How to write a cold email to a local business (with an example)

What a cold email is, and what it isn't

A cold email is the first email you send to a business you've never dealt with, about something you have good reason to think they need. It isn't a newsletter or an ad blast. It's written for one reader, about their situation.

The rules depend on the country. In the UK you can generally email limited companies if you say who you are and offer an opt-out, but sole traders and some partnerships need consent. In Germany and Austria, advertising emails generally need prior consent even when the recipient is a business. Check the rules for the recipient's country before you write anything.

1. Narrow down who you're writing to

Good emails start with a good list. Instead of “restaurants”, pick a group that very likely has the problem you solve, such as “seafood restaurants in Brighton without online booking”. The tighter the list, the easier it is to find something worth saying.

2. Find one concrete observation

Spend two minutes on the business's website and note one thing that relates to what you sell: appointments by phone only, a PDF menu, a price list from 2022, a contact form that doesn't send. It has to be checkable. If the owner looks at their own site, they should see the same thing you did.

General praise (“love your website”) isn't an observation, and it tells the reader the rest of the email is a template.

3. Subject line: short, plain, about them

• 3–6 words, no capitals, no exclamation marks, nothing like “FREE”
• About the detail you found or their business: “Phone-only bookings”, “Your menu is stuck in a PDF”
• Never fake “Re:” or “Fwd:”. It kills trust and hurts deliverability

4. The first two lines: what you saw and why it matters

Don't start by introducing yourself. Start with the observation and say in one sentence what it means for them: “I noticed appointments can only be booked by phone. Patients who ring after 6pm probably just try the next practice.”

5. Value: what changed for similar businesses

In one sentence, say what you do and what it changed for businesses like theirs. If you haven't got a number you can stand behind, don't make one up. Something concrete and modest is enough.

6. One small ask

Ask for one thing and make it easy to agree to: “Worth a 15-minute call next week?” or “Shall I send you a short example?”. Three options, a row of links or an attachment all make yes harder.

7. Sign-off, your details and an opt-out

Every email needs your name, role, company and contact details. The reader must be able to opt out with one click or a one-word reply, and you have to act on that straight away.

Example

Subject: Phone-only bookings

Hello [Practice name] team,

I noticed appointments at your Camden practice can only be booked by phone. Patients who ring after you've closed often just try the next practice on the list.

We set up online booking and text reminders for dental practices, so evening and weekend requests get booked in rather than lost.

Worth a 15-minute call next week?

[Your name]
[Your company]

Common mistakes

• Opening with a company introduction and a list of features
• Sending the same text to hundreds of people with only the name changed
• Attachments, lots of links or images in the first email
• Writing to personal addresses where the law requires consent you don't have
• Carrying on with follow-ups after someone has replied

Doing it faster

Finding the observation is the slow part. Repmight reads the business's website, pulls out the detail with its source and drafts the email; you read it and approve it. If there's nothing to go on, it doesn't write an email.