.
Step 1: Start With a Solid (But Flexible) Template
Templates aren’t evil—you just have to use them right. Think of a template as your base layer, not the finished product. In Reachout, build a template with “personalization slots”—places you’ll fill in with real details for each recipient.
Example structure:
Subject: Quick question about [company]’s [recent project/initiative]
Hi [First Name],
I noticed [personalized detail about company or recent activity]. I’m reaching out because [clear, relevant reason].
[Short pitch—1-2 sentences max.]
Would you be open to a quick call to see if this could help with [specific goal/problem]?
Pro Tip: Limit yourself to 2-3 personalization points per email. Any more and it gets unwieldy (and creepy).
Step 2: Research Without Wasting Hours
Good personalization takes research, but you don’t need to become a private investigator. Here’s how to make it efficient:
- LinkedIn is your friend: Look for recent posts, job changes, or mutual connections.
- Google News: A 2-minute search can surface press releases or articles.
- Company website: Check their blog or press page for recent wins or projects.
- Industry tools: Tools like Apollo or Hunter can speed up data collection, but don’t trust them to do the thinking for you.
Don’t bother with: - Deep Facebook dives. If it feels invasive, skip it. - Weird trivia. “I see you ran a 5K in 2019” is just awkward.
Batch your research: If you’re emailing ten people at the same company, find one or two details you can use across all of them—then add a line specific to each person.
Step 3: Personalize Using Reachout’s Tools
Reachout has some built-in features to help you not sound like a robot, but you still need to drive.
- Custom fields: Use Reachout’s merge tags (like {{firstName}}, {{company}}, etc.) for the basics.
- Manual notes: For each contact, add a quick note you can drop into the template—something you learned during research.
- Saved snippets: If you find yourself writing similar personalized lines (e.g., “Congrats on your new funding round!”), save them as snippets to reuse and tweak.
How to do it in Reachout: 1. Create or edit your template. Add merge tags where you want automation, and leave space for your real personalization. 2. Upload your contact list. Make sure you have columns for each custom field you’ll use (e.g., “recentProject” or “personalNote”). 3. Fill in the blanks. Before you hit send, go through each draft email and add a sentence or two that proves you know who you’re talking to. Don’t trust automation to do all the work. 4. Preview every email. Reachout usually lets you see how each message will look. Read each one—if it feels generic, fix it.
Pro Tip: Don’t rely on generic fallback values. If you’re missing info, it’s better to leave it out than to send “I loved your recent article, [articleTitle].”
Step 4: Keep It Short—And Human
Nobody reads long cold emails. Aim for 3-5 sentences, max. Here’s how to trim the fat:
- Ditch the intro fluff: Skip “Hope this finds you well” or “I wanted to introduce myself.” Get to the point.
- Make your ask clear: Don’t dance around it. If you want a call, say so.
- Use plain English: Write like you’d talk to a smart friend, not like you’re writing a press release.
What to ignore: - “Best practices” that tell you to ask three probing questions or use weird subject line tricks. If it feels forced, don’t do it. - Over-formality. You’re not writing to the Queen.
Step 5: Test, Iterate, and Don’t Get Precious
No template is perfect out of the gate. Start with a batch of 10-20 emails, see what gets replies, and tweak from there.
- Track your results: Reachout will usually show open and reply rates. Don’t obsess over open rate—replies are what matter.
- A/B test small changes: Try a different subject line or tweak your personalization angle.
- Ask for feedback: If you happen to get a friendly reply, ask what made them respond.
Warning signs: - If you’re getting no replies, your emails are probably too generic—or you’re targeting the wrong people. - If people reply asking “How did you get my info?” you’re being too invasive.
Pro Tip: Don’t sweat the unsubscribes. If someone’s annoyed by a personalized, relevant email, they were never your customer anyway.
The Stuff You Can Ignore
Let’s cut through a few common myths:
- You don’t need a fancy HTML design. Plain text works better for cold outreach.
- Don’t obsess over sending time. Morning or afternoon is fine; if your message is good, it’ll get read.
- “Personalization at scale” is 90% B.S. Real personalization takes effort. Automation helps, but you still need to think.
Keep It Simple and Ship It
Personalized cold emails work, but only if you keep it real. Start with a basic template, do just enough research to make your message relevant, and use Reachout’s tools to fill in the blanks—don’t let them write the whole thing for you. Test, tweak, and don’t overthink it. The faster you get your emails out, the faster you’ll learn what actually lands.
You don’t need to be a genius or a stalker to get replies—just someone who respects the person on the other end of the inbox.