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Email marketing is still a very effective method of lead generation, even though other methods like social engagement, content marketing through thought leadership and group dialoguing on networking sites are rapidly gaining momentum. The tried-and-true solution of email is still about as personal as you can get for a first-time touch. But this is not \u201cspray and pray\u201d\u2026one template will not work for everyone! Not everyone likes pizza, so make sure you also have a hamburger or grilled cheese handy.\nWhen developing a cold email template, keep in mind that you are often going to create a set of them\u2014to be used for various audiences or approaches\u2014in order to add some custom touches and answer important questions. Most marketing automation platforms and solutions these days have emailing tools that allow you to segment your mailing list and deliver different versions of your email marketing template(s) based on audience type. Here are 5 tips, in the form of questions that your recipient might ask themselves (and that you should anticipate!) when you create your cold email template(s):\n1. Are you talking to me?\nHang on, this is not Robert De Niro threatening you. No need to start fearing taxi drivers. What this question implies is that the recipient of your email might begin to read your email and wonder who you are talking to. Are you talking in third person, in a general \u201cscripted\u201d sort of way (like a generic, operational-type sales pitch), or are you actually speaking to your target reader in a personal and connected way? The best emails come across as conversational. Speak in first person, refer to yourself in a way that emphasizes your humanness, and talk about what needs or solutions might be personal to your audience. You can do this in a cold email template by personalizing the speech, using your marketing automation platform to insert the recipient\u2019s name and job title, and customizing the email content to the recipient\u2019s industry. One template won\u2019t cover all titles in all industries; if you segment your mailing list by job title or industry, you can craft a handful of templates that will customize to your audience much more effectively.\n2. Why should I care?\n\nThe only reason someone would open your email is if the subject line speaks to their interest, and the only reason they would respond to the call-to-action (CTA) or engagement promoted in it is if they see it as a solution that provides them some sort of business value. Even if you offer a value pitch that may benefit recipients at some point in the future, the fact that you are in their mailbox means that they are currently looking at you from within an immediate and categorical reference point. People scan emails and always have their finger on the delete button. You have to speak powerfully, and you have to speak to the \u201cright now.\u201d You might have the best BAND-AIDs in the world that are waterproof up to 300 meters deep and will adhere even during a gorilla attack\u2026but I have little use for them unless I have a cut at that exact moment. Yes, people do look for valuable products and services that they think they might need down the line, but at best they\u2019ll make a note of items that come across their radar for later research when the need arises. If your cold email template does not speak to them right now, you lose the lion\u2019s share of its potential power and urgency and often find yourself in the trash folder.\n\n3. Am I taking a risk here?\nOkay, let\u2019s say you got them to open and now they are actually reading your email. Bravo! Give this marketer a chocolate bar. At this point they have seen some value in what you are providing, but the next question that comes up is if it is worth the risk of going down the rabbit hole and beginning a conversation with you. What are the inherent benefits of your solution? How does that solution fit into the recipient\u2019s current growth or revenue needs? What is the possible downside of engaging with you?