How to cold email startup investors

Our recent conversation with Prateek Sanjay from foundraisr.com included a set of very specific steps and tips for successful outreach to investors via cold email. Here is what Prateek suggests that you to do with a list of investor emails, to get the highest number of positive responses while avoiding getting your email account blocked or flagged: 

1. Set Up Your Online Presence

Before reaching out, ensure your digital presence is in top shape. Investors will obviously Google you before they agree to meet you. So have your personal LinkedIn profile, company's website, company’s LinkedIn page, and other social media platforms all aligned and professionally set up. (FYI we have a course that covers all that). 

2. Clean Your Email List

Start with a clean slate by using tools like Email List Verify or ZeroBounce to filter out spam traps and defunct emails from your list. This not only protects your email reputation but also increases the efficiency of your outreach.

3. Carefully Screen the Remaining List of Investors

Once your list is clean, do a deep dive into the backgrounds of the investors. Verify their active investment status. If necessary, use Crunchbase to check if they lead investments. Avoid investors that have a very strong public presence, as they might be flooded with pitches from other founders already. 

4. Use a Private Gmail or a Professionally Set Up Domain-Based Email

For outreach, consider using a personal Gmail account for better email deliverability. Your old email account will do well since the age of an email account is one of the key criteria for Google and other providers. If you set up a new Gmail account, expect it to get flagged after a while. Alternatively, if using a domain-based email, ensure it's professionally set up with proper SPF, DMARC, and DKIM configurations to avoid spam filters.

5. Limit Your Outreach

Be strategic about your email volume. Aim for around 100 emails per week to avoid being flagged by email providers. This also helps you focus on quality over quantity in your communication. Consider pausing your outreach for some time after reaching out to about 300 investors. 

6. Use a Two-Word Subject Line

Keep your subject line crisp and attention-grabbing with just two words. This brevity can help your email stand out in a crowded inbox. Even something as simple as “reaching out” could work, since the preview line is what people really look at. 

7. Write a Super Brief Email

Your email should be concise and to the point. Avoid any niceties, don’t even say “hi”. Just go ahead and straight away mention that you are reaching out because you noticed a relevant portfolio company the investor has funded. Then give a super brief intro (one sentence should do), and express your desire to discuss further.
Avoid lengthy details in the first email that can leak and be used to help your competitors. Keep the whole message brief enough to fit into a mobile screen, as your email is likely to be read on mobile. 

8. Follow Up with a Teaser Deck 

If there's interest, follow up with a teaser deck – just enough to spark curiosity without revealing too much. This approach keeps the conversation going and paves the way for more detailed discussions. 

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Keep in mind that the whole purpose of this outreach is to get you into the first meeting with the investor. Try to keep the investors curious so that they have an incentive to meet you.