Why do cold emails have to be so, well, cold?
Back in the day, the "cold" call, where you'd literally pick up the phone and pitch yourself or your company's wares to a stranger, was considered one of the worst parts of building a career or a new business. But in our modern, overly connected world, sending a cold email (a personalized introduction to you and your work, sent to someone you don't know) doesn't have to feel as strange or uncomfortable as it once did.
It does have to stand out, though. Statista estimates that around 376 billion emails were sent and received every day in 2025. That's a lot of competition for one person's attention.
Still, plenty of us are afraid to hit send for fear of rejection, or worse, flat-out silence. Fear not. We're here to warm up both you and your inbox with better pitches, stronger subject lines, and more confidence to go after the opportunities you want.
How to Pitch Yourself, Your Client or Your Brand to a News Outlet
When you're pitching an article idea to an editor, for yourself or a client, Los Angeles-based editor and digital producer Elina Shatkin told us it's critical to know why you're the best person to tell the story, and to let that show. How do you do that? By demonstrating familiarity with your subject.
"Don't inundate me with a Wikipedia article's worth of facts and figures," she says. "I'd fall asleep from boredom. When you know a fair bit about a subject, it's usually obvious because you write and talk about it in a way that feels familiar and fresh."
Remember: the editors you're pitching are likely juggling multiple stories and deadlines at once. The easier you make their job, the better. Stick to two or three short paragraphs with a brief description of your story, the sources you plan to feature, and a few links to work you've published (if you have them). If you're building a writing business, our guide to landing paid freelance writing work covers what to put in that portfolio. Shatkin says it's okay to follow up once by email, but skip any extra pings on social media or by phone.
Pitch pro tip: Be original and do your research. Check what the outlet you're pitching has already published on the subject, and what other outlets have covered, so you know your angle will actually feel new to your potential editor and their readers.
How to Cold Email a Potential Mentor
Looking for a mentor is smart business, and some experts call it a form of career self-care. It also tends to benefit both people in the relationship.
This matters even more for women. A mentor's advice is valuable, and a mentor can grow into a sponsor who advocates for you when you're not in the room. In McKinsey and LeanIn.Org's Women in the Workplace 2025 report, women with sponsors were promoted at 1.7 times the rate of women without one. (Here's how to tell the difference between a sponsor and a mentor.)
The good news is that a great relationship can start with a well-written email. Open with the person's name (first or last, depending on how casual or formal you need to be), your genuine reason for wanting to connect, and a clear ask: what, specifically, you'd like them to do. Is it a coffee chat? A 20-minute video call? Whatever it is, be clear and concise when you ask for it.
A quick search of their recent work, interviews, or LinkedIn posts will tell you what they're focused on right now, so you can make sure they're a good fit and likely to say yes.
"It's powerful when people are conversational, respectful, and explain why they are specifically reaching out to the recipient," says Alissa Zito, who was vice president of communications at Step Up, a nonprofit that pairs professional women mentors with girls and young women, when we spoke with her. "People are more likely to respond favorably when they understand how and why they are uniquely qualified to provide support."
She adds that offering a couple of options for when to connect tends to work best, since it respects your potential mentor's busy schedule. And do your homework before you hit send. If a quick search could answer your question, it doesn't belong in the email. Save your ask for the thing only this person can help with.
Most importantly, spell-check.
"Take care when using the recipient's name," Zito says. "Cold outreach that misspells the name is almost sure to be ignored."
Pitch pro tip: Be authentic and respectful. Write as if you're talking to an acquaintance. You can skip the stiff formalities you'd use with a total stranger, but leave out the nicknames and inside jokes you'd save for a close friend.
How to Get Hired for Your Services
More than one in four U.S. knowledge workers (28%, or about 20 million people) now freelance or work independently, according to Upwork's 2025 Future Workforce Index. If you're one of them, you already know the perks: flexible hours, a stronger sense of purpose, and the freedom to choose the projects you want.
The downside? Not always knowing where your next paycheck is coming from. That's where a strong, compelling pitch email comes in handy. When you're reaching out to prospective clients, start by finding the right person on LinkedIn or the company's website: a hiring manager or someone with real decision-making authority.
Scholley Bubenik, a human resources expert and author of People Power: An Entrepreneur's Guide to Managing Human Capital, says it's also important to find something you have in common. The more specific, the better. Going to the same college as 40,000 other people is a nice touch, but having both left law to start a bakery is the kind of overlap someone remembers.
Bubenik also argues that timing is everything when it comes to closing the deal, so keep your chin up if now just isn't the right time for a particular client. Sometimes it takes a few attempts or follow-ups to make a connection.
"People buy when they need something," she says. "I think the way you get your message read is to position yourself as a subject matter expert or a problem-solver."
Keep it short, too. In the outreach platform Instantly's Cold Email Benchmark Report 2026, which analyzed cold emails sent through its platform in 2025, the best-performing campaigns kept first emails under 80 words.
Pitch pro tip: Build trust. Clients are more likely to listen to you, and hire you, when they trust you. Avoid anything in your subject line or email that reads as spammy, and include links to client testimonials, your portfolio, or your social profiles so they can check your credibility.
How to Ask for Support or a Potential Partnership
So here you are, ready to take on the world. But as we all know, we can't do it alone. You need a range of professional support to build and keep your momentum, and it doesn't hurt to have a few peers who can throw in fresh ideas or partner up on events.
That's where a partnership proposal email comes in clutch. It all starts with the right mindset, says Tana M. Session, a Los Angeles-based consultant, speaker, and executive coach. She built her speaking business by putting herself out there more, despite any self-doubt.
"It's a mistake to sit back and wait," she says. "Use your support system. Learn about each other's work and make referrals for each other."
Identify partners who make sense for your business now and where you want it to go. That might be people in your industry doing innovative work, or brands you'd like to align with to reach a new audience. Open your email by explaining why working together would benefit your potential partner and their business. Share a few helpful resources, or a recent article or post you've written.
Session also stresses tightening up your materials before you pitch: make sure your website and social channels are clean, well-written, and current. Lastly, she suggests setting aside time each week for business development, maybe every Friday morning, so it becomes a consistent practice. (For inspiration, here's how a few founders turned their side hustles into full-time businesses.)
Pitch pro tip: Give an out. Close by making it easy to say no, with something like, "Of course, I understand if now isn't the right time." It takes the pressure off, shows you respect their time, and leaves the door open for later.
Cold Email Calling Card
A few bonus tips to keep handy, whatever your ask:
- Make the subject line do the work. Be specific about who you are and what you're asking for ("Pitch: How Gen Z Is Rethinking the Office Party"), and skip clickbait or all caps.
- One email, one ask. If you want a call, an intro, and feedback on your deck, pick the one that matters most.
- Aim for under 80 words. That's where the top campaigns in Instantly's report landed. If your first email needs to scroll, cut it.
- Lead with them. Open with why you're writing to this person, not a paragraph about yourself.
- Follow up. In Instantly's data, 42% of replies came from a follow-up rather than the first email, so silence isn't always a no. Give it several days, then send a short, friendly nudge in the same thread. One or two nudges are plenty for a personal pitch, and an editor may prefer just one. If there's still no answer, let it go gracefully. (For more on timing and follow-ups, see our guide to cold contacting literally anyone.)
- Double-check the details. The recipient's name, their company, and the address itself. A typo in any of them can sink an otherwise great email.
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