VIBGYOR: How to skyrocket your cold email response rate?

Cold emails are one of the best ways to reach a mass audience. It is cost-effective, it is easy, and most importantly, it works.

But not everyone gets the fruit of their labor with cold email marketing, which is “high response rates.”

This mainly happens because a large number of marketers refuse to get out of the ‘deserted letter writing format’ they learned in high school. And when they write an email using this format, their emails get lost somewhere in the prospect’s inbox. Which frankly never gets opened.

And just like that, all your hard work – wasted. And now, one who could have been an amazing client will open an email from a marketer who actually knows how to write a cold email that works.

“Did you know that by simply writing your prospect’s first name, your chances of getting a reply increases by a huge chunk?”

In this blog, I will guide you step-by-step through writing a successful cold email using the Rainbow Method.

Rainbow Method is a proven technique that consists of 7 colors. Each color signifies a crucial step that will increase your chances of getting a response on your cold email campaigns.

What makes a cold email successful?

Is it a good product that makes your email successful? Is it your credentials? No!

The first thing a prospect sees in an email before marking it as spam is that if they know the sender, or if the sender knows them.

So, if you open an email with “Our services are awesome, buy today,” you are getting marked as spam.

Always do your research before sending your prospect an email. Your research should consist of things like:

The basis of their company
Their Product
Their role in the company
Their problems
Their interests

The more information you have about your prospect, the better.

Once you have enough information about them, start coloring the rainbow with VIBGYOR. It stands for Violet, Indigo, Blue, Green, Yellow, Orange, and Red. Here’s what I mean:

V(Violet) – Vibrant :

Think of yourself as a customer buying your product for a second, and ask yourself, is your product showing a vibrant visual?

It is your job as a seller to show your prospect how vibrant their life will be if they invest in your product.

For example, imagine you are purchasing a ticket to a cruise vacation for the first time. The bookie asks you, “Do you want a ticket for one person or two”? You’d probably stick to 1.

Because you are just thinking of yourself getting out of work and having a nice vacation.

But in the second scenario, the bookie strikes up a conversation with you and says, “This is going to be the best summer of your life. Feeling the sun on your skin, hearing the relaxing sound of the ocean, having a delicious dinner, drinking some fine wine.”

This will now certainly make your plan of lying in the long chair on the cruise deck, with a bottle of beer alone, a bit boring. Won’t it?

You’ll then most probably convince one of your friends or your significant other to go with you.

Result? The cruise liner’s sale doubled just by showing you the image of extra chilling vacation.

I(Indigo) – Intriguing

Showing a great visual will not work if your pitch is not intriguing enough. Why you? – is the question.

There are several cruise liners who can offer what you’re offering. What makes you special? Here is where you brag about yourself. Back your sales pitch with interesting facts, quotes, and stories.

You can state figures and deals which you have closed in the past and show them how your business or product is impacting people’s lives. You can also get a short testimonial from your existing client. Make sure to add a photo and the person’s name. Doing this increases the credibility of your claims in your email. People despise being left out of something special. If you believe you have something special to offer, show your prospects its value.

B(Blue) – Benefits:

Features are the backbone of a product. But without, nerves there is no sensation You need to explain to your prospects how your product will make their life easier. Or how it will add value to them.

How do you do that? By converting features into benefits.

Whenever you are describing a feature of your product, ask yourself this – “So What”?

So What – is a technique used by successful marketers and salespeople to better connect with their prospects.

Here is an example of what I mean by this. Let’s suppose you are selling a car:

Customer: Why should I buy your car?

You: Our car has a state-of-the-art dual airbag system.

Customer: Pfff. Big deal. (So what?)

You: It will protect you and your family better

Customer: I don’t need it. I drive safely. (So what?)

You: I understand, but can you make sure every other person on the road drives safely?

Customer: What do you mean?

Your final copy:

You can’t control how other people drive.

But what you can control is how you keep yourself and your loved ones safe.

Presenting – Bolstercars state-of-the-art dual airbag system. And intelligent investment towards a safe and happy life.

(Available for preorder)

G(Green) – Give it emotions

You may have seen this. Heart-warming TV advertisements, but the product they’re selling is in no way connected to the advertisement’s story.

They will show you an emotional story, and in the end, a voice actor will say the company’s name and slogan in an enthusiastic voice. And the company’s logo pops up.

Why do you think TV advertisers do that? Wouldn’t it be more efficient just to describe the product they’re selling?

The answer is – Emotions.

When they show you this emotional story with a happy ending, it triggers a particular feel-good hormone inside your brain. And, when they plug the company logo in your vulnerable state, you attach that feel-good emotion with the brand.

Advertisers have been using this technique of connecting a specific emotion with brands/products for decades.

The good thing is you can also use the same technique to increase your responses.

What you need to do is just trigger an emotion. It doesn’t need to be a feel-good one like in the ads. You can make your prospect feel that they are being contacted by someone they already know.

For this, you need to personalize your email and direct it to that one person, rather than sending the same copy-paste to 100 people.

Simple ‘Hello First Name’ instead of ‘Hello Everyone’ will take you a long way.

Also, I encourage you to do some research on the receiver before sending an email. Like, check their socials. Have they posted something? Did they do something? Achieved something? If yes, talk about it in your email.

When you personalize your email, it triggers the emotion of curiosity in your prospect. And that certainly increases your chance of getting a response.

Y(Yellow) – You, not we:

No one cares how much you have achieved with your company or how much you‘re willing to sacrifice for it. No offense, by the way : ).

People look for ‘What’s in it for Me’ (WIIFM).

So, put yourself in your prospect’s shoes, and start thinking. What’s in it for them?

Here’s what I mean by that.

Here are two statements that mean the same thing but make a tremendous amount of difference:

1. ‘We would like to offer our services, and we are very proud to say that with you, we now have 100 clients and counting’.

2. ‘You can save yourself from that grueling *insert customer problem that you will solve* just by partnering with us. And on top of that, you can also be a proud member of our First_100_Clients Club’.

Did number 2 sound better? By simply changing your language from ‘we’ to ‘you,’ your chances of response rise through the roof.

O(Orange) – Obligate them

CTA, or call to action, isthe most critical part of any copy. You need to let your prospects know what you are expecting from them.

Is it a call that you want to be scheduled for? Or do you want them to click on a link and visit your website?

In any case, humbly ask them to do just that.

But in no case you should leave your prospect hanging, not knowing what to do next after reading your fabulous copy.

R(Red) – Read Aloud

Even after following all the methods above, if your prospect does not connect with your thoughts, you have not succeeded. For all of these methods to work, your copy needs to sound like you are talking to someone in real life – natural.

So here is our final method of writing a successful cold email extracted from the VIBGYOR technique.

Read your copy out loud.

Always make sure to read your emails aloud before hitting the send button. Simulated copies make you look like a spammer. And as a marketer, you want to avoid that tag as much as you can.

Reading aloud also helps you catch mistakes that would otherwise go unnoticed.

There it is. Seven methods to skyrocket your cold email responses. It, however, takes time to master all these methods. But once you master it, you’ll start to see crazy changes in your inbox activity.

We have also written several other blogs on different aspects of businesses that will undoubtedly help you climb the ladder of success a bit faster than your competitor. So, make sure to give them a read by clicking here.