Most cold emails fail for the same reason: they're about the sender. "I'm a hardworking freshman passionate about finance, and I'd love any advice or opportunities you might have." That email asks a stranger to do work, gives them no reason to care, and could have been sent to anyone. It usually gets deleted.
A good cold email is the opposite. It's short, specific, and about them. It asks for exactly one thing: a short call. And it gives the reader a reason to say yes, usually because something about you reminds them of themselves.
This guide covers the principle behind every email I send (the Two C's), the rules for length and subject lines, five templates for five common situations, the follow-up sequence, and how to read your own numbers. The full template pack is a free download.
The goal: a reply rate moving toward 10%
Most cold emails won't get a reply, and that's normal. It's not a sign you're doing it wrong. In the program, the Week 3 objective is to move each student's reply rate toward 10%. If you're well under that after a few weeks, the problem is almost always one of three things: the first line, the ask, or the list. This guide is mostly about the first two. The target list guide covers the third.
The Two C's
- Compliment: Something specific about them or their work: a deal, a post, a talk, a career move. Specific, not flattering. "I read your post on…" beats "I admire your career."
- Connection: Something you share: same school, same hometown, same first job, same weird path. If you can't find one, the compliment has to carry the email.
Why does this work? Because people are far more likely to help someone who feels familiar. An alum sees themselves four years ago. Someone from your hometown remembers what it was like to leave. A person whose post you actually read feels respected. The compliment shows you did your homework; the connection gives them a reason to care.
What a real compliment looks like
| Generic (skip) | Specific (use) |
|---|---|
| I admire your impressive career. | Your move from audit into deal advisory after two years is the exact path I'm trying to understand. |
| Your firm does amazing work. | I read about your team's work with family-owned businesses near campus. |
| You seem like a great leader. | Your talk at the campus finance night, especially the part about your first job, stuck with me. |
Where to find a connection
- Same school, same major, or same campus organization
- Same hometown or high school
- Same first job, first-gen path, or language
- Same unusual interest you can see on their profile
- A mutual contact who suggested you reach out (always ask first)
The rules
Before you hit send
- Under 120 words. If it takes more than 30 seconds to read, cut it.
- One ask: a short call. Not a job, not a referral, not "any advice you have."
- First line is about them, not you.
- Send from your school email, Tuesday to Thursday morning, their time zone.
- AI drafts; you personalize. Never send an email you haven't read.
Why under 120 words
Busy people read email on their phones between meetings. If your email fills the whole screen, it feels like work, and work gets postponed. Under 120 words fits on one phone screen with room to spare.
Why one ask
"Could we chat, and also would you look at my resume, and do you know of any openings?" That's three asks, and it's easier to ignore all three than to answer one. Ask for a short call. Everything else, including the resume feedback and the intros, comes naturally from a good call.
Subject lines
Your subject line has one job: get the email opened. Specific and short beats clever. Here are patterns that work:
- [School] freshman: quick question about your path into [field]
- Fellow [school] student with a question about [firm]
- Your post on [topic]
- From [hometown] to [role]: a question
- [Mutual contact] suggested I reach out
- Question about the [team] at [firm]
Test two subject lines on a friend: show them both and ask which one they'd open. In the program, the group votes on subject lines every Week 3 session.
Five templates
Every bracket gets replaced with something real. If you can't fill a bracket with a specific, true detail, choose a different template or a different person. A template with generic fill-ins is worse than no template.
Subject: [School] freshman: quick question about your path into [field] Hi [First name], I saw you went from [school] to [firm], and your move from [previous role] into [current role] caught my eye. [One specific detail from their profile or work.] I'm a freshman studying [major] and trying to learn how people actually break into [field]. Would you be open to a short call in the next couple of weeks? Happy to work around your schedule. Thank you, [Your name] [School] · [LinkedIn URL]
Subject: From [hometown] to [role]: a question Hi [First name], I noticed you're also from [hometown] (I went to [high school]). Seeing someone from home working in [field] at [firm] made me want to reach out. I'm a freshman at [school] exploring [field]. Would you have 20 minutes for a quick call sometime soon? I'd love to hear how you got started. Best, [Your name] [LinkedIn URL]
Subject: Your post on [topic] Hi [First name], I read your post on [topic], especially the point about [specific point]. It changed how I think about [related idea]. I'm a freshman at [school] interested in [field], and I'd love to ask you a couple of questions about your work at [firm]. Would you be open to a short call in the next two weeks? Thanks, [Your name] [LinkedIn URL]
Subject: Local student with a question about [firm] Hi [First name], I'm a freshman at [school] and I've been reading about [firm]'s work with [type of client / recent project]. It's rare to find a firm doing [specific thing] right here in [your area]. I'm trying to learn how people get started in [field]. Would you be open to a quick call? I'm local and happy to meet for coffee if that's easier. Thank you, [Your name] [LinkedIn URL]
Subject: [Company]'s [feature / launch] Hi [First name], I've been using / following [company] since [specific thing], and [one sentence on what impressed you]. I'm a freshman at [school] who wants to learn how early-stage companies work. Would you be open to a 15–20 minute call? If there's ever a small project I could help with, I'd love to hear about it too. [Your name] [LinkedIn URL]
How to pick the template
| Situation | Template | Note |
|---|---|---|
| They went to your school | 1. Same school | Your highest reply rate; start every list with alumni |
| Same hometown, high school, or path | 2. Shared background | Lead with the connection, briefly |
| They wrote, said, or built something public | 3. Something they made | Quote one specific point |
| Small or local firm | 4. Local or small firm | Offer coffee if you're nearby |
| Founder or early employee | 5. Startup founder | Shorter and more direct |
The follow-up sequence
No reply is normal. Busy people miss emails, mean to reply and forget, or see it at a bad moment. A polite follow-up gives them another chance. The rule: at most 4 follow-ups. Weekly in November and December, which is peak season, and biweekly to monthly off-peak.
At most 4 follow-ups. Weekly in November and December (peak season); biweekly to monthly off-peak.
| Step | Peak (Nov–Dec) | Off-peak | What to send |
|---|---|---|---|
| Follow-up 1 | Day 7 | Day 14 | Hi [First name], just bumping this up in case it got buried. Would love 20 minutes whenever works. Thank you! |
| Follow-up 2 | Day 14 | Day 28 | Hi [First name], I know this time of year is busy. I'm still very interested in hearing about your path at [firm]. Even a short call would help a lot. |
| Follow-up 3 | Day 21 | Day 45 | Hi [First name], I've been [one real update: reading about X / started Y]. It made me want to ask you about [specific question] even more. Any chance for a quick call? |
| Follow-up 4 (last) | Day 28 | Day 75 | Hi [First name], I'll leave it here so I'm not crowding your inbox. If a call ever makes sense down the road, I'd be grateful. Thanks for reading. |
A full example, start to finish
Here's how one email comes together for a made-up contact, Alex Example, an analyst at a made-up boutique who went to your school.
- Research: Alex's profile shows two years in audit before moving to deal advisory, and a post about what surprised them in their first deal.
- Compliment: the post, specifically the point about how much of the job is organizing information.
- Connection: same school, same major.
- Template: 1. Same school.
Subject: Fellow [school] student with a question about deal advisory Hi Alex, I read your post about your first deal, especially the point that most of the job is organizing information well. That's not what I expected, and it made me want to learn more. I'm a freshman in [major] at [school], same as you, and I'm trying to understand how people move from audit into deals. Would you be open to a short call in the next couple of weeks? Happy to work around your schedule. Thank you, [Your name] [LinkedIn URL]
It's under 100 words. It's about Alex. It asks for one thing. And it couldn't have been sent to anyone else.
After the reply
When someone says yes, reply within 24 hours with two or three time options, or a scheduling link if you have one. Confirm the day before. Then prepare for the call. The networking call guide covers the full framework, and the thank-you note you'll send 1–2 hours afterward.
Reading your numbers
Every Sunday, calculate your reply rate: replies divided by emails sent that week. Track it week over week. When it's low, change one thing at a time so you know what worked.
| Symptom | Likely cause | Try |
|---|---|---|
| Almost no replies from anyone | First line or subject line | More specific first lines; test new subject lines |
| Replies from alumni only | Weak connection elsewhere | Lead with a stronger compliment when you can't find a connection |
| Replies say "too busy" | The ask feels big | Ask for 15–20 minutes, their schedule, phone or video |
| No replies from senior people | The list | Email analysts and associates first |
Common mistakes
- Opening with "My name is…" The first line should be about them.
- Attaching your resume to a first email. Offer it on the call instead.
- Asking for a job or an internship directly.
- Writing more than 120 words.
- Generic compliments that could apply to anyone.
- Giving up after one email. Load the follow-ups.
Before you send
- A specific compliment, a real connection, or both
- Under 120 words, one ask
- Every bracket filled with something true
- Subject line tested
- Follow-ups loaded
Templates get you started. What gets replies is the specific detail you add to each one, and the discipline to send 50 a week and follow up on every single one. That discipline is what the program's weekly minimum is for.