As you scale your agency to hit your revenue targets, you’ll encounter a few key pain points.

One of the most common is finding new good-fit clients who want to engage with an agency.

However, a well-written cold email can open doors and start conversations. It’s the most direct way to get in touch with decision-makers at companies that are a perfect fit for your services.

In this article, we’re going to show you the process behind a high-performing cold email campaign, and show you real cold email templates for agencies that you can use in your outreach.

  1. How to Craft Irresistible Agency Outreach Emails That Get Replies

  2. 8 Best Cold Email Templates for Agencies

  3. Using QuickMail to Automate Sending Cold Emails

Let’s dive in.

Steps To Creating Irresistible Agency Outreach Emails That Get Replies

1. Unique Personalization for Every Recipient

Today, personalization is a fundamental part of any effective email campaign.

If you don’t personalize each email and show your recipient that you care about their business, they won’t reply.

We’ve all received an email like this:

There’s zero personalization and it’s all about the seller.

So, how can you avoid the trap of generic emails? Where do you find unique talking points?

The most effective way is with a unique and personalized opening line. The opening line is the first thing your prospect sees.

Each opening line should be tailored to each recipient.

For example:

  • Congratulate someone on winning a recent award

  • Tell them how much you enjoyed a podcast they were on

  • Mention something you have in common

The first thing your prospect sees will be that opening line, and when it’s personalized they’ll immediately trust you more, as you’ve shown you’ve done your research.

To find information to include in your personalized opening line, start by checking out your prospects’ LinkedIn profiles. Most people have details about their past work experience and interesting projects they’ve worked on. They’ll also be likely to share any relevant company news that you can mention.

You could also search Google for keywords like “[name]” + “podcast”. Any podcast appearance they’ve done will pop up, which you can then listen to and reference in your opening line.

Your opening line needs to be so unique that it couldn’t be sent to anyone else, so don’t be afraid to get specific.

As well as your opening line, make sure to call them by their preferred first name, use their company name, and ensure you’re reaching out about something highly relevant to them.

2. Focus on Conversations, Not Conversions

Your leads need to trust you before they become a customer. After all, most agency pricing isn’t cheap, and you might even ask clients to commit to your services for a certain amount of time.

You can’t treat email as a way to generate direct conversions. Instead, treat it as a channel to start conversations with people matching your buyer persona.

To make it easy for recipients to reply, use an open-ended call to action.

For example:

  • What’s the best way to schedule 10 minutes to talk?

  • Is this something that could be interesting to you?

  • Would you mind if I sent you a short video to explain how this may help?

Here’s an example from Salesflare in our database of cold outreach templates:

The call-to-action is clear and easy to reply to — which is vital if you expect a positive response from a busy business owner or decision-maker.

Once your prospects reply, you can start a conversation by scheduling a call or sending them more information about your agency and services.

3. Use Examples and Social Proof in Sales Emails

Your clients expect your agency to deliver on your promises.

To boost confidence in your services and increase your chances of a reply, use social proof.

For example, if you run a cold outreach agency to help local realtors with lead generation, you can highlight how you helped a similar business:

“We work with [company] in [city] and have helped them double their inbound real estate leads using Google Ads.”

If your prospects have a pain point around generating leads for their business, your email will resonate with them and they’ll want you to help them see the same results.

Here’s a powerful example of social proof in RepurposeHouse’s cold outreach:

It works because:

  • They mention all of the content types they can create

  • They name drop four relevant clients 

  • They create a personalized video that shows they’ve done their research and are experts in their niche

It’s an excellent way to build trust from the get-go and boost your reply rate.

4. Make It All About The Recipient, Not Your Agency

Your cold email shouldn’t be about you or your agency. It should be about your leads and their business.

When you first start a cold emailing strategy, it’s tempting to talk about the services you offer, your background, your pricing, and everything else you think your potential customer cares about.

The truth is, they don’t care about any of that.

They care about how you can help them grow their business.

Whenever you’re writing your cold emails, read it through, line-by-line. 

Ask yourself: is this about me, or is this about my prospects? If you notice you’re talking about yourself and your agency too often, you need to make changes.

5. Always Send a Follow-Up Email

Following up is essential if you expect your email sequence to generate meaningful results. After looking at data from over 65 million emails sent using QuickMail, we found that 55% of replies come from a follow-up email.

A series of follow-ups will drastically improve reply rates to your B2C or B2B cold email outreach campaign and ensure your leads don’t miss your message.

Include four to six follow-ups, and test a variety of call-to-actions and value propositions that are always different to what you included in your previous email.

Bring in new examples, case studies, and results to prove to potential clients that it’s worth replying to.

For example, in the email example below, the sender used the follow-up email to include a new case study and added a free PDF resource. They also made it easy to schedule a call.

Following up is proof that you care about winning your potential client’s business, and it’s always recommended.

6. Use Cold Email Templates That are Text-Based

Email marketing platforms like Mailchimp, Campaign Monitor, or SendInBlue are all excellent options for your next email marketing campaign. Once you create your visual HTML email template, you can send it to your email list and see excellent engagement levels. But, they’re not cut out for cold emailing.

You need a tool that can send plain text emails, like QuickMail.

When your prospects receive your email, it’ll look like you’ve sent it to them personally and they will immediately trust you more.

On the other hand, if they receive a responsive email template full of images, buttons, and links, they won’t see it as an effort to start a conversation with them and will either ignore or delete it.

7. Keep Your Cold Email Subject Line Simple

Your subject line is there to act as a simple contract between you and your recipient.

It’s a promise of what’s inside the rest of the email.

For example:

  • Helping {{company.name}} with SEO

  • Improve {{company.name}}’s time to hire new candidates

  • Question about your advertising costs

As soon as your prospect sees your email subject line, they’ll already have an idea of what you can help with. If they still go to open your email, it’s because they are clearly wondering about the details.

The key is that you can’t use your subject line to trick people into opening your email or making false promises. Instead, use it to frame the future of your relationship and build trust.

8 Best Cold Email Templates for Agencies

In this section, we’ll look at real email templates you can use to send cold email campaigns to help your agency generate new leads and build relationships with decision-makers.

Make sure to edit each template to fit your unique agency and add personalization to stand out in the inbox.

Let’s look at the templates:

1. Template for Scheduling a Call

Why It Works

Having an introductory call with your prospects is a perfect way to understand their needs and see if you’re a good fit for their needs.

This template works because:

  • There’s a unique opening line that shows you’ve done your research

  • You’ve highlighted a potential pain point (no case studies)

  • You show how you can solve it, with social proof

  • There’s a clear call-to-action

Here’s the email:

The Template

Subject: Quick question about {{company.name}}’s website

Hi {{prospect.first_name}},

I just listened to you on [podcast] - so much value there, thanks for sharing!

Saw that you’ve already got great reviews on Capterra, but I noticed you haven’t got any case studies featured on your website yet.

Our agency helps software companies create compelling case studies, and we’ve worked with companies like [example client #1] and [example client #2].

If creating case studies is something you’re thinking about, would you have time for a 20-minute call this week?

Best,

{{inbox.name}}

2. Sales Email Template to Add Value and Start a Conversation

Why It Works

Cold-pitching prospects with a hard sell isn’t the best way to build a relationship. If your agency typically has a long sales cycle, consider taking this conversation-first approach. You’ll provide value upfront and it’ll be hard for your prospect to ignore the effort you’ve put in.

This template works because:

  • There’s a specific complement

  • You’ve provided huge value upfront by recording a video for the prospect

Here’s the email:

The Template

Subject: Short video for {{company.name}}

Hi {{prospect.first_name}},

Love all the content you’re creating to help people in [industry] — found your video tutorial on [specific topic] in particular to be excellent.

As you’ve been creating lots of content recently, I wanted to give you a quick overview of some of the best distribution tactics we’ve found at [your company].

I recorded a 5-minute video for how this could look for {{company.name}}. Here’s the link: URL

Let me know if you have any questions about those tactics.

Best,

{{inbox.name}}

3. Keeping Your Cold Sales Email Template Simple

Why it works

If you know the person you’re emailing has a packed schedule, don’t waste time on unnecessary details in your opening email.

This template works because:

  • It’s clear why you’re reaching out

  • You get straight to the point, but it’s still obvious you’ve done your research

  • The CTA is easy to reply to

The Template

Subject: Hiring sales reps at {{company.name}}?

Hi {{prospect.first_name}},

Saw that you’re hiring a sales rep at {{company.name}}.

I know you’re busy but wanted to see if you’d be interested in our SDR-as-a-Service offering. You only pay when we generate results.

Something you might be interested in?

Best,

{{inbox.name}}

4. Pitching to Solve an Existing Pain Point

Why It Works

A common and effective tactic for agencies of all kinds is to notice a problem, agitate it, and offer to solve it for your prospect.

For example, if you run a software development agency and you notice a client’s website isn’t formatted for mobile, you could reach out highlighting that issue. Be careful not to make your cold emails sound rude or critical, but helpful. It’s a powerful way to start a conversation.

This template works because:

  • It’s agitating a specific pain point in their business

  • You offer a solution to their problem

  • The call to action is clear and simple

The Template

Subject: Small fix to make your website work on mobile

Hi {{prospect.first_name}},

Noticed that {{company.name}}’s reservation system doesn’t work on mobile. The form fields are covering the 'Submit' button.

I run a web development agency - happy to look at the issue if you’d like.

We also help restaurants in [city] like [example client] redesign their websites. [Example client] saw a 150% increase in table reservations after the changes we made.

Do you have time for a 10-minute call this week to see if there’s potential for us to help {{company.name}}?

Best,

{{inbox.name}}

5. Friendly Follow-Up Template

Why It Works

As mentioned above, following up is vital to improving your response rate.

But, don’t just bump the email to the top of your prospects’ inboxes. 

Use it to provide extra value with a new case study and a new call to action. Here’s what that may look like in practice:

The Template

Subject: [Same as original email]

Hi {{prospect.first_name}},

Reaching out to see if increasing conversions on your Shopify store is a priority at the moment. We helped [company] increase their checkout conversion rate by 45% with a few minor fixes we made for them.

Want to see how we did it?

Best,

{{inbox.name}}

6. Cold Email Template To Get Staffing Agency Candidates

Why It Works

A staffing agency can offer huge value to a company if the candidates you bring them are well-qualified for the roles being hired for. 

However, if a prospect hasn’t worked with a staffing agency before they may not know the key benefits and time they could save by working with you.

In your email, you’ll quickly build trust, show the benefits, and break down potential sales objections to working with a staffing agency.

The Template

Subject: Filling your {{prospect.custom.Open_Vacancy}} role 

Hi {{prospect.first_name}},

Great work on the recent growth, excited to see what {{company.name}} achieves this year.

As you’re hiring for several {{prospect.custom.Open_Vacancy}}, I wanted to see if you’re interested in our staffing services. We bring an average of 5 qualified candidates to each role, and it’s risk-free as we only charge if we place a candidate with you.

Do you have 15 minutes for me to walk you through the process this week?

Best,

{{inbox.name}}

7. Effective Cold Email Template for an Advertising Agency

Why It Works

The advertising agency space is highly competitive and your template needs to show why your agency is unique.

As well as that, most prospects aren’t actively looking for an agency at the time you reach out. You need to quickly add social proof and emphasize the big results you can generate for their company. 

This template works well because:

  • It shows social proof early on

  • It’s personalized which highlights that your agency cares about personal relationships and you’re not just there to sign up as many clients as possible

  • The CTA is low commitment and is a way to add extra social proof

Let’s look at the template.

The Template

Subject: Growing {{company.name}] with Google Ads

Hi {{prospect.first_name}}. Loved your recent podcast episode with [notable host], really actionable tips in there.

I run [Agency Name], and we help SaaS companies like {{company.name}} run campaigns that convert. Our most recent Google Ads campaign with [similar company] generated a 5.2x return on ad spend for them.

Want me to send you the case study with details on how we set up the campaign?

Best,

{{inbox.name}}

8. Cold Email Campaign Template for Digital Marketing Agency Services

Why It Works

Digital marketing services is another competitive industry. As well as that, prospects can be skeptical because they receive a high volume of pitches from similar businesses.

In your template, you need to instantly prove that you care about results, are trustworthy, and have expertise in their industry. 

Whether you run a freelance business or an established digital marketing agency, you can adapt this email marketing template to your needs.

Let’s take a look.

The Template

Hi {{prospect.first_name}},

Saw that you’re experimenting with Facebook and TikTok strategies, it looks like you’re getting great results on both channels already.

Reaching out to see if you’re in need of any extra help growing your accounts. We’re a performance marketing agency and work with brands like [similar company] and [similar company]. Helped both see incredible growth with tailored strategies.

Worth talking about how that might work for {{company.name}}?

Best,

{{inbox.name}}

Using QuickMail to Automate Sending Cold Emails

So, you have email templates to help you start writing your sales emails.

Next, it’s time to start sending them. 

To ensure you don’t waste hours of your time typing emails out individually, you can use a cold email tool like QuickMail to manage your agency outreach.

Here’s how it can help:

1. Using Attributes to Send Personalized Emails at Scale

As you’ve noticed, we’re all about personalization. Without it, your emails won’t get replies.

You can easily personalize your emails, even when sending 10, 20, or 50+ emails at once using attributes.

In your prospect list, make sure you’ve included all of the details about the people you’re contacting, including the field for your custom opening line or any extra information you want to include in your email.

In your email templates, you’ll add your attributes wherever you want them to appear.

For example, if your template includes:

Hi {{prospect.first_name}},

{{Opening_Line}}

It would show up in your emails as:

Hi Jennifer,

Your podcast episode on mobile kitchens really helped me pursue my dreams of providing free hot meals to people who need them!

You can insert attributes directly from the attributes panel in QuickMail’s email template editor.

When your campaign is ready to go, you can start it, knowing that every email you send is personalized and unique, without having to type them out individually.

2. Follow-Up Automatically to Get More Replies

As we’ve already seen, sending follow-ups is key.

In your QuickMail campaigns, you can automate your follow-ups by adding new steps. Include a delay of as many business days as you want to wait, then add a new email step.

You can add as many follow-up emails as you need to. When someone replies, they will be automatically removed from the campaign and won’t receive any more automated emails.

It’s a powerful way to free up your time and avoid needing to think about your follow-ups. Write them once, and they’ll send on the schedule you’ve set.

3. Tracking The Success of Your Outreach

To make sure your email outreach is delivering the results you’re hoping for, keep an eye on your most important metrics, including:

  • Open rate

  • Click-through rate

  • Reply rate

You’ll see an overview of these in your dashboard so you know exactly how your emails are performing.

One thing worth noting is that metrics like open rate and click rate can be helpful, but a positive reply rate is the number one metric to care about when it comes to cold emails. After all, if people aren’t replying positively, it doesn’t matter how many people opened your email.

You can even break down email activity by inbox, which is perfect as your agency scales and you start adding multiple sales team members or assistants to your account to help with email outreach.

4. Avoid the Spam Folder with Deliverability Tools

Picture this: you’ve imported 50 perfect-fit prospects, and hit send on your campaign. Then, nothing. Chances are, your emails have landed in your prospects' spam folders.

Emails that don’t land in the main inbox won’t get read.

To ensure this doesn’t happen to you, you can use a combination of QuickMail’s deliverability tools and an email warm-up platform.

In QuickMail, you can see key stats on your email deliverability.

This includes detailed reports on where your emails are landing to help you see if there are any problems that could hurt your campaign.

We’d also recommend using a free email warm-up tool like Mailflow. This will send and receive emails on your behalf and generate engagement in your cold email inbox. 

It’s free for up to 100 inboxes and is a powerful way to improve your deliverability.

Growing Your Agency with Cold Email

Cold outreach is a highly effective channel for agencies to engage with prospective clients and leads.

Every key decision-maker you want to talk to has an email address. If you can send a friendly, compelling email that agitates their pain points and highlights why you’re the perfect partner to solve them, you’re going to see results.

The best practices we’ve shown you here are key to success, and these templates are the perfect way to get started. Remember to always customize them to your unique customer type and industry, and you’re bound to get results.

When you’re ready to start sending your emails, you can use QuickMail to automate your outreach and start more conversations with your future agency clients.