You must have DMARC, SPF, and DKIM configured properly before you send any cold emails. Do not even bother if this is not configured. Check your own Cyber Score to confirm you get a pass on Email Impersonation Protection.

Use Hemingway App to check the reading level of your messages. This is not to "dumb it down." That is condescending. The point is to say it simply. The simpler you can say your message, the easier it is for the reader to understand it. That's the point of writing at a Grade 3 level. No one has time. So say it short and simply.

Use Mailmeteor's Spam Checker to analyze your message for any spam or trigger words. Don't bother sending it if your message does not get a passing grade. Remember, Microsoft and Gmail are way smarter than you at spotting spam. If you message is even a little spammy, it will never see the recipient's Inbox. If it doesn't get to their Inbox, you are wasting your time.

Take all these suggestions, throw them into ChatGPT or Gemini and spin the brainstorm wheel. You will not get it write on the first try. Expect to experiment.

Making them personalized is table stakes these days. Here are some ideas that you can start with:

Remember, the money is in the follow ups. If you just send 1 email and never follow up, you are just hoping to get lucky.

Also remember, people are busy. They ignore emails, they don't read emails, they have kids, they have soccer practice, they have lives. So follow up.

Use the following messages in any order. Throw them into ChatGPT and scramble them to test 👍

Hey {first name},

I'm doing community outreach to help {industry} in my area. {Company name} popped up on my Cyber Score alert. I've found {# of breaches} of your company's logins on the Dark Web. Don't worry these are super easy to fix. I'm going to give you a ring to show you what to do to stay secure.

Hey {first name},

{Company name} popped up on my Cyber Score alert. I help {industry} stay safe online and 'm doing community outreach to help in my area. I've found {# of breaches} of your company's logins on the Dark Web. Don't worry these are super easy to fix. I'm going to give you a ring to show you what to do to stay secure.

When I saw that {Company} had {# of dark web breaches} breaches on the Dark Web, I double checked and saw that your account had been stolen {contact's dark web breach count} times. That's rough. But as long as you reset those logins you should be safe. Do you want me to walk you through it?

I'm running a webinar for {industry} in {your city}. Since I can see {# of dark web breaches} of your stolen logins on the Dark Web, this would be a easy way to boost your cyber hygiene in 15 minutes. Want to join the webinar?

Mix, match, and then call them. Don't be afraid to call them on the phone. The money is in the follow ups.