How I craft outreach messages that get responses

When you reach out to people in the right way, you're actively connecting with your audience. It's like opening a door and letting them know you're here to help. By setting up a regular process, you can make sure you're having conversations every week

In marketing, no matter which platform or medium, messaging matters. 

Why the majority of cold outreach falls short:

The common issue is that people often send out messages without a clear plan. Instead of crafting targeted messages, they write up lengthy content filled with jargon, links, and weak calls to action. When their strategy fails, they blame cold outreach, overlooking the real culprit—their messaging.

The true problem lies in the content itself. 

No matter how effective the outreach method is, subpar content won't produce results. 

This presents an opportunity for you. Given that most cold outreach lacks finesse, delivering a precise and relevant message will distinguish you from the competition.

By providing your prospect with something on point, you not only stand out but also position yourself as a credible person. 

Outreach is tougher than ever

Reaching out is becoming tougher with increased platform restrictions and a market growing more sceptical each year. With over 5 years in outbound marketing, I've found effective ways.

Copywriting whatever medium or method should be:

• New

• Unique

• Exciting 

• Entertaining  

Remember around 5% of any given market is ready to buy right now. Outreach has a 3% benchmark.

Let me share my copywriting framework to help you:

1. Niche

Those who target everyone with a general offer dilute their copy so that it doesn't appeal to anyone.

Craft a strong message by focusing on specifics, not generalities. Identify your target audience and tailor your copy to connect deeply, standing out in the crowd.

Regardless of the industry, size, seniority level, or location, defining your Ideal Client Profile (ICP) is crucial. Without a niche to address in your messaging, capturing interest becomes a challenge from the start.

An example:

The email marketing /autoresponder software space is insanely competitive, there are so many tools out there. Convert kit came along and joined the noisy space, they killed it because they focused on a specific market - Creators. It's now grown to over $10m per year in revenue.

I support using focused messages because I consistently see a noticeable difference between those with a clear focus and those without. So, when crafting, make sure it aligns closely with your target audience, keeping them clear and precise.

How?

Identifying the companies and personas you target, broken down into mixing firmographic and demographic data:

But that won’t work on its own. 

You need to understand the pains, fears, and aspirations of your audience. Traditionally, audience identification focused on firmographics and demographics, often leading to a generalised view of the audience.

This approach can cause:

• Less effective campaigns due to not addressing specific needs, desires, and pain points of different segments within a demographic.

• Lower engagement rates, poor conversion, and a lack of meaningful connection with potential customers.

To truly understand your audience, you must dive into psychographics and behaviour patterns alongside demographics, grasping the fears, wants, and dreams of potential customers. 

What ends up happening:

• Highly targeted and more effective marketing.

• Messages that resonate deeper, create a sense of understanding and trust between the company and its audience.

• Higher engagement, better conversion rates, and the development of a loyal customer base.

2. Pain point

Let's be honest—people don't buy from you just because everything in their life or business is perfect. They make a purchase to solve a problem they're currently facing. They're dealing with some kind of discomfort, and that's where your product or service comes in to alleviate that pain.

Why do people Buy things?

People do not buy features, they buy outcomes and certainty. People buy products or services to move from an undesirable state to a more desired state. They buy to solve problems for themselves. The prospect doesn't care about the vehicle used to deliver the transformation - they would prefer a pill. They just care that the vehicle works.

You need to understand market conditions because whoever understands the market the most wins. With a deep understanding of the market, one can write insanely effective sales copy.

Without acknowledging the challenges your clients are experiencing, your offer may not hold much value for them. When crafting your message, it's crucial to pinpoint a pain point or a specific challenge your audience is dealing with.

The issue:

Too often people jump and spout technical jargon with features and vague benefits. Instead of the underlying transformation and desired outcomes that are of interest.

The reality, the market only cares about themselves, the immediate challenges they're experiencing and solving them.

To truly connect with your market, it's key to shine a spotlight on the specific problems you're solving for them. So, in your message, focus on a particular challenge—let's call it "X challenge"—that your niche is fighting with.

Clearly explain what this challenge is and why it's a significant issue for them. This way, you not only grab their attention but also demonstrate the real value your product or service brings to the table.

How?

Hook: You have 2-3 seconds to get their attention before blending in. Start with a short attention-grabbing hook.

Pattern interrupt 🧠⚠️ : A pattern interrupt involves activating the brain's ventral tegmental area (VTA), releasing dopamine associated with pleasure and reward. 

This motivates exploration when encountering something new. By presenting information freshly and uniquely, you stimulate the reader's VTA, capturing attention and maintaining interest.

It’s a technique used to grab attention by doing something unexpected or different, breaking the usual flow of the prospect's thoughts or actions, and surprising them making your outreach stand out from the usual messages they receive.

Do this by:

• Highlighting the challenge

• Provide the specifics of the"X challenge" they face.

• Explain why the challenge is an issue, focusing on the pain points it brings.

• Show the consequences of continuing in the old way, e.g. focusing on time and cost.

Some examples:

• Storytelling: Tell a short and captivating story related to your message to draw in the reader's attention effectively.

• Creative Opening: Begin with a bold statement, or unique observation to grab the recipient's attention immediately.

• Humour: Inject appropriate humour to break the ice and leave a positive impression on your audience.

• Unconventional Formatting: Experiment with short sentences to visually disrupt the standard text flow and make your message more engaging.

• Contrast/Contradiction: Create curiosity by introducing a contrast or contradiction, prompting the recipient to want to learn more.

Make sure to:

• Inject some personality: Add relatable stories, informal language or a touch of humour

• Avoid jargon/buzzwords: Keep the message simple and avoid of sophisticated language

• Keep it concise: Don't dive into the problem in too much detail. Keep brief, short and to the point.

Remember: Personalisation is not just <company name> in your copy. 

It makes sense to personalise but most of the time it's misinterpreted. You can get results that are standardised/templated as long as they’re crafted right. The key is not to blindly pitch. 3 quick ways to get this right:

• Relevance: The messages need to be relevant to the prospect. To stay relevant is to be relatable, which means highlighting and expressing the challenges that your prospect is likely experiencing and how your solution can solve them.
  If you have enough experience in your field you'll know naturally what the key challenge or set of challenges are in your market.

  
  

• Instant rapport: Your copy is to build instant rapport based on solving problems for your prospect. The goal of the message is to get the person to read the next line, then the line after that and after that.
  Talking about their biggest challenges and how they can be solved is more likely to hook them to carry on reading. If done right, they make it to the end and may take action.
  The best relationships are built on consistently solving problems for your customer - convey this in your communication.

  
  

• Test: What gets measured gets managed. Split-test different variations and find out what’s working. Some will be bad, some will be average, and some will perform.
  Test how much you’re sending to achieve X amount of leads and establish a conversion rate. You can track and improve the conversion rate over time. Once you have enough info and expertise in your market you can craft copy that works in less time!

3. Solution

The key here is to be compelling enough to pique people's interest. Simply echoing what your competitors are saying won't set you apart. 

Consider the outcomes you can deliver to your clients. What unique value can you offer that distinguishes you from the competition?

To effectively engage with you, prospects need to understand the real value you bring to them. While your time, expertise, and superior service are crucial, your customers need to recognise the genuine value you offer.

How to get the prospect to react like this:

• What you offer: Clearly say what you do and the results your customer gets -  the desired dream outcome. Be specific, not generic. Show why you're unique.

• Show value: Explain how your product/service benefits the customer. Make it tangible. Help them see the positive change.

• Why your Way: Emphasise the best method by showing why your approach is the best way to move from point A to point B (economic or emotional)

• Spark curiosity: Go beyond explanations. Highlight real benefits that make them curious. Make them want to know more.

• Skip the boring phrases: Use simple language. Avoid overused words. Be specific and show exactly how you make a difference for your customers.

• Standing out in the inbox:  Offer something unique. It could be a special feature, a personal touch, or a creative twist. Make your message memorable.

Putting it into practice. Instead of saying: "We help x to grow their business by X" Say:

This is the difference between a benefit-focused and a feature-focused approach.

4. Credibility

A strong form of social proof builds trust. Is used to prove that your claims are true. It proves the cause-effect relationship between your solution and the customer's positive outcome. Without evidence, the market is less likely to believe your claims and the lower the lead to opportunity will be.

In an era flooded with information and choices, people are naturally sceptical about where they invest their time and money.

Credibility through testimonials, positive reviews, success stories, or endorsements from influencers, acts as a powerful validation of your product or service. This validation humanises you, making it relatable and trustworthy.

It also acts as a persuader, influencing decision-making and transforming your copy into an authentic one.

When people see others benefiting from a product or service, they are more likely to engage, creating a self-reinforcing cycle that makes it one of the most effective forms of marketing.

How to include it in your copy:

• Name-drop the companies you've worked with

• Add success metrics/stats on what customers achieved.

• Invite them to see the social proof on your website.

People want to work with credible companies that have a track record.

5.Compelling CTA

Crafting a strong call to action (CTA) is key to your outreach. Think of it as the bridge that ties everything together. Take the time to plan it well. Your CTA should be crystal clear and centred on one specific action to increase the likelihood of your prospect following through. The CTA should be:

• Clear

• Easy to understand

• Not overcomplicated

• Only be ONE ask

It should provide a "what's in it for me" that entices them to act. Make the call to action compelling and intriguing to them. Have a CTA that erodes that scepticism such as:

Change the whole positioning to be valuable for the prospect by making it about them.

• Where are the value drivers?

• Why should they show up for the call?

• Are you going to teach them something?

• Are you gonna give them access to exclusive insights?

Make it value-driven and make it come from a place of service. The key is adding value, insight and information to prospects free of charge, with no pressure or risk.

How to measure success

With outreach, there are two ways to increase prospecting results…

• Increase the volume

• Increase the conversion rate

Doing both in tandem is where the real magic happens. But the hardest out of the two is the Conversion Rate.

This requires a little bit of creativity and a lot of testing and measuring.

• How are your messages performing?

• What tweaks can you make to increase the uptake of your copy?

A 3% Conversion rate is the magic number. If 3 out of 100 people turn into a conversation, you're not far away from a successful campaign.

Let’s break the 3% down quickly with this example:

• 7000 contacts

• 221 leads

• 8 clients

• Average order value $5,000

• $40,000 new revenue

This shows the power of the 3% and the compound effect. The key is to consistently test messaging copy.

Tracking sheet

I've created a simple Worksheet to help you test your message conversion rate. It's free, there's no catch, no email required, no nothing.

Grab it Here

Outreach often struggles with a low average conversion rate of 0.6%, making a focus on quantity counterproductive and resource-draining.

Beyond the extra effort, there's a substantial opportunity cost—failed messages risk a negative perception, harming future engagement. The solution lies in creating a positive impact; even if the immediate conversation isn't feasible, leaving a favourable impression builds the foundation for future interactions, nurturing relationships based on mutual understanding and value.

The money $$ is in the follow-up:

Messages fly by and people's focus is short, the real money comes from following up. Skipping this step means missing out on opportunities and leaving money on the table. Regular follow-ups build trust and turn potential leads into valuable chances, making consistent engagement the secret to success.

• Message overlooked in busy schedules: Busy schedules and crowded inboxes increase the likelihood of messages being missed.

• People forgetting and distractions: People may forget or get distracted, making a follow-up essential for a second chance at engagement.

• Technical issues: Technical glitches and communication problems are common; follow-ups help address these issues and ensure message delivery.

• Visibility: A follow-up strategically increases the visibility of your message, especially when recipients do not check messages regularly.

• Misunderstandings: Follow-ups provide opportunities to clarify complex messages, reducing the risk of misunderstandings.

Examples include:

• Humorous Memes or GIFs

• Interactive Content

• Personalized Video Messages

• Customised Infographics

• Intriguing Statistics

• Friendly Reminder with a twist

• Creative Follow-Up Email Series

Putting it together

Make sure to:

• Condense messages: ruthlessly, remove any unnecessary words and phrases for conciseness.

• Invite colleagues or friends to review your message to get a 2nd pair of eyes on it for feedback

Crafting effective outbound copy for cold outreach involves combining proven copywriting elements with a well-established marketing strategy, creating a streamlined formula that can significantly boost revenue. However, simplicity should not be confused with ease; success requires unwavering consistency, patience, and persistence.

Rejection is common, but the 3% rule reminds us that thriving is possible even if 97% of outreach encounters resistance. Only a fraction of the target audience actively seeks services at any given time, making compelling messaging crucial for leaving a positive impression and setting the stage for future engagement, even if immediate commitment is not obtained.

TL;DR

Creating copy where the messaging identifies a specific person with a specific desire. It identifies their current less desirable situation (Problem) and identifies their desired situation (Claim). 

It articulates a vehicle that takes them from state 1 to state 2 (Solution) and provides evidence that the vehicle works (Case studies, social proof) how it works.  It articulates a clear reason why the proposed vehicle is the best way to travel from state 1 to state 2 (most of the time economic and emotional cases).

It’s iterative and testable as you are stating & testing against the market. It changes as you collect more data & reference points - more customers, more views, more conversations = more iterations of the message. It’s a function of time, market sophistication, market awareness and market competitors.