Cold email examples: the three-line first email that gets calls

These cold email examples are all first emails of three lines or fewer, in plain text that reads like one person writing to another, and each one asks the reader to call a phone number written in the email.

The structure is the one I use in my campaigns, including the emails that brought Pilotech, an air conditioning installer near Paris, 15 new clients in a year. Many of the architects on that list called instead of replying, as my cold email case study explains.

The emails below are templates I wrote for this article, for trades chosen to show the range. They are not emails from a client’s campaign. This article covers the first email only; the whole process, from the list to the replies, is in my B2B cold emailing guide.

How a three-line first email is built

My rule for a first cold email is three lines at most: an introduction and a call to action, with one offer between them. People hate receiving long emails from strangers they never asked for anything, so every extra line is one more reason to stop reading. Short and sharp works.

Each of the three lines does one job:

1. Who is writing, and for whom. Your name, your company, what you do and where, in the words your reader uses.
2. One offer. A single, concrete thing the reader gets: a visit, a fixed quote, a morning’s work. Not your catalogue.
3. The call to action. An invitation to call, with the number written out, and a word about the catalogue on your website.

The greeting, the signature and a short footer sit around them. Here is the skeleton, with the footer in full:

Subject: [a few words about them or the offer]

Hello [first name],

[Line 1: who you are, what you do, where, and for which kind of client.]
[Line 2: the one offer, with a concrete detail such as a time frame or a scope.]
[Line 3: an invitation to call [phone number], and a word about the catalogue on your website.]

[First name Last name], [Company] Ltd
[phone number]
Registered in England and Wales, no. [company number], [registered office address]
I found your address on [source]. If you would rather not hear from me, reply "no" and I will not write again.
How we use your details: see "Privacy" on our website.

MLK Leadhunters’ guide to writing a cold email that gets replies covers the general structure: one specific first line, one offer and one question. The version here swaps the question for a phone number, because what I want from a first email is a call.

The phone number is the call to action

Many prospects would rather call than write back. A call is faster than a written reply, it does not get buried under the day’s emails, and it ticks an item off the to-do list in one go. People also like real human contact. I compare the two channels in my article on cold calling vs cold emailing.

A real person signs it

The emails I write for Pilotech are signed by its founder, with his phone number; the Pilotech Teknopoint project describes the campaign. Whoever calls reaches the person who can answer and decide. Sign with a first name and a surname, never “The team”.

The website is mentioned, never linked

The third line invites the reader to look at the catalogue on your website, but there is no link. My cold emails are plain text, with no links and no HTML, to protect delivery; my reasons are in why I never put links in cold emails. The company name in the signature is enough for anyone who wants to look you up.

The offer comes from what clients complain about

The second line is the hardest to write. I start from what the audience complains about most, and I use deep research to find it: Claude’s Research feature gathers the complaints that keep coming back in a trade, and the offer answers the most common one. The method is in how to use Deep Research for copywriting.

The footer says who you are and how to say no

The footer is not part of the three lines, and it is not optional. In the UK, PECR’s regulation 23 applies to every marketing email, emails to companies included: you must not hide who is sending, and you must give a valid address where the reader can ask you to stop. My cold email GDPR checklist explains each line of the footer.

Before and after: what to cut from a typical cold email

Here is the kind of first email many small businesses send. Everything in it may be true, and almost all of it works against the sender.

Subject: Partnership opportunity

Dear Sir or Madam,

I hope this email finds you well. My name is [name] and I am the managing
director of [Company], a family business founded in 2009 and one of the
leading electrical contractors in the region. We offer a full range of
services: rewiring, lighting, fire alarms, EV charge points, testing,
maintenance and more. See our projects here: [link]. Our brochure is attached.

I would love to book a quick call. Pick a time in my calendar: [link]

Kind regards,
[logo]

What to cut, and why:

• The subject says nothing about the reader, and “Dear Sir or Madam” tells them they are on a list.
• The first lines are about the sender, not about what the reader would get.
• A list of services and no offer: the reader has to work out what applies to them.
• Two links, an attachment and a logo. I never put links in a cold email, a logo alone turns plain text into HTML, and the brochure is the catalogue on your website, so leave it there.
• The call to action hands the work to the reader: open a calendar, find a slot, book it.

The same business, writing to shop owners, in three lines:

Subject: Lighting for your shop in Leeds

Hello [first name],

I'm [name] from [Company], an electrical contractor in Leeds that works for shops and restaurants.
We replace shop lighting overnight, so you never lose a day's trading.
If your lighting is due for a change, call me on [mobile number]; recent projects are on our website.

[First name Last name], [Company] Ltd
[mobile number]
[Footer]

It keeps one service, the one this audience buys, and one detail that answers their real worry: closing the shop. Everything else can wait for the call.

Your sending tool has to follow the same rules. In Instantly, the tool I use, the campaign options include Send emails as text-only (no HTML). Switch open and link tracking off as well: open tracking relies on an invisible image, which needs HTML, and link tracking needs the links you have just removed.

Eight cold email examples you can adapt

Each example follows the same structure. Fill the brackets, change the town, and rewrite any line that is not true for your business. The subject lines are suggestions, not tested winners, and [Footer] stands for the footer shown in the skeleton above.

1. A joinery workshop writing to architects

Subject: Joinery for your fit-out projects

Hello [first name],

I run [Company], a joinery workshop in Bristol that makes counters, shelving and panelling for shop and restaurant fit-outs.
We build from your drawings and send a fixed quote within the week.
If you have a fit-out coming up, call me on [mobile number]; our recent work is on our website.

[First name Last name], [Company] Ltd
[mobile number]
[Footer]

An architect specifies the work on one project after another, so one architect who trusts you can bring several jobs. The second line answers their two questions before they ask them: will you follow the drawings, and how long will the quote take?

2. A food photographer writing to restaurants

Subject: Photos of your new menu

Hello [first name],

I'm [name], a food photographer in Manchester: I photograph dishes for menus, websites and delivery apps.
I can shoot your whole menu in one morning at the restaurant, before lunch service.
Call me on [mobile number] to pick a morning; my portfolio is on my website.

[First name Last name], [Company] Ltd
[mobile number]
[Footer]

The offer is shaped around the restaurant’s real constraint: nothing may get in the way of service. Send it to restaurants that have just opened or changed their menu, and it arrives when the need is real.

3. An office removals firm writing to office managers

Subject: Your office move

Hello [first name],

I'm [name] from [Company]: we move offices in and around Birmingham over a weekend, IT equipment included.
Your team leaves on Friday evening and finds every desk working on Monday morning.
If a move is planned this year, call me on [mobile number] for a free survey and a fixed quote.

[First name Last name], [Company] Ltd
[mobile number]
[Footer]

The second line sells the result, not the service: nobody wants boxes and vans, they want a Monday without disruption. Companies that are hiring fast are the ones about to outgrow their offices.

4. A caterer writing to training companies

Subject: Lunch for your course delegates

Hello [first name],

I'm [name] from [Company], a caterer in Glasgow that delivers lunch for training days and meetings, for 10 to 150 people.
Order by 3pm and lunch is on the table at noon the next day, with vegetarian and vegan dishes labelled.
Call me on [mobile number] before your next course; our menus are on our website.

[First name Last name], [Company] Ltd
[mobile number]
[Footer]

A training company orders lunch every time it runs a course, so one yes can turn into a regular order. The second line settles the two usual doubts: how much notice you need, and what the delegate who does not eat meat will get.

5. A sign maker writing to shops about to open

Subject: Your sign before opening day

Hello [first name],

I'm [name] from [Company]: we make and fit shop signs, window graphics and menu boards in Cardiff.
We can survey your premises this week and have everything fitted before you open.
Call me on [mobile number] to book the survey; recent shopfronts are on our website.

[First name Last name], [Company] Ltd
[mobile number]
[Footer]

This email only makes sense for a few weeks in the life of a business, so the list matters more than the words: aim it at shops that have announced an opening.

6. A commercial laundry writing to hotels

Subject: Linen for [hotel name]

Hello [first name],

I'm [name] from [Company], a commercial laundry that supplies and washes bed linen and towels for hotels in Edinburgh.
We collect and deliver every day, weekends included, so you never run short on a full night.
Call me on [mobile number] to compare with your current supplier; how it works is on our website.

[First name Last name], [Company] Ltd
[mobile number]
[Footer]

The subject carries the hotel’s name, which your sending tool fills in from the list. The second line speaks to a hotel’s worst evening: a full house and not enough clean sheets.

7. A translation agency writing to manufacturers that export

Subject: Your technical documents in German

Hello [first name],

I run [Company], a translation agency in Sheffield that translates manuals and product sheets into German, French and Spanish for manufacturers.
Our translators are engineers, and you get a fixed price per document before we start.
If you sell abroad, call me on [mobile number]; sample translations are on our website.

[First name Last name], [Company] Ltd
[mobile number]
[Footer]

Manufacturers fear two things with translation: technical mistakes and a bill that keeps growing. The second line answers both, and only works if both claims are true.

8. An IT support firm writing to dental practices

Subject: IT support for [practice name]

Hello [first name],

I run [Company], an IT support firm in Nottingham that looks after dental practices: computers, backups, phones and practice software.
When something stops working, we answer the same day, by phone or on site.
If your IT gives you headaches, call me on [mobile number]; I will tell you honestly whether you need us.

[First name Last name], [Company] Ltd
[mobile number]
[Footer]

Working for one kind of client makes the first line credible: the reader recognises their own world in it. The last line is an honest offer, and an honest offer is easier to pick up the phone for than a pitch. A practice owned by a sole trader or a partnership falls under the warning above, so check each one before it goes on your list.

Subject lines and personal details: keep them honest

A subject line has one job: to tell the reader what the email is about, in their words. A few words about them or the offer are enough, such as “Your office move” or “Linen for [hotel name]”. Leave out words in capitals, exclamation marks and anything the email does not deliver.

Personalisation works the same way. One detail that shows you chose this reader beats a paragraph of compliments: the town they work in, the kind of project they take on, an opening they announced. Put it inside line one or two, so it never becomes a fourth line. Your sending tool fills the brackets from the columns of your list, so any detail you want in the email has to be a column first.

After the first email: follow-ups, replies and calls

In my campaigns, the first result usually comes within 36 hours of the first send. A sequence has three emails at most, and my guide to cold email follow-ups explains why I stop there.

I do everything in a campaign except the replies: those go to the client. With a phone number in every email, that includes the calls, so whoever answers the phone must know a campaign is running and be ready to book the visit or the quote during the call. MLK Leadhunters’ article on what to do with replies covers the hour after a prospect answers.

I also test the first email: two versions, sent to the same kind of reader. Over time, responses grow, because I learn which copy works and which does not. The few tests worth running are in A/B tests that actually matter.

Before you send: a checklist

1. One audience and one offer per sequence: architects and restaurants get two different emails.
2. Three lines in the message, one sentence each.
3. The phone number appears in line three and in the signature, and someone answers it during working hours.
4. Plain text: no links, no images, no attachments, and open and link tracking switched off.
5. A real sender and the full footer: company details, where you found the address, and how to opt out with one reply.
6. A verified list, with sole traders and partnerships removed unless they agreed to hear from you.
7. A test email sent to yourself. Search it for “[” before launch: a bracket left in a sent email gives the template away faster than anything else.

You do not need an agency to send emails like these. With one audience, a verified list, a sending tool and someone to answer the phone, you can run this yourself. If you would rather hand over everything except the conversations, that is how MLK Leadhunters works: the studio’s cold email practice finds the leads, writes and sends the emails, and leaves the replies and the calls to you.