{Email | Post #4} 3R = Email Royale.

Rui Bom

Jun 22, 2022 • 3 min read

Oh Sinnerman, where you gonna run to?

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Most of your emails have irrelevant, unexciting subject lines, waste prime real estate and ask for a call too early. Maybe this Intro & Call approach worked for you back in the day but I am betting it will soon go extinct. In case you missed last week's post, it is not too late.

I'm a big fan of frameworks. They give you super powers, tested approaches, practical guidelines, checkboxes that guide your thinking. It is pure 'fill in the blanks' magic, can-not-screw-up handholding, 80/20 in its purest form.

G.O.A.T.. When it comes to cold emailing frameworks, the way I see it is that 3R - Relevance, Reward & Request - is the Federer of emailing. I mean the Greatest Of All Time, the one that can gently smash an Intro & Call email with a smile and ace it into oblivion.

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Imagine I am the Head of Sales for a company recruiting remote talent. Using Call & Intro 💩 my email might look something like this.

Intro & Call: you can (should) do better.

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I get the vibe we are on the same page by now and if I let you, you could recite everything that is wrong with this email. Uncompelling, irrelevant, unpersonalized, intrusive and unintentional, you scream. A wise man once said nothing, so I nod in agreement.

Relevance. Cut the crap. First paragraph, go straight to the point and tell me why is it that you are getting in touch. Your two-line preview should allow me to get the gist of it and persuade me to click and open the email.

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Tip #1: Research. Your opening line needs to show you have done your homework ('saw on your website that', 'read your company is')

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Tip #2: Find references. Find customers in similar situations or with similar experiences to show there is a potential gain to engage.

Reward. Give before you get. Think about something you can offer that provides value and allows me to experience your product or service right away.

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Tip #3: Show value, not $: Rewards do not need to cost. How to sample your product with little to no effort (test account, invite for webinar, pdf, recording, free trial?)

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Tip #4: Add Post Scriptum. Turn the last line of your email into a memorable P.S.. Second reward, anyone?

Request. Land the ask. Do not be afraid to ask for something in return. Do not push it though, we are not best friends (yet).

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Tip #5: Drive urgency. Nudge the reader into taking action quickly (limited slots, only today,...)

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Tip #6: Hold your horses: It is tempting to save everyone time and go for the call. Be patient, good things come to those who wait.

The Pièce de Résistance. {Drum roll}. I know it took time, but good things come to those who wait. If you ask me, this is the standard you should set for your emails going forward. Just weave the 3R pieces and six tips together to get email go(o)dness.

34% of people say an email's subject line is what persuades them to open and read it.

3R has turned you into email royalty. But a divine subject line will crown you King. The old must give way to the new. And so I sit here, waiting for you to dethrone me next week.

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