Cold email template · by role
Cold email template for startup founders
Founders read their own inbox and decide in seconds. Say what you read, give one reason, make one small offer.
When to use it
- The company has a small team and the founder is the buyer.
- The site tells you what the product does and who it is for.
- You can offer something useful without a call.
The template
Copy it, then replace the brackets with what you read on their pages.
Subject: A thought on {{company_name}}
Hi {{first_name}},
I read [the page]: you [what they do, in one clause].
One thing I noticed: [a specific, checkable observation]. We [what you do about it].
Want [a small thing]? If not, I will not write again.
[your first name]Outlevo adds your sender name, postal address and a one-click unsubscribe link under every email it sends, so a template ends at the sign-off.
{{first_name}},{{company_name}}and{{job_title}}are filled for each contact.- Anything in [square brackets] is yours to write, from a page you read.
Why it works
- It shows you understood the product in one clause.
- The observation gives the founder something to think about even if they decline.
- It is short enough to read on a phone between meetings.
Filled in: an example
Illustrative. Pebble Budget (pebblebudget.example) is an invented company, and so is Sasha at Onboardkit. The pages quoted do not exist. The email goes to its Founder.
| What the email says | Quote on the page | Page (illustrative) |
|---|---|---|
| your homepage says Pebble helps freelancers budget irregular income | “Pebble: budgeting for freelancers with irregular income.” | pebblebudget.example |
Subject: A thought on Pebble
Hi {{first_name}},
I read your homepage: Pebble is budgeting for freelancers with irregular income.
One thing I noticed: sign-up goes straight to a blank budget with no sample data. We build interactive tours for the first session.
Want a one-page mock of a tour for Pebble? If not, I will not write again.
SashaVariants
Built something for them
Subject: I made a [thing] for {{company_name}}
Hi {{first_name}},
I put together [the small thing] from your site: [one line on what it is]. Shall I send it?
[your first name]Peer intro
Subject: From one founder to another
Hi {{first_name}},
I run [your company], which [one sentence]. I read [the page] and wanted to ask how you handle [the topic].
[your first name]When not to use it
When should I not use the to a founder template?
This template and its variants pass the check Outlevo runs on its own outbound emails: only known merge tags, no number without a source, no spam wording, at most one link, no fake “Re:” or “Fwd:”, and under a hundred and twenty words.
Related
First touch from one observation
A first-touch cold email template built on one fact from the prospect’s own page, one reason it matters and one low-pressure question.
Follow-up with one question
A follow-up cold email template that adds one new question instead of repeating the ask, with the reason it works and a filled example.
Funding signal
A cold email template for a prospect that just announced funding: quote the announcement, say what the money usually changes, offer a small first step.
Cold email to startup founders
The role and industry playbook behind this template.
Let Outlevo write each one from the prospect’s own pages
It reads your website, builds the ICP, researches each company and quotes the page behind every fact.