Podcast · 18 min

The Startup Chat, Episode 014: Cold Email

Steli Efti and Hiten Shah · The Startup Chat with Steli and Hiten Free Beginner

A short, direct conversation between two founders on when cold email works, who to send to, and how to write the subject line and call to action. It is a fast listen that demystifies reaching out to strangers when you have nothing to point to yet. Good primer before you send your first batch.

  • The subject line decides whether the email gets opened
  • Always end with a single clear call to action
  • Have a follow up plan for people who do not reply
Open on thestartupchat.com ↗

It answers 3 questions

  1. What should my very first cold email subject line actually say?
  2. How do I get customers who don't already know me when I have no brand, no audience, and no case studies yet?
  3. How do I write cold emails and LinkedIn messages that founders actually get replies to?

Read with it

  1. The permission slip to recruit users by hand, do things manually, and deliver 'insanely great' experiences to your first few... paulgraham.com Essay · ~15 min read Do Things That Don't Scale Paul Graham
  2. A tactical follow-on covering the channels and motions top B2B startups scale after the first ten. Grounds distribution... Lenny's Newsletter Article · ~15 min read How to win your first 10 B2B customers Lenny Rachitsky
  3. Video · About 25 minutes How to Get Your First Customers (Startup School) Gustaf Alstromer
  4. This is the canonical structure for the investor cold email, written by a YC partner who reads them from the other side. It is... Y Combinator Startup Library Essay · 5 min read How to Cold Email Investors Aaron Harris
  5. When your first ten will come from cold outreach, this guide gives you the full mechanics: building a target list, qualifying,... Close Article · Multi-chapter guide The Ultimate Startup Guide to Outbound Sales Steli Efti
  6. Once you have a list of people to reach cold, this shows you how to write emails they actually answer. Seven concrete... Y Combinator Startup Library Video · ~33 min How to Convert Customers With Cold Emails Aaron Epstein
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