You’ve probably heard of cold, warm, and hot leads in the industry of sales. Cold refers to any contact that you don’t know, and who doesn’t know you. Warm is someone who has expressed an interest in your product, and hot leads are those who are ready to buy or connect. In a world where the hand-written letter is no longer a standard operating procedure in any business, the ability to write a cold, warm, and hot email is a must-have talent.

Yet the need for cold email writing skills isn’t reserved solely for sales and marketing. Academic networking and communication often requires you to contact someone in a “cold” way. Since you don’t really know much about the intended recipient, and they don’t know anything about you, the right words are necessary to even get them to open your email, much less respond with interest. It may be a daunting idea, but it’s possible to be successful in the art of cold (and warm) emailing when you use these tips to generate positive responses.

Why Academics Cold Email Others

Your life is hectic enough, between attempting to get all the tasks done with your professional and personal life. But you know the importance of building and retaining a network of people in your field.

You’re not the only one juggling this problem. That’s why cold emailing is becoming a more commonplace and reputable way to connect with others. In cold emails, you take a little time to look up local community members who work in careers that intersect with your current and future goals, then expand that search to those beyond your university and city.

When you reach out to a dozen people, you may only receive a return response from one or two. But those responses could open up a world of connections you didn’t know existed. The trick to getting those responses lies in what you put in your email.

Tips to Perfect Your Email Content

Have you ever gotten one of those social media friend requests from a stranger? Then, once you accept it, you’re automatically hit with an obviously cut-and-pasted message. It’s annoying, disrespectful, and absolutely not worth your time to respond.

That’s a cold message, but it’s the wrong way to do it.

Whether you’re emailing or messaging your recipient, use these tips to avoid the common errors that turn people away:

●      Get to know your target person. If you’ve reached out on social media, watch their stories and check out their interests. Then you can tailor the message to them specifically by using their name and giving them a compliment or asking a question about their hobbies and interests. You can bring up mutual friends or colleagues, but avoid talking about their family. People often get testy when a stranger asks about their loved ones.

●      Explain your credentials. This stranger you’re reaching out to has no idea why you’re talking to them, but their hackles are already up. Chances are, you’re not the only one attempting to cold-call them. Let them know quickly that you’re not selling anything, but that you got their information from so-and-so or you read their book, etc. Tell them why you’re interested in connecting with them and what they might gain from working with you.

●      Keep it simple. It’s tempting to go overboard in sharing all your details and letting the reader know why you are the person they absolutely must have in their network. But chances are, they’re not going to read the whole thing anyway. Skim your email or message down to something that can be read in 30 seconds or less. Anything else that needs to be explained can be done after the person responds, and if they don’t, they didn’t care what you were saying, anyway.

What’s in your email, and what isn’t said, can be the difference between a new person in your social or career network and them blowing you off completely.

Publishing With Impactio

When you’re ready to send cold emails, you need to have a place set up where you can share your work, knowing it looks professional. Impactio solves this problem for you, giving you an all-in-one scientific networking platform that turns your research into ready-to-publish articles, graphics, and web pages.

With Impactio, you have all the tools at your disposal to network with other professionals. Impactio’s reputable community is the perfect place for you to put your academic profile and share your research impact analytics. You can customize your own profile and research experience, and search and connect with a worldwide community of researchers through cold and warm emails. Use Impactio to monitor trends, follow data, and create your published products. Then share all that information in a CV of your work all in one easy to use and access platform.