How to nail cold outreach (quick tutorial)

Ever wonder how to make a cold email stand out in the sea of inboxes?

I recently critiqued a cold email for a fellow solopreneur who wanted to up his outreach game. He was kind enough to let me share it with you.

(Shout out to Trevor. If you need a PR pro, he's your guy.)

I wanted to share some key tips to help you optimize your own outreach strategy.

Because let’s face it…

Crafting the perfect message and finding the right prospects is challenging for most solopreneurs.

Outbound is one of the toughest hurdles for service-based entrepreneurs, especially in B2B.

Plus, we’ve all been on the receiving end of those spammy cold emails that make you want to avoid outreach altogether.

It’s easy to assume that cold outreach has to feel salesy or slimy, but it doesn’t have to be that way.

And when done right, it can transform your business.

As someone who’s built damn near an entire business through cold outreach, I know just how powerful (and challenging) it can be to grab attention and actually spark a real conversation.

So, today, I'm going to show you a different approach. Here are the non-negotiables for crafting a winning cold email.

Keep it short and skimmable

Long emails can overwhelm readers—especially if they feel like cover letters. Cold emails should be easy to skim, so stick to the essentials.

Talk like you’re with a friend at a coffee shop

Use a friendly, casual tone. While it’s tempting to keep it formal, a friendly tone breaks the ice. Imagine you’re chatting with someone at a coffee shop, not in a boardroom.

Showcase your credibility

Mentioning big-name brands you've worked with, like Forbes, WSJ, and Huffington Post, instantly builds credibility, showing prospects you're the real deal before they even check out your work.

Focus on one offer

Resist the urge to feature dump. Don’t list everything you can do. Instead, focus on one specific way you can help them. For instance, “I had a few PR ideas for your brand” captures attention and piques curiosity.

End with a simple call to action

Close with a clear, single request like "Would you be interested in chatting?" The first goal is to get a reply. You can't book a meeting or make a sale until you get a reply. That's priority number one.

Why this works

I've spent years testing countless scripts and approaches, and this simple framework yields the best results. The magic lies in combining clarity, credibility, and curiosity.

Check out the cold email critique I did for Trevor to see these steps in action:

​Watch it here →​

And if you’re curious—yes, Trevor’s cold email landed him a meeting with the CMO!