Cold Email Personalization: Small Tweaks, Big Results
Cold Email Personalization: Small Tweaks, Big Results.
There are numerous ways to begin a cold email, explain your offer, or personalize the message. However, it seems that 95% of the cold emails I receive all look and feel the same, as if they are coming from the same sender. They follow similar patterns, using the same opening sentence, personalization style, and generic call to action.
In this post, my goal is to show you examples of both good and bad cold emails I’ve received, explain why I haven’t responded to many of them, and demonstrate how small tweaks can make a big difference. By thinking a little more creatively, you can significantly improve your cold emails. Even a tiny adjustment can make a big difference when you’re trying to stand out in someone’s inbox.
Cold emails and improvements
To start, let me share a typical cold email I often receive. It usually reads something like this:
“Hey Oscar, I hope you’re having a great day!
My team and I took a look at your company’s site, and we’re confident that we can increase your revenue by X% within Y months.
The best part is there’s no risk—if we don’t deliver, you don’t pay.
I made a quick video for you so you can see that I’m not just blasting this message out from a list.”
At first glance, this seems like a great cold email. It has a personalized video, focuses on benefits, and outlines a clear timeline. But the problem is that I’ve received this exact email template hundreds of times before. After seeing so many similar emails, I barely read them anymore—I just categorize them as spam.
Another example I get is something like this:
“Hey Oscar, I love your approach to sales personalization.
My team can help you get 10 to 15 qualified sales calls within X days on a performance basis.”
Again, this is a solid offer, but the email still blends in with the rest. Even with personalized first lines, it quickly shifts into a generic pitch that doesn’t feel truly unique.
So, what needs to change? The solution isn’t to overhaul your entire cold email strategy. Sometimes, it’s as simple as tweaking one small element to make the email feel fresh and personal. Here’s a revised version of that previous email:
“Hey Oscar, I noticed you delivered great results for Sales Studios.
I found some similar brands that could be a great fit for your agency, and I’d love to help you close them on a pay-per-client basis.
Mind if I send over more information?”
This version still offers the same benefits, but it feels different because it references my past client, Sales Studios. This type of small personalization can make all the difference. I don’t immediately categorize it as spam because the pattern is different from the ones I’ve seen over and over again.
The main takeaway is this: even if your offer is appealing—whether it’s generating $500,000 in additional revenue or landing qualified sales calls—if it’s delivered in the same formulaic way as every other email, it loses its impact. You don’t need to create an entirely new workflow. Adding just one more variable to your email can significantly improve the results.
For example, by using tools like Clay or OpenAI, you can automate personalization efficiently. Let’s say you find the name of one of your prospect’s past clients. You can then write an email like this:
“Hey Oscar, you delivered amazing results for Sales Studios.
I found several similar marketing agencies that could be a great fit for your services.
I’d love to help you close 10 to 15 of them, and we’d only get paid after you’ve been paid.
Mind if I send over more details?”
It’s the same offer but framed in a way that feels more genuine. Connecting just one more piece of information about your prospect’s past clients can elevate your message. Personalizing cold emails doesn’t need to be complex or expensive—it can be done for pennies per email using the right tools.
In summary, beating your competition in cold emailing isn’t about reinventing the wheel. It’s about being a little more creative and not relying on the same overused templates. All your competitors are sending out emails to the same leads, saying things like “We can help you do X in Y days.” You just need to write something slightly better. Trust me, it’s not that difficult.
If you’re curious about how to set up personalized workflows using Clay or want to see the prompts I use to generate better cold email copy, check out Oskar’s video “Master Clay” on YouTube. It walks through the process and offers useful prompts you can replicate.