How to personalize cold emails effectively?

Effective personalization goes beyond inserting names into templates.

Levels of personalization:

Basic: Name, company, title (necessary but not differentiating)

Intermediate: Industry, company size, role-specific challenges

Advanced: Recent company news, specific business context, mutual connections

How to implement:

Research phase: Gather 2 to 3 relevant facts per prospect

Writing phase: Lead with specific relevance, not generic pitch

Template phase: Build frameworks that accommodate personalization

What makes personalization effective:

Demonstrates you understand their situation

Explains why contacting them specifically

Connects your offering to their needs

Shows effort beyond mail merge

What doesn't work:

Obvious flattery (your LinkedIn post was amazing)

Irrelevant personal details (noticed you like hiking)

Fake familiarity (following up on our conversation)

Over-research that feels invasive

Personalization should answer the recipient's implicit question: why are you contacting me specifically?