Woman of Asian descent ponders the perfect sales email while sitting in front of laptop computer.

How to Effectively Write a Sales Email

Writing an effective sales email may feel like an art form. With inboxes flooded every day, standing out takes a combination of strategy, creativity and a little empathy. 

We’ll explain how to effectively write a sales email that converts by focusing on structure along with practical tips. Whether you’re seasoned in sales or just starting, these tips will help sharpen your outreach.

Want to write a sales email? Know your audience

Before you begin writing a sales email, you must research your audience. A successful sales email addresses the recipient’s interests, goals, or pain points. It must resonate with the intended audience or it will fall flat. 

The more personalized your message, the better chance it has of connecting. Think about all of the emails you get that feel generic. They’re easy to spot and you quickly delete them without a second thought.

So, rule number one: a sales email should be far from generic.

Here are a few tips on how you can research your potential customers:

  • Identify key challenges: Look into what problems your product or service solves for them. Also, ask anyone that’s a part of this audience what they need to make life better. 
  • Segment your audience: Categorize your target audience based on industry, role, or behavior to tailor your message. Try to eliminate the idea that you can save time with a one size fits all sales email. It may work some of the time, but generally the more tailored your message, the better result you will get.
  • Use tools to research: Make use of the tools at your fingertips. LinkedIn profiles, company websites, and other industry marketing emails are great starting points to get these insights.

Understanding your audience intimately not only helps you write a sales email that feels personal but also increases the chance of engagement. You can never know too much about your customers and prospects.

Bonus tip: Is your domain ready for your sales outreach? To increase your chances of landing in the inbox, consider warming up your sending domain. 

Try ZeroBounce Warmup

Great sales emails start with a compelling subject line

This requires your best thinking because the subject line is the first thing your recipient sees. If it doesn’t catch their attention, the rest of the email may never get read. 

So your subject line should be clear, concise, and intriguing. Aim to create curiosity without being misleading.

If your subject line conveys something specific that the recipient cares about, they will open it. Here’s how to get even better results – think about the sales emails your prospect is already getting. What you can’t afford is to send an email that they see dozens of times a week.

For instance, if you say that you offer a solution, it must be specific. Saying you’re available to discuss their needs is a little generic and doesn’t allow the recipient to imagine that you have the answer to their challenge.

Examples of engaging subject lines:

  • “Quick solution to [specific pain point]”
  • “How companies like [their competitor] achieve [desirable result]”
  • “Are you struggling with [problem]? We can help.”

Avoid spammy phrases like “limited-time offer” or “act now” which can trigger email filters and hurt your credibility. There are many spam trigger words that may lead your emails to be funneled directly into the junk folder, because the internet service providers (ISPs) will think of you as a spammer.

Screenshot of compelling subject line for a sales email.
Elevating curiosity can be your friend when sending a sales email.

Make your opening line count

The opening sentence should immediately capture the prospect’s interest and give them a reason to keep reading. You need to be respectful of their time and get to the point. Personalization helps here, and it’s important to strike the right balance between friendly and professional.

  • Reference a mutual connection or recent event: “I was in the audience when you were a speaker at last month’s conference…”
  • Acknowledge their recent achievements: “Congratulations on your product launch last week!”
  • Ask a thought-provoking question: “How are you currently managing [challenge] in your company?” If you’ve honed in on something that they’re grappling with right now, this can be a great conversation starter.

A great opener shows that your message isn’t just copy-pasted but thoughtfully crafted. If you’ve chosen the first sentence of your email only because you didn’t know what else to say, consider working on this more.

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If your email is confusing or causes anxiety for the reader, it needs work.

A sales email should focus on the reader, not yourself

When writing a sales email, it’s easy to fall into the trap of talking too much about your product or company. It’s good that you know that your product or service can help them, but you can easily come across as self-centered. 

Instead, send a message about your recipient. How can you help them? What specific benefit will they gain from your offering?

People have many challenges and conflicts and they need to solve them.  They may not care that much about your company.

Bad example:
“We’re the leading provider of cloud software with ten years of experience.”

Good example:
“Imagine cutting your manual data entry time by half — our cloud platform is helping companies like yours make that a reality.”

Here’s a very important rule of thumb: focus on benefits, not features. 

Frame your product or what you do in terms of how it can solve a problem or provide value to the recipient. Where you and your company should most enter the email is where you explain how you can help.

Keep it short and scannable

People receive dozens (sometimes hundreds) of emails daily, and lengthy messages are more likely to be skipped. A successful sales email should be concise, with short paragraphs and when necessary bullet points can break up lists.

Rather than explain everything, it’s even better to begin a dialogue by creating some curiosity. 

Here are some guidelines for keeping your sales emails short and easy to skim:

  • Limit the message to 150-200 words: Respect your recipient’s time by being direct.
  • Use bullet points: Highlight key benefits or use cases to make the email easy to skim.
  • Avoid large blocks of text: Stick to short paragraphs that are visually easy to digest. Skip lines when you can.

The goal is to get your point across without overwhelming the reader. If your emails are cumbersome, it may make your prospects come to dread your emails.

Include a clear call to action (CTA)

All too often marketers think that customers know exactly what you expect them to do. After engaging the recipient, your email should guide them toward the next step. Depending on what you’re selling, this can be gentle or even overt. 

This is where the call to action (CTA) comes in. A CTA should be simple, specific, and easy to follow.

Examples of clear CTAs:

  • “Would you be open to a quick 10-minute call next week?”
  • “Download our free case study to learn more.”
  • “Let me know if you’d like to see a demo — I’d be happy to set it up.”
  • “Buy now.”
  • “Place an order”

CTAs can seem like a question or a command.

Including only one CTA keeps your email focused. Multiple CTAs can confuse or overwhelm the recipient, and will reduce the likelihood of a response.

Add social proof or credibility

Incorporating a little social proof into your sales email builds trust and credibility. This could be a quick mention of a well-known client, a testimonial, or a relevant industry stat.

Examples of social proof:

  • “We’ve helped companies like [well-known client] boost sales by 30%.”
  • “Our software was recently recognized by [reputable source].”
  • “Over 5,000 businesses trust us to handle their [service].”

Social proof reassures the recipient that others have benefited from your offering, making it more likely they’ll consider your pitch seriously. 

If you can make social proof seem conversational, it’s even better. There’s a fine line between using social proof and coming across as a braggart. Social proof can be as simple as mentioning something customers commonly say to you.

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Using social proof isn’t bragging, it’s smart.

Avoid jargon. Keep your sales emails conversational

Sales emails that feel stiff or overloaded with technical jargon can quickly turn recipients off. Don’t forget to be human and also to remember you’re talking to a human. 

So write in a conversational tone, as if you’re having a friendly chat with the person. Furthermore, there’s non reason it can’t be a friendly chat. Keep the language simple and natural to foster connection.

Example of jargon-heavy writing:
“Our advanced SaaS solution utilizes API-driven integration to optimize your KPIs.”

Example of conversational writing:
“Our software makes it easier to connect your existing tools and track progress.”

Being clear and approachable increases the chance that your message will resonate.

Always verify the recipients email address

If you haven’t contacted this person before, or it’s been a while since you sent them an email, validating the email address is a must. Just because an email address is on a company website, social media platform, or LinkedIn profile does not mean that it’s safe to email. You may get a bounce, or even worse, added to a blacklist.

Did you know that 25% of your email list degrades every year

Try the ZeroBounce free email verifier

When you send emails to inactive email accounts, you’ll get bounces. Bounces send a message to ISPs that you’re a spammer – and the higher your bounce rate, the more your emails are at risk of going to spam. 

The only way to know if an email is likely to bounce is to use an email validation service. 

Even if you aren’t sending spam, ISPs detect spam-like behavior and the way they deal with that is to send your emails to the junk folder. It doesn’t happen only to spammers so remember to use an email checker and make sure the email address is in the clear. 

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Check whether the email address you have is still valid, or it will bounce and be a waste of time.

Follow up, but don’t overdo it

If you don’t receive a response, don’t be discouraged. It’s common for recipients to miss or forget emails, especially if they’re busy. A polite follow-up email shows persistence and can nudge them to take action. What you don’t want to become is a nuisance.

Tips for effective follow-ups:

  • Wait a few days before following up: Around three to five days is usually a good window.
  • Keep it polite and brief: Acknowledge that they might be busy and gently ask if they had a chance to review your email.
  • Provide additional value: Offer new information or another reason for them to consider your pitch. That way you don’t seem like you’re just prodding them.

Also, don’t send too many follow-ups — two or three at most. Anything beyond that can come across as pushy. They may even hit you with a spam complaint, and you couldn’t entirely blame them.

Test, analyze, and improve

Writing a great sales email is not a one-and-done task. Testing different approaches and analyzing the results will help you improve over time. 

So experiment with subject lines, openings, and CTAs to see what works best for your audience. You can always fine tune.

  • A/B test subject lines: Send two versions to see which one gets a higher open rate.
  • Track response rates: Use email tracking tools to measure engagement and adjust your approach.
  • Analyze feedback: If someone responds positively (or negatively), take note of what worked or didn’t.

Refining your strategy ensures that your emails become more effective with every iteration.

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Email lists aren’t evergreen. That’s why learning about email decay is a must.

A good sales email is unique to you

Writing a sales email that converts isn’t about following a rigid formula. Instead, it’s about understanding your audience, providing value, and making the recipient feel like the email was written just for them. 

By focusing on personalization, clarity, and relevance, you can create messages that cut through the noise and drive action.

Remember: no email is perfect from the start. Ask anyone who sends sales emails and they’ll tell you your mileage may vary. So test your approaches and learn from each interaction. You can refine your strategy over time if you measure what works. With practice, your sales emails will deliver better results.

Also, don’t be afraid to experiment, and allow your personal experience and personality to shine. Above all else, learn from your interactions. Your prospects and customers are always telling you things. 

Even silence is a kind of response. Don’t get frustrated by it, but rather consider it a learning experience.