You wrote a solid cold email, then started wondering whether it should look like a newsletter: logo, colors, a big button. Or should it look like a note you typed to one person? The choice changes how your email is read, and sometimes whether it gets read at all.
This guide answers one question: which format should you use for cold outreach, and how do you set it up today?
The short answer
For a first cold email to someone who has never heard of you, start plain. A plain email looks like it came from a person, which is what a cold email is supposed to be. Designed emails look like marketing, and people sort marketing differently from personal messages.
Designed layouts still have a place. They are just rarely the right first move with a stranger.
Why plain usually fits cold outreach
Think about how you treat your own inbox. A message with a banner, a logo and three buttons reads as a campaign sent to thousands. A short note with your name in it reads as something a person wrote to you.
Plain emails also tend to have practical advantages:
- Fewer moving parts. No images that fail to load, no layout that breaks on a phone.
- Less that looks promotional. Heavy HTML, many images and lots of links are traits of bulk mail. Keeping your email simple avoids looking like that.
- Easier to personalize. A short text email makes a specific opening line stand out. See personalization for how to write one that does not feel templated.
- Faster to write and test. You can change one sentence and send again.
This is reasoning, not a guarantee. Deliverability depends on your domain, your list quality and your sending volume far more than on layout.
When a designed email makes sense
A designed or boxed layout can work when:
- The person already knows you (past client, event contact, someone who replied before).
- Your offer is visual, like a portfolio for a designer or before-and-after photos for a salon.
- You are sending an update or announcement rather than starting a conversation.
A middle ground often works well: a light layout with a simple box around the text, no images, one link. It looks a little cleaner without looking like an ad.
| Situation | Suggested format |
|---|---|
| First email to a stranger | Plain |
| Follow-ups in the same thread | Plain |
| Warm contact or past client | Plain or light box |
| Visual offer (design, photos) | Light box, one link to examples |
| News or announcement to existing contacts | Designed is fine |
How to set up a plain cold email today
1. Strip it down
Remove the logo, the header image and any button. Keep a short signature: name, business, phone, website as plain text. Aim for a few short paragraphs a reader can finish on a phone screen.
2. Keep links to a minimum
One link, or none. A rule of thumb many senders follow is to leave links out of the first email entirely and ask a question instead. A reply is the goal, not a click.
3. Write one specific line about them
Open with something that shows you looked: their category, their city, something on their website. If you build your list from Google Maps, you already have this data. A bulk keyword search across several cities gives you business name, category, city and website for each lead.
4. Use merge tags carefully
In GetClient, merge tags must be written exactly like this: {{params.name}} for the business name, {{params.firstname}}, {{params.website}}, {{params.city}} and {{params.category}}. Only that form is filled in when sending. A broken tag in a plain email is very visible, so check every one.
Example opening:
Hi {{params.firstname}}, I came across {{params.name}} while looking at {{params.category}} businesses in {{params.city}}.
If a field like first name might be empty for some leads, write a version that still reads fine without it, or clean those rows first. This guide on how to clean a CSV before importing covers that.
5. Add an unsubscribe option
Even in a plain email, give people an easy way out. Rules vary by country, so check the ones that apply to you. GetClient adds a one-click unsubscribe link with a signed URL per recipient and skips unsubscribed addresses automatically.
6. Preview every step
Send yourself a test or use a per-step preview. Read it on a phone. If it looks like a newsletter, cut more.
How to test plain against designed
Want to know for your own niche? Run a small, fair test:
- Pick one list segment, same niche and similar cities.
- Split it in two. Keep subject line and wording identical. Change only the layout (plain vs boxed).
- Send both from the same account on the same days.
- Compare replies, not opens. Opens are an unreliable signal, and a reply is what you want.
- Treat small numbers with caution. A handful of replies either way does not prove much.
GetClient lets you switch between plain and boxed layout per campaign and see analytics for each, so two campaigns side by side is the simplest way to compare.
Follow-ups: keep the same look
Whatever you pick for email one, keep follow-ups consistent. A sudden switch from a plain note to a glossy template feels like a different sender. Short plain follow-ups (two or three lines) work well because they read like a nudge from a person. If you branch based on engagement, the guide on If Opened follow-ups explains how to word each path.
Quick checklist before you send
- No images, no logo header
- One link at most
- One specific line about the recipient
- Merge tags written exactly in the {{params.x}} form
- Short text signature
- Unsubscribe link present
- Previewed on mobile
You can try this with 100 free credits and no card on GetClient. Plans are on the pricing page.