Your agency can do the work. The hard part is getting a local business owner, who gets pitched by agencies every week, to read past the first line. Generic emails that open with "We help businesses grow" get deleted because they could have been sent to anyone.
The templates below are built around one idea: show the owner you looked at their business, make one specific observation, and ask a small question. Copy them, then edit the bracketed observation for each segment before you send.
Before you paste anything
These templates use merge tags in exactly this form, because that is the form that gets filled in when sending:
{{params.name}}for the business name{{params.firstname}}for the owner's first name{{params.website}}for their site{{params.city}}for the city{{params.category}}for the business type
Two practical warnings:
- Check for empty fields. If
{{params.firstname}}is blank for some leads, "Hi ," looks broken. Split those leads into a separate list and use a version that opens with "Hi there" or the business name. - Write one observation per segment, not per email. Group leads by category and city, then write a line that is true for that whole group (for example, roofers in one city with no reviews mentioned on their site). This keeps personalisation honest without writing 300 emails by hand.
First-touch templates
Template 1: The specific observation
Best for: businesses where you spotted a clear, fixable gap.
Subject: quick question about {{params.name}}
Hi {{params.firstname}},
I was looking at {{params.category}} businesses in {{params.city}} and came across {{params.website}}.
[One specific observation, e.g. "Your homepage doesn't have a phone number above the fold, so mobile visitors have to scroll to call you."]
We fix this kind of thing for local service businesses, usually as a small first project before anything bigger.
Would it be useful if I sent over a short note with two or three changes I'd make?
[Your name] [Agency name]
Template 2: The local comparison
Best for: categories where competitors are visibly ahead on Google Maps or reviews.
Subject: {{params.name}} vs other {{params.category}} in {{params.city}}
Hi {{params.firstname}},
When I search for {{params.category}} in {{params.city}}, a few competitors show up ahead of {{params.name}}. From what I can see, the difference is mostly [their review count / their Google profile photos / service pages for each area], not the quality of the work.
That's usually fixable in a few weeks.
Open to a 15-minute call where I show you what I found? No deck, just the search results.
[Your name]
Template 3: The free asset
Best for: lower-trust audiences who want proof before a call.
Subject: made something for {{params.name}}
Hi {{params.firstname}},
I put together a short [one-page audit / mock-up of a new homepage section / list of five keywords] for {{params.name}}, based on what I saw on {{params.website}}.
Happy to send it over, no strings. Should I email it here or to someone else on your team?
[Your name]
Only use this if you will actually make the asset. Promising one and sending a generic PDF burns trust fast.
Template 4: The short one
Best for: busy trades and owners who read on their phone.
Subject: {{params.city}} {{params.category}}
Hi {{params.firstname}},
I run a small agency that gets more calls for {{params.category}} businesses in places like {{params.city}}.
Worth a quick chat about {{params.name}}, or not a priority right now?
[Your name]
Follow-up templates
Space follow-ups a few days apart. A common rule of thumb is two to four follow-ups, each shorter than the last. More options are in our follow-up email templates.
Follow-up 1 (about 3 days later)
Subject: Re: quick question about {{params.name}}
Hi {{params.firstname}}, just bringing this back to the top of your inbox. Would the short note with changes for {{params.website}} be useful?
Follow-up 2 (about 5 days later): new angle
Hi {{params.firstname}},
Different idea: a lot of {{params.category}} owners I talk to care less about the website and more about getting the phone ringing in quiet months. If that's closer to what matters for {{params.name}}, I'd love to hear what's working for you now.
Follow-up 3 (about a week later): the close-out
Hi {{params.firstname}}, I'll stop here so I'm not cluttering your inbox. If growing {{params.name}} in {{params.city}} becomes a priority later, just reply to this and I'll pick it up.
Branch versions: opened vs not opened
If your tool supports branching, you can send different follow-ups depending on behaviour. Open tracking is imperfect (some email apps block or preload tracking pixels), so treat it as a hint, not proof. Read more on open tracking accuracy.
| Branch | What to send |
|---|---|
| If Opened | Follow-up 2 (new angle). They saw it; the first pitch may not have landed. |
| If NOT Opened | Resend the first email with a new subject line, e.g. "{{params.name}}" alone. |
| If Clicked | A direct ask: "Saw you had a look. Want me to send the full list?" |
The If Opened branching playbook walks through full flows.
Getting the list and sending it
These templates only work if the merge fields hold real data. Pulling businesses from Google Maps by category and city gives you name, website, city and category for most leads, and sometimes the owner's name. In GetClient, the Google Maps scraper feeds leads straight into a campaign, so you can verify emails, build the flow with branches and send from your own Gmail or SMTP account without exporting between tools. New accounts get 100 free credits; see plans and credits.
Before launching, run through the email campaign QA checklist: preview each step with a real lead, check for blank tags, and make sure an unsubscribe link is included. Cold email rules differ by country, so check the ones that apply to you.
Editing tips that matter more than the template
- Keep the first email under about 120 words. That is a rule of thumb, not a law, but short reads better on mobile.
- One ask per email. A reply, not a booked call and a link and a PDF.
- No attachments on the first touch. They look like spam to filters and people.
- Send in small daily volumes from a warmed-up account to protect your domain.
- Reply fast. A reply that sits for two days loses its momentum.