Effective Cold Email

1. Only bring people good stuff.

That's about as simple as I can say it. Most people, especially high-level executives, get bombarded with emails every day.

2. Get to the point quickly.

Attention spans are at an all-time low. When you email someone, you need to grab him or her within the first two sentences. Make sure you excite and engage them with something that makes them want to read the rest of the email.

3. Keep it informal.

I usually start an email very informally with something such as, “Hi Joe -- Hope this email finds you well.”

4. Be confident.

Going back to the first rule -- if you’re bringing people good stuff, then you should be confident with what you are bringing them.

5. Make it personal.

Even though it’s an email address and you don't know what the person looks like, take the time to make the email personal and add their name. It goes a long way when someone receiving an email feels like they are the only one receiving it.

6. Know who you are emailing.

I have seen or heard this happen more than one would think. If you are emailing someone from Fox about a potential partnership, don't copy and paste your email to ABC and forget to change it throughout the message.

7. Follow up.

I have a many friends that tell me they emailed someone but never heard back and they essentially gave up. Just because they don't respond the first time doesn't mean it was on purpose.

I make it a rule to follow up three times before I give up, at which point it starts to get annoying to the receiver as clearly they don't want to respond.