Cold email template

Cold email template for photographers (product, food and brand)

A first email to a business whose photos are holding it back, written so the owner sees the problem before you mention a camera.

Subject: the blue mug photo

Hi Lena, In your shop, the photo of the speckled blue mug is taken from above, so you can't see the speckles or how big it is, and it's your best-reviewed one. If you send me one mug, I'll shoot it the way the photo should look, free, and you can use it either way. Want to try? Omar

59 words. The business and the people are made up; the shape is what works.

Why this gets replies

It names one exact photo. She knows straight away Omar looked at her shop, not a list.
It says what a buyer can't see (speckles, size), which is what she cares about: sales.
The free photo is real work, but it's also the best possible portfolio: her own product.
One question with a yes she can say in one word.

Facts to open with

The first line is the whole email. Spend two minutes on their website, shop or Google listing and find one of these:

A best-seller shot from an angle that hides it
Photos on a cluttered or dark background
No photo shows the size or scale
The team page has no photos of the team
Menu dishes shown with flash at night

Then say what it means for their customers, not what you'd do about it.

The free offer

One of their own photos, re-shot or re-edited, so they can see the difference on their own product. Small, finished and useful even if they never hire you. That's what makes "yes" an easy reply.

Follow-ups

In the same thread, each one shorter than the first and adding something new. Stop the moment they reply.

About 4 days laterHi Lena, one quick thing you can do today: a coin or a hand next to the mug shows the size better than any description. The free photo offer stands too.

Two weeks later, the last oneHi Lena, last one from me. If you ever want that mug re-shot, reply "mug" and I'll send the address.

Send this to 50 businesses, each with their own fact. ScoutKite finds small businesses who published their email on their own site, reads each site, and writes this kind of email from one true fact about them. You approve every one; it goes from your own inbox.

Use this template →

The rules ScoutKite will follow

"Use this template" starts a campaign with these rules and the free offer filled in. You can change any of them.

Keep it under 70 words
Open with one specific photo on their site or shop and what a customer can't tell from it
No portfolio link, no packages, no prices
End by offering to redo one photo free and asking if they want that

Check yours

Writing your own version? Run it through the cold email checker for spam words and length, and get follow-ups from the follow-up writer. More templates: web designers, seo consultants, bookkeepers and accountants, social media managers.