Sample Cold Email Templates That Get Replies in 2026

Cold outreach remains one of the fastest ways for B2B teams to fill their pipeline, yet most emails land in the trash before anyone reads the first line. The difference between an ignored message and a booked meeting often comes down to structure, relevance, and timing. A well-crafted sample cold email gives you a proven starting point so you can skip the guesswork and focus on personalizing each send.

In this guide you will find real templates for SaaS founders, marketing agencies, and follow-up sequences. Every example follows frameworks that top performers use to hit 20% or higher response rates. You will also learn how intent data sharpens your targeting so each email feels like a conversation, not a broadcast.

Why Every B2B Team Needs a Good Sample Cold Email

Most B2B sales teams send hundreds of emails a week, but only a handful get replies. The root cause is usually the same: generic messaging that could have been sent to anyone. A good sample cold email acts as a blueprint that bakes in the psychology of why people open, read, and respond.

Templates save time, but their real value is consistency. When you start from a tested structure, every rep on your team delivers the same quality of outreach. You can then A/B test individual elements like subject lines, CTAs, or opening hooks without changing the entire email each time.

The two most popular frameworks behind high-converting cold emails are PAS (Problem-Agitation-Solution) and AIDA (Attention-Interest-Desire-Action). PAS works by naming a pain point, making the reader feel the cost of inaction, then presenting your product as the fix. AIDA grabs attention first, builds interest with a relevant insight, creates desire through proof, and closes with a clear next step.

Both frameworks share a common thread: they focus on the recipient, not the sender. When you lead with the prospect's world instead of your product features, response rates climb.

Anatomy of a High-Converting Cold Email

Before looking at full templates, it helps to understand the building blocks. Every effective cold email contains five elements that work together to earn a reply.

- Subject line: Keep it under eight words. Ask a question or reference something specific to the prospect. Avoid clickbait or all-caps.

- Personalized opening: Reference a recent post, job change, or comment the prospect made. This proves you did your homework and are not blasting a list.

- Value proposition: One or two sentences that connect their problem to your solution. Use numbers or social proof if you have them.

- Soft CTA: Ask a low-commitment question like "Worth a quick look?" or "Open to a 10-minute chat this week?" Hard sells like "Book a demo now" tend to push people away.

- Short signature: Name, title, and one link. Skip the banners, legal disclaimers, and social icons. Every extra line reduces the chance someone reads to the end.

The best cold emails stay under 150 words total. That may feel impossibly short, but brevity forces you to cut filler and keep only what matters. Research shows that emails between 50 and 125 words earn the highest response rates across industries.

Think of your cold email as a conversation starter, not a pitch deck. Your only goal is to earn a reply, not close a deal in a single message.

Sample Cold Email for SaaS Founders

SaaS founders often wear every hat, so their outreach needs to be fast to write and easy to personalize. The following template uses the PAS framework and clocks in at about 90 words.

Subject: Quick question about [prospect's company]

Hi [First Name], I noticed you mentioned struggling with [specific pain point] in your recent [Reddit post / LinkedIn comment]. That challenge comes up a lot with [target role] teams, and it usually gets worse as the team scales past [milestone].

We built [Your Product] to solve exactly that. [One sentence of proof, e.g., "Our users cut onboarding time by 40% in the first month."] Would it be worth a 10-minute call this week to see if it fits your workflow?

Best, [Your Name]

Notice how the opening line references a specific action the prospect took. That single detail separates this email from the hundreds of generic pitches in their inbox. The agitation sentence ("it usually gets worse") creates urgency without being pushy. The CTA is a question, not a demand.

Here is a second variation that uses the AIDA framework for founders selling a developer tool.

Subject: [Prospect's company] + faster deployments

Hi [First Name], Congrats on the Series A announcement. Scaling engineering teams usually means deployment pipelines start to bottleneck. We help dev teams like [similar company] ship 3x faster without adding headcount. Interested in seeing how it works in a quick 10-minute walkthrough?

Cheers, [Your Name]

This version grabs attention with a timely congratulations, builds interest by naming a predictable scaling pain, creates desire with a concrete metric, and closes with a low-friction ask. Both templates work because they start with the prospect's context, not the sender's features.

Sample Cold Email for Marketing Agencies

Agency outreach is different because you are selling a service, not a product. Prospects want to see that you understand their industry and can deliver results. The following template positions the agency as a partner rather than a vendor.

Subject: Idea for [prospect's company] lead gen

Hi [First Name], I saw your team just launched a new pricing page. Nice move. Most SaaS companies in the [industry] space leave a lot of pipeline on the table because they only capture leads who are already on their site. What if you could also reach people who are right now asking for alternatives to your competitors on Reddit and LinkedIn?

We helped [similar client] generate 45 qualified conversations in 30 days using intent-driven outreach. Happy to share the playbook if you are open to a quick chat.

Best, [Your Name], [Agency Name]

The key differences from the SaaS founder template are worth noting. First, the opening references a specific action the company took, showing you researched them. Second, the value proposition focuses on a gap in their current strategy rather than a feature list. Third, the proof point uses a concrete number tied to a timeframe.

Agencies can also use a shorter variation when reaching out to prospects who have posted publicly about needing help.

Subject: Re: your post about lead gen challenges

Hi [First Name], I came across your question in [subreddit/group] about finding better leads for [product type]. We specialize in exactly that for B2B SaaS companies. Would a 15-minute call to swap notes be useful?

This shorter version works especially well when you have found the prospect through an intent signal, such as a Reddit post asking for recommendations. The context does most of the selling for you.

Sample Cold Email Follow-Ups That Work

Most replies come from follow-ups, not from the first email. Studies consistently show that over 50% of positive responses arrive after the second or third touch. Yet the majority of salespeople stop after one email. A structured follow-up sequence is where the real results live.

Here is a three-email follow-up sequence you can adapt to any industry.

Follow-up 1 (3 days after initial email): Hi [First Name], just floating this back to the top. I know inboxes get crowded. The short version: we help [target role] teams solve [pain point] without [common objection]. Worth a quick look?

Follow-up 2 (7 days after initial email): Hi [First Name], I wanted to share a quick win from one of our customers. [Company] reduced their [metric] by [percentage] within [timeframe] after switching to [Your Product]. If that sounds relevant, I would love to walk you through how they did it.

Follow-up 3 (14 days after initial email): Hi [First Name], I will keep this short. If [pain point] is not a priority right now, no worries at all. But if it is, I am happy to share what is working for other [industry] teams. Either way, thanks for your time.

Each follow-up adds new information instead of just repeating the original ask. Follow-up 1 restates the value concisely. Follow-up 2 introduces social proof. Follow-up 3 gives the prospect an easy exit, which paradoxically increases the chance of a reply because it removes pressure.

Timing matters as much as content. Space your follow-ups at least two to three days apart. Sending daily makes you look desperate and increases the odds of being marked as spam.

Personalization Tips Using Intent Data

Templates are a starting point, but personalization is what turns a decent email into a great one. Intent data takes personalization to another level by telling you not just who to email, but why now is the right moment.

Here are the most effective ways to use intent signals in your cold emails.

- Reference their exact words. If someone posted on Reddit asking "anyone know a good tool for X," your opening line can quote that post directly. This immediately signals that you are reaching out for a reason, not at random.

- Mention competitor dissatisfaction. When a prospect complains about a competitor's pricing, missing features, or poor support, you can address that specific frustration in your email. "I saw your comment about [Competitor]'s onboarding being slow" is far more compelling than a generic pitch.

- Tie in job changes. People who just started a new role often have fresh budget and a mandate to make changes. A simple "Congrats on the new VP of Marketing role at [Company]" shows you are paying attention and gives you a natural opening.

- Use engagement signals. If a prospect liked or commented on a competitor's post, they are actively researching solutions. That context lets you position your product as another option worth considering.

Finding these signals manually is time-consuming. Tools like Prediqte automate the discovery process by scanning Reddit and LinkedIn for high-intent conversations. You enter your website URL, and the AI identifies people who are asking for recommendations, complaining about competitors, or expressing pain points your product solves. Each lead comes with an AI-scored relevance rating and an explanation of why they are a match.

The pay-per-run model starting at $4.95 means you only pay when you need leads, with no monthly subscription eating into your budget. When you combine intent-based lead discovery with a proven cold email template, you get outreach that feels helpful instead of spammy.

The difference between a cold email and a warm email is context. When you know why someone is a good fit before you hit send, every word in your template carries more weight. Intent data provides that context at scale.

Write Better Cold Emails With the Right Targeting

A great sample cold email is only as effective as the list it is sent to. You can perfect every word, nail the subject line, and craft the ideal CTA, but if the recipient has no need for what you are selling, it will not matter. Targeting is the multiplier that turns good copy into booked meetings.

Start by choosing one of the templates in this guide and adapting it to your product and audience. Replace the bracketed placeholders with real details about your prospects. Test different subject lines and CTAs in batches of 50 to 100 sends before scaling up.

To take your results further, layer in intent data so you are reaching people who are already looking for a solution. Tools like Prediqte scan Reddit and LinkedIn to surface leads who are actively expressing buying signals. You get a curated list of prospects with AI-scored relevance, so you know exactly who to email and what to say.

The best cold email strategy combines proven templates, consistent follow-ups, and smart targeting. When all three work together, 20% response rates are not just possible but repeatable. Stop sending cold emails into the void and start reaching people who are already raising their hands.