10 reasons why your cold emails suck

Writing cold emails isn’t about clever tricks or fancy templates - it’s about clarity, relevance, and email length. Most sales reps get ignored not because their offer is bad, but because their email is bloated, vague, or just plain forgettable. The truth? You’ve got 15 seconds to prove you’re worth reading. In this blog post, I break down the 10 most common reasons your cold emails fail - and exactly how to fix them so you start getting replies.

1. They’re too long

You’re writing essays, not emails.

If your message takes more than 15 seconds to read, it won’t get read at all. Get to the point, and keep it under 50 words. One email = one clear problem. 

2. Your subject line screams “sales email”

“Quick question…” or “Optimize your…” 

gets deleted instantly. Long, title-cased, or punctuated subject lines trigger spam filters and mental filters alike. Two words. Lowercase. Boring. That’s what works.

3. Your email is full of hot air

Inflating your email like a hot air balloon doesn’t help.

Nobody cares about your mission, your vision, or your 17 features. They care about the problem you solve for them, today. Cut everything that doesn’t directly serve that.

4. You talk about product, not problem

Features don’t sell. Problems do.

Your prospects don’t care about your product - they care about solving their problems and making their lives easier. Show them you understand the friction they’re trying to overcome.

5. You pitch gains instead of losses

“Double your revenue”… 

is wishful thinking. “You’re losing $15K/month to churn” gets attention. Humans are wired to avoid pain more than pursue gain - write accordingly.

6. You’re too vague

Saying you “increase efficiency”…

or “streamline workflows” is meaningless without context. Link your product to a clear metric they care about - churn rate, revenue, time saved - and back it with proof.

7. Your CTA is lazy

“Are you interested?”…

isn’t a call to action - it’s a cry for help. Instead, offer something of value: a free trial, benchmark data, or insights relevant to their problem. That’s how you earn a reply. 

8. You write like a brochure

Buzzwords, long paragraphs, or over-explaining make your email unreadable.

Use simple words, short sentences, and speak like a human. If a 10-year-old can’t understand it, rewrite it.

9. Your formatting is garbage

Big text blocks = instant delete.

Every sentence should be its own line. It makes scanning easy, especially on mobile (which is where most emails are read first). Readability = replies.

10. You lack relevance

“We’re a leading provider…” or “Came across your profile…” 

tells the reader you did zero research. Use a real trigger - something timely, specific, and relevant to them. If you can’t explain why you’re emailing now, don’t.

Struggling to identify strong triggers?

Try using SalesPort CoPilot to get relevant ones in seconds.