Article · 15 min read

Cold Email Templates for Founders: 5 Templates That Get Replies

Michael Batko · batko.ai Free Beginner

Batko is a two-time founder and former Startmate CEO who has received thousands of cold emails, so he writes from the receiving end, which is exactly the perspective you are missing when your emails get ignored. He breaks down five founder situations (investors, customers, partnerships, advice, press) with real templates and shows why the opening line has to prove you did your homework instead of leading with generic praise. Treat it as a starting point to rewrite your own first line, not a script to copy.

• The first sentence should prove you did specific research on the person, not open with flattery, and that homework takes 5 to 10 minutes per email.
• One time-boxed ask beats a sales pitch: state who you are in a sentence, make a single small request, and give a graceful exit.
• Different goals (investor, customer, partner, advice, press) need different structures, so stop reusing one template everywhere.