Know your reader
The owner of a plumbing company or a dental practice isn't a marketing manager. They don't have time for jargon, long paragraphs or "synergies". They want to know three things quickly: who you are, why you picked them, and what's in it for them.
Open with something only they would recognise
Generic openers ("I hope this finds you well") get deleted. Specific ones get read:
- their Maps rank for their main keyword
- their review count compared to nearby competitors
- something on their website (no booking, no mobile version, a broken page)
- an ad they're running
All of these are in a Prospect Cheap lead or one click away.
Make one offer
Pick the single most useful thing you can do for them and say it plainly. "We build websites" is a category; "I made a homepage mock-up for Carter Plumbing" is an offer.
Keep it under 100 words
On a phone, 100 words is already a full screen. Three short paragraphs: observation, offer, question.
Ask an easy question
"Worth a look?" or "Want me to send it?" is easier to answer than "Can we book 30 minutes next Tuesday at 2pm?".
An example
Subject: Carter Plumbing on Google
Hi Sam — searched "emergency plumber Denver" and Carter Plumbing shows 6th, behind three companies with fewer 5-star reviews than you.
The gap is mostly your Google profile (no photos, no services listed) and no website to back it up. I put together a one-page fix list for you.
Want me to send it over?
Follow up — once or twice
Most replies come after a follow-up. Send a short one three or four days later, and a final one a week after that with something new. See the follow-up guide.
Use their name
"Hi Sam" beats "Hi there" every time. Prospect Cheap finds owner names for many local businesses — see how to find business owner names.
Respect the rules
Identify yourself, include a way to opt out, and stop when someone asks you to. Email laws differ by country (CAN-SPAM in the US, GDPR and PECR in the UK and EU); check what applies to you.