Funny cold emails: Easy templates for better prospecting

Adding humour to your outreach emails can be an effective way of connecting with prospects. Check out some of our adaptable templates for a little inspiration!

Crafting the perfect prospecting email is no easy feat – and when you have to write multiple introductions, followed by even more chasers, it can be easy to slip into a monotonous routine. That’s where funny cold emails take pole position!

While some people (we name no names 🥱) don’t think there’s a place for humour in email prospecting, we beg to differ. Whether it’s your email subject lines, main body or even a creative call to action, a well-placed touch of humour can go a long way in email outreach.

While only 24% of teams use humour in their email marketing campaigns, 69% of people said they would be more likely to open an email if it embraced humour in the subject line. 

Why humour is well-placed in cold email prospecting

1. Crafting funny emails grabs attention
   A pun or punchline in your email copy can benefit open rates, click-through rates and other metrics in a sea of generic emails.
2. Humour creates a memorable experience
   Something that makes us laugh out loud sticks around – the aim of the game is for your business to remain top of mind. You can stand out with a bit of stand-up!
3. Builds rapport
   With salesperson after salesperson trying to push their product or service, this shows off a creative flair and highlights that you’re trying to engage on a human level. Build a positive first impression by putting a smile on the faces of your target audience.
4. Break the awkwardness
   Cold outreach risks feeling impersonal, and can sometimes be a little awkward! Whether you’re at a party or sending an email, we all know the best way to break the tension is by cracking a joke – it can lead to a far more productive conversation.
5. Demonstrate your personality
   A flair for the funny shows off your personality and your company’s culture, too! It humanises the experience and will make your brand more relatable to prospecting customers.
6. Encourages a response
   The real benefit of injecting a little humour into your outreach! A funny email is more likely to get a response, leaving the door open for conversation and further collaboration.

We know a thing or two about writing the perfect prospecting email: be brief and follow our golden rules. And don’t skip out on sending follow-up emails!

However, it’s essential to use humour judiciously in cold email prospecting. Ensure it aligns with your brand’s tone and the recipient’s sensibilities. A poorly executed joke or pun can backfire, so always test your emails with a small sample before sending them out broadly.

When to inject humour into your sales emails

First, let’s talk about something vital to comedy: timing. When is the right time to add a touch of laughter to proceedings?

In your initial outreach, you should introduce your proposition and use research to demonstrate how you can help the prospect.

The first chaser is a simple nudge, and the second chaser should emphasise the benefits you can offer and the pain points you can soothe.

The final email, known as ‘the breakup’, is one final attempt to connect. You’ve got nothing to lose at this point.

Sales reps will stand out from the competition by including a humorous message at this stage of the outreach.

A touch of humour is more memorable – meaning your prospect will be more likely to remember your pitch, even more so if it’s the last message before giving up.

We are also more likely to buy from people we like, and a funny sales email is a modern shortcut to getting someone on your side. Put someone in a good mood; they are much more likely to find some time in their calendar.

Funny sales email templates for openers

As already mentioned, we don’t generally advise using humour in opening emails. We think the initial outreach should get to the point and ask for a quick call.

However, here at Sopro, we have a test and learn approach, always willing to trial prospecting techniques! The email template below was an experiment we ran, proving that humour can drive results even in an initial outreach email.

Subject: Sopro brief chat

 

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Hi Bruce,

I’m looking for the right person at Wayne Enterprises for a quick chat about helping you out with some sales prospecting.

I didn’t want to sound like every other email so here’s a cow fail instead.

Regards,
Steve

Your amusing messages don’t have to contain stand-up quality jokes either. Just striking a lighthearted tone that plays on a well-known cultural reference can stand out in a sea of corporate emails.

Here’s an example, using the recent Oscars as the theme. 🎨

Funny cold email templates for follow-ups

Follow-up emails are where humour starts to come into its own. You’ve laid out your proposition, and now you are just trying to get their attention, so a funny, cold email can be just the thing to do.

You don’t always need cows. You don’t even need images. To be honest, laugh-out-loud humour isn’t necessary either. The following email shows that a light-hearted approach can sometimes work wonders.

Subject: Hopefully of interest

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Hi Clark,

Third times a charm!

As you can tell, I am very keen to speak with the Daily Planet.

If I am barking up the wrong tree with you, could you point me at the right person to speak to? If I am at the correct tree, not that I’m calling you a tree, can we speak?

Steve

Even though this person had no need for our services, the line about the tree got to them. They still took the time to write a reply and suggest we follow up with them at a later date.

A different prospect relied to this email template with a simple offer:

Why not jump in with a well-timed pop culture reference?

Funny cold email chasers

Adele chases pavements, we send chaser emails. And combining the two seemed to work pretty well.

Subject: Quick call

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Hello from the other side, I must have emailed a thousand times…

On a more professional subject Tony, I will not disturb you with another email about Stark Industries and how Sopro could produce leads for you.

Are you interested in having a quick chat? If not, please tell me so I can stop blasting Adele.

Best regards,
Steve

This person wasn’t sure if they liked the approach or not – but it clearly had the desired effect of lifting the email above the chatter and getting a reply.

A picture is worth a thousand laughs

Finding an amusing image (but one that makes a point about the risk of missing out) meant that this funny sales email template was short but sweet.

Subject: Sopro intro

 

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Hi Barbara,

I saw this and couldn’t resist… any good times to speak later this week?

Last email from me by the way.

Best,
Steve

And the reply…

We recently tested opening cold emails that use our gifting service to offer a free coffee and combined it with personalised images. The result is a stand-out email: the image, a touch of humour, and you get to see Craig’s lovely face before you’ve even replied to his email!

Subject: Coffee on me?

 

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Hi Jack,

I’m looking for the right person at YourCo for a quick chat about helping you hit your leads and sales targets.

If it’s you and you’re up for hearing about our prospecting service, let’s set up a call. I’ll also get a coffee with your name on in your hands faster than you can say “Actually, I prefer tea”.

All the best,
Craig

Make the chaser land with a furry friend

Email humour can be wide ranging; we’ve used cute kittens as well as cows stuck on gates, as you can see below.

Subject: Fwd: Biz-dev intro

 

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Hi there Diana, 

I haven’t heard back from you yet. Don’t worry, I can take a hint.

I just wanted you to know that every time you ignore an email, somewhere a little kitten weeps. 

Worth a call? Or are you not a fan of kittens?

Regards,
Steve

You can perhaps see that email working if the prospect likes kittens. But the below response demonstrates that it connected with someone who is clearly not a fan.

Dogs work as well as cats

Maybe we thought that man’s best friend would be more popular than the internet’s favourite fluffy meme. Either way, dogs and funny emails tend to work well when combined.

Subject: Fwd: Hopefully of interest – Steve/Sopro

 

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Hey Matt,

It is not my intention to irritate you, so this is my final follow up! My Spidey senses are telling me you’ve not come back to me for a reason, but in case there is a small chance you just forgot to reply to my other emails, please let me know if you are happy to have a chat.

We have worked with other businesses similar to Nelson and Murdock and am confident we can help, so it would be awesome to have a call, but if not, please enjoy this pug rocker picture instead:

Regards,
Steve

The recipient of this one went on quite a journey, but ultimately ended where we wanted them – on the phone to a sales rep.

Homer says please

Dog, cats…. what about yellow cartoons?

Subject: Fwd: Biz-dev intro – Sopro

 

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Hi there Peter,

Last attempt from me, as I’m not looking to make an enemy! I strongly believe we can help The Daily Bugle, but appreciate if you feel the opposite, so if you ignore this email, I will assume that is the case.

As it could be that you are just too busy at the moment, you can simply reply with how many months I should wait before getting back in touch, fingers crossed the number is less than 100!

Regards,
Steve

This prospect enjoyed the light-hearted, helpful approach in our emails, and even thanked us for being so persistent.

Keep it light, but don’t forget the basics

Humour is a great tactic to weave into your outreach. It’s a smart and simple strategy that makes your brand memorable and your outreach personable. It adds a humanised approach that is popular amongst buyers.

However, it’s essential not to forget the basics of email prospecting. Here at Sopro, we’ve sent over 75 million emails – from that, we know it’s integral to build a foundation of trust and authority. 

Second, it’s also vital that you don’t apply unnecessary pressure, you are clear and concise, and focus on a collaborative approach. 

Head to our latest State of Prospecting report to better understand email prospecting best practices.

Top tip: It’s important to note that you should avoid dark humour, politics and polarising current affairs. The aim is to delight and keep it light!

Once you’ve nailed our ten golden rules to email prospecting, that’s when you can make the most of humour to break through that natural barrier.

Want to keep a tight leash on humour vs performance? Be sure to make the most of Email Awesomeness Checker – a free tool that helps you to optimise your content and improve your spam score. 

Or get in touch to find out how we can bring our expertise to your business.