How To Cold Email Investors - Michael Seibel

Sending concise and short emails to investors is crucial as emails that take more than 60 seconds to read are often saved for later or not read at all. The goal is to make the email easily readable and understandable without the need to sell the investor on the idea or request for investment. The key points to include in a concise and effective cold email to investors are: clearly state the problem you are trying to solve, describe your solution to the problem, indicate if you have already launched or have any growth, assess the potential size of the market, mention if you have co-founders, highlight your technical abilities, and share a controversial insight or knowledge about the problem or market that sets you apart from others. It is important to be concise and avoid jargon in cold emails to investors, using simple language that can be understood by anyone. Sending emails from a company email address with your name is crucial, as using a personal or generic email address can create a negative impression. While decks are not required in cold emails to investors, it is common in Silicon Valley to use a specific format that investors are familiar with. Tracking the open rate of cold emails to investors is crucial for ensuring they are being seen. It is important to keep cold emails short and concise, avoiding overwhelming the recipient with too much information or requests. When cold emailing investors, avoid immediately requesting an in-person meeting and instead provide interesting information to make investors want to continue the conversation. Sending multiple follow-up emails quickly is not recommended, and it is important to describe what your company does in a cold email to investors.

Intro

The most profound aspect of the text is the importance of keeping cold emails to investors short and concise.
Tips for cold emailing investors:
- Keep the email short and concise.
- Avoid irrelevant information.
- Personalize the email to the investor.
- Clearly state the purpose of the email.
- Highlight the value proposition.
- Use a professional tone and proper grammar.
- Follow up if there is no response.
- Avoid common mistakes like spelling errors and generic templates.

Make it short, i.e. 60 seconds or less to read

Importance of sending concise and short emails to investors
Emails that take more than 60 seconds to read are often saved for later or not read at all
Goal is to make the email easily readable and understandable
No need to sell the investor on the idea or request for investment

Interested in: the problem you're trying to solve, what your solution is, have you launched, do you have growth, how big you think the market could be, do you have cofounders, are you technical, and do you know something about the problem that you think is controversial.

The key points to include in a concise and effective cold email to investors are:

Clearly state the problem you are trying to solve
Describe your solution to the problem
Indicate if you have already launched or have any growth
Assess the potential size of the market
Mention if you have co-founders
Highlight your technical abilities
Share a controversial insight or knowledge about the problem or market that sets you apart from others.

Not interested in: a long history of how you came up with the idea or jargon (see: customer pitch vs investor pitch - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQnOBHNKlgs)

Importance of being concise and avoiding jargon in cold emails to investors
Emphasis on providing raw facts instead of a narrative or story
Difference between a customer pitch and an investor pitch
Investors may not be familiar with industry jargon
Recommendation to use simple language that can be understood by anyone, regardless of their industry

Send your email from a company email address with your name in it

Sending emails from a company email address with your name is crucial for cold emailing investors.
Using a personal or generic email address can create a negative impression and hinder investors from gathering information about you.
Investors rely on tools that provide sender information, and not using a company email address can restrict their access to this information.

Decks aren't required but use a common format if including one

The most profound aspect of the topic is that while decks are not required in cold emails to investors, it is common in Silicon Valley to use a specific format that investors are familiar with.

Attaching a deck is not required in cold emails to investors.
It is common in Silicon Valley to use a specific format for decks that investors are familiar with.
It is advised to refer to successful startup decks as a template and not deviate from the common format.
Decks from different industries may look completely different.
It is important to use the style of deck that is commonly used in the startup world.

Track opens

Tracking the open rate of cold emails to investors is crucial for ensuring they are being seen.

Don't make it long

The most profound aspect of the topic is the importance of keeping cold emails to investors short and concise.

Key points:

The goal is to elicit a reply and initiate a conversation.
Avoid overwhelming the recipient with too much information or requests.
The email should be easily read and responded to within 60 to 120 seconds.
Reading the email aloud or recording oneself reading it can help ensure it is not too long or burdensome.

Don't immediately request an in-person meeting

When cold emailing investors, avoid immediately requesting an in-person meeting
Investors have different preferences for their first engagement
Provide interesting information to make investors want to continue the conversation
Pushing for an in-person meeting right away may make investors uncomfortable and less likely to agree

Don't send multiple follow-ups quickly

Sending multiple follow-up emails quickly is not recommended when cold emailing investors.
Keep the initial email short and use read receipts to track opens.
Determine if the recipient has read your email before sending additional follow-ups.
Bombarding recipients with multiple emails is unnecessary.

Don't forget to describe what your company does

The most profound aspect of the text is the importance of describing what your company does in a cold email to investors.

Key points:

Providing a clear and concise description of your company in the initial email is crucial.
Highlight the interesting aspects of your company to generate interest.
Describing your company in the email gives you leverage in the conversation.
Proposing a meeting to explain your company in person raises the bar for getting that meeting.