You’ve been the recipient of hundreds or thousands of sales emails. But how many actually resulted in you buying a product or subscribing to a service? Probably not many.
The odds of securing a conversion with even an expertly-written email are low. Without good templates to work with, there’s very little hope. In our experience running B2B outreach campaigns, the difference between a 2% and a 15% response rate often comes down to having tested, proven templates as your foundation.
This guide provides 15 sales email templates organized by scenario, plus the framework for what makes sales emails convert.
Summary: Effective sales emails need four elements: a compelling subject line, an attention-grabbing hook, a clear value proposition, and a strong call to action. Sending 4-7 emails in a sequence triples reply rates compared to 1-3 emails. Each template below includes a subject line and can be customized with your specific details.
Table of Contents
- What Are the Four Elements of a Successful Sales Email?
- What Sales Email Templates Work for Warm Introductions?
- What Sales Email Templates Work for Follow-Ups?
- What Sales Email Templates Work for Cold Outreach?
- What Templates Work When You Need to Change Tactics?
- What Templates Work for Unresponsive Prospects?
- What Other Resources Help Improve Sales Emails?
- Frequently Asked Questions
- How many follow-up emails should you send?
- What is the ideal length for a sales email?
- What makes a good sales email subject line?
- Should you personalize sales email templates?
- When is the best time to send sales emails?
- How do you avoid sales emails going to spam?
- What response rate should you expect from sales emails?
Key Terms
Sales email: An email designed to prompt recipients to take a specific action, such as booking a meeting, downloading content, or making a purchase.
Cold email: An unsolicited email sent to someone with no prior relationship, typically for prospecting or outreach.
Warm introduction: An email to someone you’ve met or who was referred to you by a mutual connection.
Email sequence: A series of planned follow-up emails sent over time to nurture prospects toward conversion.
Call to action (CTA): The specific action you want the recipient to take, such as clicking a link, replying, or scheduling a call.
What Are the Four Elements of a Successful Sales Email?
Every successful sales email has four elements: a compelling subject line, an attention-grabbing hook, a clear value proposition, and a strong call to action.
Your sales email has one goal: get people to convert. See our list of sales email best practices for help achieving that goal. If you’re just looking to improve brand recognition or reputation, those emails are closer to “marketing” in nature. In sales, you’re trying to get recipients to take meaningful action—downloading a whitepaper, purchasing a product, filling out a form, or watching a webinar.
1. The subject line. This is arguably the most important part of your email. If your subject line is boring, predictable, or overly sales-y, people won’t even open your message. You need something original and relevant to their interests, presented concisely. I’ve written a full guide on sales email subject lines if this is a common problem point for you.
2. The hook. Once your recipient opens the message, you need something fast to grab their attention and convince them it’s worth reading. The first few sentences need to jive with your subject line and lure people in with some kind of promise of value—or at least an informative or entertaining introduction.
3. The appeal to value. Think of securing a conversion as an exchange: your recipient takes action on your behalf, but expects something in return. Sometimes that means getting a product in exchange for money. Other times, it means getting information in exchange for personal details. Your job is to convince the reader that what you offer is worth it.
4. The call to action. Finally, you need to close the deal. Motivate your reader to take action with a link or button to make it easy. This is the last chance your reader has to back out, so without a strong CTA, you could lose everything. For help, see this list of call to action examples.
What Sales Email Templates Work for Warm Introductions?
Warm introduction emails reference your shared connection or how you met. Focus on building the relationship before pushing for a sale.
These templates work when you already know the person you’re emailing—you met at a networking event, or someone in your network gave you their contact information. With warm emails, getting a meeting is often more important than securing a sale right away; overly salesy language can be off-putting.
Template 1: Mutual Connection Referral
Subject: [Connection] gave me your info!
Hi [name]!
You and I both know [connection]—they gave me your info so we could connect. I saw some of your work on [platform] and really enjoyed it!
Are you having any issues with [subject]? If so, I might be able to help you save [time/money statistic].
Thanks for your time!
[signature]
Template 2: Post-Event Follow-Up
Subject: What was your biggest takeaway from [event]?
Hi [name]!
You and I met at [event]! I really enjoyed the seminar on [subject]. What were some of your biggest takeaways from the event?
Anyway, I was hoping we could meet up to discuss [subject]. Part of my job is to help people with [issue/problem], so I’d love to spend some time getting to know your perspective better.
Best,
[signature]
Template 3: Reconnection Request
Subject: Hey! It’s [name] from [event/school/place]
Hi [name]!
We went to the same [event/school/place], and I was hoping we could reconnect. Are you free this Wednesday for [coffee/lunch/etc.]?
Take care,
[signature]
What Sales Email Templates Work for Follow-Ups?
Follow-up emails are essential—sending 4-7 emails instead of 1-3 can triple your reply rate. Each follow-up should offer something new or take a different angle.
Following up to your initial emails is vital, especially after a cold email that didn’t receive a response. Sending 4 to 7 emails as part of your sales sequence can triple your reply rate. Some people fail to respond due to time restrictions or forgetfulness, and pursuing the same targets from multiple angles improves success rates.
Make sure your follow-up is different from your original message—the first one didn’t work, so you need something different. We have more sales email follow-up templates in another post.
Template 4: Limited-Time Reminder
Subject: Following up on [reference to first email]
Hi [name],
I emailed you earlier this week about a special deal, and wanted to remind you it’s a limited time offer! If you act in the next few days, you can still lock in this price. Let me know if you have any questions I can help you with—I’ll be here!
Talk to you soon,
[signature]
Template 5: Acknowledge Busy Schedule
Subject: I get it, you’re busy
Hi [name],
If your inbox looks like mine, you’re probably overwhelmed with emails. I sent you one earlier this month that may have gotten lost in the shuffle.
I wanted to reach out to you about [special offer]. If you’re interested, let me know, and we can have a bigger conversation.
Sincerely,
[signature]
Template 6: Find the Right Contact
Subject: Can you help me find the right person?
Hi [name],
I’ve been looking to find the person in your company responsible for [subject]. Is it you? If so, I’d love to have a conversation with you about your company’s current needs. If not, could you possibly point me in the right direction?
Thanks in advance!
[signature]
What Sales Email Templates Work for Cold Outreach?
Cold emails must quickly establish relevance and value. Lead with a statistic, question, or insight that resonates with the recipient’s situation.
Cold email templates are all about making an impression on people you’ve never met before. They can be tricky since you need to overcome more obstacles initially. However, they can also be powerful since they can be broadcasted to a wider network.
For more help with cold email subject lines, check out that dedicated guide.
Template 7: Lead with a Statistic
Subject: Did you know [statistic]?
Hi [name],
Have you heard that X percent of people in your industry are unhappy with [subject]? According to our research, that’s because they’re missing [product/service].
I’d love to get your take on this. Are you interested in sharing your opinion, or learning more about the state of your industry?
Looking forward to hearing from you,
[signature]
Template 8: Request a Quick Chat
Subject: Are you available this Thursday?
Hi [name],
I saw your work on [subject], and I’d love to get some insights from you. Are you available for a quick chat this Thursday? I’m available all afternoon.
Let me know,
[signature]
Template 9: Address a Pain Point
Subject: Are you struggling with [subject]?
Hi [name],
Our records indicate that people like you are frequently struggling with [subject], which is why my company has derived a product that can resolve your troubles. You can sign up for a free sample/trial today on our website if you act now! And if you have any questions, you can reach out to me directly.
Hope to hear from you soon,
[signature]
What Templates Work When You Need to Change Tactics?
If initial emails aren’t getting traction, try a different approach: offer valuable content, reference a phone call, or ask for feedback instead of pushing for a sale.
If you’ve followed up a few times without traction, change tactics and appeal to your audience differently. These templates contrast with your initial efforts:
Template 10: Offer Free Content
Subject: Have you seen our latest whitepaper?
Hi [name],
You might have seen my previous emails. I wanted to reach out and let you know we just published a new whitepaper on [subject]. If you’re interested, we’ve made the whitepaper available for free—you can check it out at [link].
Let me know what you think!
[signature]
Template 11: Reference a Voicemail
Subject: Sorry I missed you!
Hi [name],
I tried calling you earlier, and left a voicemail. Sorry I missed you! When you get the chance, could you call me back? I’d love a few minutes to talk about [subject].
Talk to you soon!
[signature]
Template 12: Ask for Feedback
Subject: Can you provide some feedback?
Hi [name],
We haven’t heard back from you, so I was hoping you could provide me with a bit of feedback. Is there anything we could be doing better? I’d love to get a few pieces of insight from you.
Let me know,
[signature]
What Templates Work for Unresponsive Prospects?
After multiple follow-ups with no reply, send a “break-up” email. These acknowledge the lack of response while leaving the door open for future contact.
Sometimes you’ll follow up with a cold prospect multiple times without a single reply. Here, you’re treading on thin ice. If you continue being persistent, you might annoy your prospects, damage your brand reputation, or increase your spam score. But you might also be only one or two emails away from closing the deal.
Template 13: Direct Check-In
Subject: Not interested?
Hi [name],
We’ve sent you a few emails about [subject], but haven’t heard back from you. I take that to mean you’re not interested. If that’s the case, I’d love to know why, if you can spare a minute to draft me a message. If not, no worries.
If you are interested, just let me know and maybe we can continue this conversation! I’ll be available.
Thanks for your time,
[signature]
Template 14: Final Special Offer
Subject: One last opportunity – [special offer]
Hi [name],
We’re going to stop sending you emails soon, but before you go, I wanted to give you one last special offer. We’re giving you a chance for [freebie/discount], but only for a limited time. If you’re interested, just reply to this email and we can have a conversation, or head to [link] to purchase our products directly.
And as always, let me know if you have any questions!
Thanks,
[signature]
Template 15: Graceful Exit
Subject: We get it. We’re not for everyone.
Hi [name],
We’re not delusional—our products aren’t for every business. But we’re doing everything we can to improve over time, so if you could tell us what’s unappealing to you, we’d love to get your insights.
Of course, if you change your mind, we’ll always be here. Just reach out, and we’ll be happy to help you solve [problem].
Sincerely,
[signature]
What Other Resources Help Improve Sales Emails?
Combine templates with prospecting tools, analytics software, and ongoing testing to continuously improve your sales email performance.
These templates can guide you to a better sales strategy. For more help with your sales outreach campaign, see this list of sales prospecting tools I highly recommend, this list of open-ended sales questions you can use, as well as this list of sales statistics to know.
If you need help measuring and analyzing your results, or want to track the progress of your team, you’ll need a tool like EmailAnalytics. With EmailAnalytics, you can measure employee response times, outgoing emails, and their busiest times of day.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many follow-up emails should you send?
Research shows sending 4-7 emails in a sequence triples reply rates compared to sending just 1-3 emails. Most sales require 5+ touchpoints, yet 44% of salespeople give up after one follow-up. Space follow-ups at intervals like Day 1, Day 3, Day 7, Day 14, and Day 30 to maintain engagement without appearing desperate.
What is the ideal length for a sales email?
Studies show sales emails between 50-125 words achieve the highest response rates. Emails under 25 words appear too brief to be credible, while those over 200 words often lose reader attention. Keep your message focused on one clear value proposition and one call to action.
What makes a good sales email subject line?
Effective subject lines are short (under 50 characters), specific, and benefit-focused. They should create curiosity or urgency without being clickbait. Personalized subject lines that mention the recipient’s name or company can increase open rates by 20-30%. Avoid all caps, excessive punctuation, and spam trigger words.
Should you personalize sales email templates?
Yes. Basic personalization (using the recipient’s name) improves opens by about 18%, while advanced personalization (referencing their company, role, or recent news) can increase response rates by 50% or more. Templates should be starting points that you customize for each recipient’s specific situation.
When is the best time to send sales emails?
Most studies suggest Tuesday through Thursday between 10 AM and 2 PM in the recipient’s time zone. However, optimal timing varies by industry and audience. Test different send times and track your open and response rates to find what works best for your specific prospects.
How do you avoid sales emails going to spam?
Use a properly authenticated email domain (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), warm up new email accounts gradually, avoid spam trigger words, keep HTML minimal, include a plain text version, and maintain a good sender reputation by removing bounced addresses quickly. Personalized emails from real addresses perform better than bulk sends from generic accounts.
What response rate should you expect from sales emails?
Cold email response rates typically range from 1-5% for generic outreach to 10-25% for highly targeted, personalized campaigns. Warm introductions through mutual connections see much higher rates, often 30-50%. Focus on improving your targeting and personalization rather than just increasing volume.
Jayson is a long-time columnist for Forbes, Entrepreneur, BusinessInsider, Inc.com, and various other major media publications, where he has authored over 1,000 articles since 2012, covering technology, marketing, and entrepreneurship. He keynoted the 2013 MarketingProfs University, and won the “Entrepreneur Blogger of the Year” award in 2015 from the Oxford Center for Entrepreneurs. In 2010, he founded a marketing agency that appeared on the Inc. 5000 before selling it in January of 2019, and he is now the CEO of EmailAnalytics and OutreachBloom.
