How to Write Cold Emails that Sound Warm
Tips from a writer who has interviewed more than 100 creatives
This special guest post is part of the Keys to Collaboration series, which gives you tips on how to collaborate and become a better collaborative partner.
Want to collaborate, but not sure how to approach potential new collaborators in a way that doesn’t feel forced or icky? This week’s Keys to Collaboration post will help you take that first (and important) step!
Our special guest writer is a writer, editor, and creative coach. She dreams up cozy stories for kids and writes about creativity and motherhood on her Substack Nebula Notebook.
As part of Nebula Notebook, Heidi has a special series called Mothers Who Make, through which she has interviewed 100 creative mothers! In this post, she is sharing tips and her personal template for reaching out to potential interviewees and collaborators.
Before we get into Heidi’s post, I also want to quickly note that creating an interview series is an excellent way to connect and collaborate with other writers on Substack! It is a method you can streamline so it becomes a regular part of your content calendar and routine. Heidi’s series is a great example if you are looking for inspiration.
How to Write Cold Emails that Sound Warm
Over the last two years, I’ve interviewed a hundred creative mothers as part of my Substack series Mothers Who Make. I started by interviewing my friends, and then I reached out to people I admired but didn’t know personally. These were usually totally cold emails where I introduced myself and the project without a warm introduction from a friend—and almost everyone I emailed said yes! That response has been one of the reasons this project has been so life affirming. Below I’m sharing the exact email I use to invite someone to do an interview and ideas on how you can adapt this format to your own project.
Hi NAME,
I'm writing because I'm interviewing women about creativity and motherhood for my Substack, and I would love to include you in this series.
Mothers Who Make interviews feature mothers who are finding ways to make space for creativity. The interviews are meant to inspire other mothers to make space for small, creative moments, whatever that might look like during this season of life. My audience is full of thoughtful, creative women just like you, and I know they're hungry for these kinds of emotionally honest conversations.
You'll find the questions attached, so you can get a feel for the topics. Please answer 3-5 or however many you feel pulled toward! I hope this will be a fun way to reflect. If you would like to participate, there's no rush. Just send back your answers when you're happy with them. I'll be posting interviews as they come in, and it would be great to have your reply by 3/15. Feel free to answer all the questions or just pick and choose. Let it be easy! In addition to your answers, please send:
A few pictures (could be you alone alone, with your kids, at work, in the studio, wherever you feel most beautiful)
A sample of any work you would like to share (a recent illustration, a quote from a work in progress or a published piece, a link to a video, a haiku...)
A short bio that includes a line about how many kids you have and how old they are
Links to social media or websites you would like mentioned
I would love to share your wisdom with my audience, but I totally understand if it's not a good fit right now. Seriously! I find myself needing to focus on the essentials more than ever right now, but I would also love to read your answers, because I'm thinking about how to celebrate creativity in motherhood a lot lately! And I really admire the creative spirit you bring to your work. So if it sounds fun, please let me know. It would be an honor to include you!
Kindly,
Heidi
Research
I make sure each person I contact is a mom and shares her creative work publicly. I’m not thinking about platform size as much as relevance. I recommend doing a little research on the person you’re contacting to see if your project will be a match.
I make a note when I see someone on Instagram, hear a podcast interview, read an article that inspires me, or get a recommendation from a friend. Then I research and email several people at a time.
If I do have a personal connection to the person I’m contacting, I’ll change up the beginning and mention that or say something specific about their work, but I don’t force the connection.
Tone
I’m going for professional and warm, not pushy. I want to be clear about what I’m asking for while also giving them an easy way to say, “No thanks,” or “Not right now.”
I want them to know this is meant to be fun and easy, not a serious assignment.
Bullet points and bolded text make the email skimmable.
I never follow up or nag. If life gets busy or the project isn’t a good fit for someone, I truly understand, and I don’t want my interview series to be a source of stress for anyone.
Details
Including a link to examples helps people understand what I’m looking for and decide if it’s doable for them.
Giving a deadline, even if it’s loose, helps people prioritize the project.
I outline what I’ll need in addition to their answers both in the email and in the attached questions, so they’ll have everything all in one place whenever they need it.
Reaching out to a stranger can feel scary, but what’s the worst that can happen? Every so often I’ll invite someone to do an interview and they might say, “Thanks but I don’t have the bandwidth right now.” Sometimes I don’t get a reply, or someone says yes and then isn’t able to complete the interview. But no one ever takes the time to send a harsh reply. By being brave I’ve met some amazing people that I never would have known before, and I’ve become genuine friends with many of them. For me, that’s makes cold emailing worth the risk.
Thank you to Heidi for sharing her wisdom with us! You can learn more about the work she does at helloheidifiedler.com or find her on Instagram @heidifiedler.
Let’s Chat & Share
What tips in this post did you find most helpful or encouraging? What tips might you add from your experience? Let us know in the comments!
Ready to Collaborate?
You can find potential collaborators over on the CollabStack Directory, or check in on our June Call for Collaboration, which is still open!
Thank you so much for checking out and supporting CollabStack! If you have tips like these that you want to share from your own experiences, consider writing a guest post. Pitch your idea here.
Until next time, Happy Collaborating!
Hi, I’m Marcy Farrey (pronounced Fairy 🧚♀️ ), and I’m on a mission to help others connect and collaborate in meaningful ways here on Substack. Consider me your Farrey 🧚♀️ Godmother of Collaboration!
If you love CollabStack, it would mean so much to me if you restacked this post so more people can participate. This will help our little community grow. Thank you for your support!
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This is an excellent idea, I think it will be good for the moms as well
This is so helpful and timely! You've taken a task I've been avoiding like the plague and made it easy, and dare I say....fun?