Why Our Cold Email Is Two Sentences (and Why the Signal Stays Out of It)
We rewrote our own cold email down to two sentences: what we do, and one easy offer. Here's the reasoning, the exact email, and why we stopped opening with "I saw you're hiring".
I'm the founder of Selamly. We find customers for small B2B companies, and we use our own product to find ours. Last week we rewrote our own first email. It used to be the classic shape: an opening line about the recipient's company, a paragraph about us, a soft question. Now it is two sentences. This post explains why, and shows the exact email.
The email
Subject: 5 companies for [their company]
"We do signal-based outbound: we only write to companies that need what you sell right now, so it gets more replies than regular cold email. We found 5 companies for [their company]. Want them? Just reply "yes"."
Then our first name and our website. That's the whole thing. One follow-up a few days later asks the same question in one line, and says we won't write again if we don't hear back.
Nobody reads the long version
A cold email gets a few seconds. In those seconds the reader decides one thing: is there something here for me? The classic template makes them dig for the answer. The first line is about them, the next paragraph is about us, and the actual offer sits at the bottom, if they get that far.
So we put the offer where the eyes land. The first sentence says what we do and why it's different. The second sentence is the value, in a form they can accept with one word.
Why we stopped writing "I saw you're hiring"
Signals are the core of what we do. A company that is hiring its first salesperson, opening a new location or winning a public tender is much more likely to need something right now than the same company six months ago. So our agent watches for these moments every day.
But we no longer put the signal inside the email. Three reasons:
- Everyone recognizes the trick now. "Congrats on the new office" followed by a pitch reads like someone watched you in order to sell to you. It makes people defensive, not curious.
- A wrong signal is worse than none. News gets matched to the wrong company with a similar name, a job post is already closed, an "expansion" turns out to be a takeover. One wrong line and the email is about our mistake instead of their need.
- It sounds needy. Leading with a hook signals that the offer can't stand on its own. A short, plain offer says the opposite: we're confident in what we do, take it or leave it.
So the signal does its real job in the background: it decides who we write to and when. The email itself just says what we do and what we have for them.
Classic cold email vs. ours
| Classic template | Our two sentences | |
|---|---|---|
| Opening | A line about their company or a recent event | What we do, in one sentence |
| Middle | A paragraph about the product | None |
| Ask | "Would a 15-minute call make sense?" | "Want them? Just reply yes." |
| Effort to answer | Open a calendar, think about a call | One word |
| Role of the signal | Used as a hook in the first line | Used to choose who and when; never mentioned |
| Length | 80 to 150 words | About 40 words |
What happens when someone says yes
They get a short reply with one link: the 5 companies we picked for them, with the reason each one is a fit right now, and a one-minute video of how it works. No sign-up. The "yes" leads straight to proof, not to a sales call.
How to apply this to your own outreach
- Write the offer first, then delete everything that doesn't help someone accept it.
- Make the first step something you can actually deliver right away: a short list, a sample, a one-minute video. Not a meeting.
- Ask a question that can be answered with one word.
- Use signals to decide who to write to and when, not as decoration in the first line.
- Keep one follow-up, and say clearly that you'll stop if you don't hear back.
This is also how Selamly writes for our customers: short emails, one clear offer, an easy question, and no "I noticed you…" lines. The signals choose the moment; the email stays simple.
See which companies Selamly would contact for you, free and without signing up.
See your 5 best-fit customers, free →FAQ
Isn't a two-sentence cold email too short to be taken seriously?
Short is not the same as vague. The two sentences say exactly what you do and exactly what you're offering. Long emails rarely get read to the end, so the offer at the bottom is never seen.
Should I mention the signal (a new hire, funding, a new office) in my cold email?
We don't anymore. Use the signal to decide who to contact and when. Mentioning it tends to read as surveillance, and if the signal is wrong or outdated, the email is ruined.
What should the call to action be in a cold email?
Something they can accept with one word, that you can deliver right away: "Want the list? Reply yes." A meeting request asks for too much from someone who doesn't know you yet.
How many follow-ups should I send?
We send one. It repeats the offer in a single line and says we won't write again if there's no reply. More than that starts to feel like pressure.
Does Selamly write customer emails the same way?
Yes, by default: short first emails, one offer, an easy question, and no lines about the signal. Customers can edit the example email to match their own voice.