Writing Emails That Use Powerful Openers

The 3 cold email hook angles that consistently perform After testing 200+ opening lines across 500,000+ emails, these three patterns generate the highest response rates. Most cold emails fail in the first 5 words. These hooks bypass skepticism and create immediate engagement. Hook 1: Assumption-Based Opener Template: "Greg, I assume you've been looking into {company_market} to find {data_point_1}." Why it works: → Creates curiosity about what you "know" about them → Feels like continuation of existing conversation → Makes them want to confirm or correct your assumption → Positions you as someone who's done research Performance data: 6.7% average response rate Hook 2: Question-Based Opener Template: "Greg, are you still responsible for managing {responsibility_point_1} at {company_name}?" Why it works: → Forces a yes/no response (psychological obligation to answer) → Confirms you're reaching the right person → Opens the door for either confirmation or delegation → Shows respect for organizational hierarchy Performance data: 9.7% average response rate Hook 3: Thought-Provoking Opener Template: "Greg, have you ever thought about {achieving desired result} by {solving complex problem}?" Why it works: → Gets them thinking about possibilities they haven't considered → Positions your solution as innovative approach → Creates mental engagement before pitching anything → Feels consultative rather than salesy Performance data: 8.2% average response rate The Psychology Behind These Hooks: Assumption-based triggers curiosity and creates mystery Question-based leverages psychological obligation to respond Thought-provoking engages their problem-solving mindset Notice what these hooks DON'T do: ❌ Lead with your company name ❌ Start with generic compliments ❌ Jump straight into your value proposition ❌ Use clickbait-style language The best cold email hooks feel like the natural start of a business conversation, not the beginning of a sales pitch. Most people obsess over subject lines when the real magic happens in your opening sentence. Which of these hook styles are you currently using, and what response rates are you seeing?

Most people don't realize that email recipients can only see 35-55 characters in their inbox preview. That's barely a sentence!! I've sent over 1M cold emails in the past 4 years, and I've discovered that ultra-brief openers dramatically outperform traditional ones. The best-performing cold emails in my campaigns start with openers under 60 characters. That's because the entire opener appears in the preview text. Look at this opener that's generating consistent results: "Hey, noticed you're the founder at [company]" That's it. Simple, direct, and fully visible in the preview pane. Compare that to what most people write: "Hey [Name], I hope this email finds you well. I wanted to reach out because I noticed your company is doing some interesting things in the [industry] space and thought..." The recipient only sees: "Hey [Name], I hope this email finds you well..." Generic and wasted opportunity. When crafting your cold email openers: - Keep it under 60 characters - Lead with recognition ("noticed you're the founder") - Skip pleasantries and get straight to value - Make every character count I tested this approach with a client last month. We shortened all openers to fit preview text completely. And their reply rates jumped. The best cold email sequences of all time are stupidly simple. Start by fixing your preview text, and you'll see immediate improvements in open and reply rates.

I've been testing "ridiculous" cold email openers that get 9% response rates. Here are my top 5: Cold outreach has become a wasteland of templated garbage. Everyone's using the same boring approaches, especially when targeting saturated markets like SaaS, agencies, and e-commerce. My solution? Lean into the absurdity. I started crafting intentionally over-the-top openers that acknowledge the cold email elephant in the room. These openers signal we're real humans who understand how annoying most cold emails are. After sending over 10,000 emails in the past quarter, I've identified the patterns that work consistently. Here are my 5 highest-performing openers that you can steal today: 1. "This is definitely a cold email, but I promise it's the only one today that mentions your secret love of spreadsheets." 2. "I know reading another cold email sounds about as fun as filing taxes, but I spotted something interesting about your recent product launch." 3. "Fair warning: this is a sales email. But unlike the other 47 in your inbox, I actually researched your business for more than 30 seconds." 4. "I'm not going to pretend we're old friends or that I 'just happened' to be thinking about your business challenges at 2am." 5. "Let's skip the fake relationship building - you're busy, I'm selling something, and we both know how this works." The data doesn't lie - these openers are generating 3x the responses of our "professional" templates. The key is they disarm with honesty while creating curiosity. What's your go-to cold email opener? Or better yet, what's the worst one you've received lately?