ChatGPT prompt for a cold sales email
Write a cold email to a new prospect that opens with their situation, keeps it under 90 words and ends with one easy question. Free, no signup needed.
- Answer the starred questions
- Copy the prompt
- Paste it into ChatGPT
A trigger: a new location, hiring, a post they wrote, a referral. Optional if your AI researches them.
Format it for
Fill in the starred questions and your prompt appears here.
Paste it into ChatGPT.
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How to use it in ChatGPT
Open a new chat in ChatGPT, paste the prompt, then paste anything the prompt asks for right below it.
The prompt uses short Markdown headings like ### Task and ### Rules. ChatGPT handles this structure well, and it stays readable if you edit it.
If you've connected your email or other apps to ChatGPT, choose "Let my AI look them up" so it can use them as the source of facts.
Example: the finished prompt
For a sample company, Northside Supply. Yours uses your answers and your company profile.
Show the example promptHide the example
### About me and my company My name: Sam Rivera My role: Sales manager My company: Northside Supply What we do: Commercial shelving and racking, installed in 2–3 weeks Who we sell to: Warehouses and distribution centers ### Task Write an email to Dana Lopez, operations manager at Harbor Foods, a prospect I haven't spoken to before. The goal is to ask for a short intro call (15–20 minutes). ### Details Why them, and why now: Opening a second warehouse in Reno this spring. Proof I can mention: We installed racking for two other Reno distributors in under 3 weeks. ### Rules - Tone: friendly and warm, but professional. - Write like a real person in sales, not a marketer or a robot. - No filler openers such as "I hope this email finds you well" or "I wanted to reach out". - No buzzwords: avoid "leverage", "synergy", "circle back", "touch base", "unlock", "streamline", "game-changer". - Short sentences. Plain words. Get to the point in the first line. - My notes may be rough or have typos. Fix spelling and grammar, but keep my meaning. - Use only facts I give you, in this prompt or in anything I paste or point you to. If something important is missing, put a [placeholder] in brackets instead of making it up. - We have never met or spoken. Don't pretend otherwise, and don't fake familiarity. - Make it about them: open with their situation, not with us or our product. - One sentence on what we do, tied to their situation. No feature lists. - What to avoid: Don't mention price yet ### Output - An email under 90 words. - A subject line of 2–5 plain words. No clickbait, no questions, no emojis. - Write the subject line in normal sentence case: a capital first letter and capitalized names and places. - Start with their first name. - End with one easy question they can answer in a few words. - Give me only the message(s), ready to send. No explanations or alternatives.
Why this prompt works
Most cold emails get deleted because they're about the sender: a long intro, a feature list and a calendar link. This prompt gives your AI a reason to write to this person now, one honest proof point and a small ask, so the first draft reads like a person wrote it.
- It opens with something specific about them, like a new location or a hire, never with your company or a fake compliment.
- It keeps the email under 90 words and ends with a question they can answer in a few words.
- It can research the prospect online first and tells you what it found, so you can check it before you send.
Questions
- Can the AI research the prospect for me?
- Yes, if your AI can browse the web. Pick "Let my AI research them online first" and it looks at their website and recent news, then lists what it used under the message.
- Does it write follow-ups too?
- Pick "First message + 2 short follow-ups" and you get two follow-ups for when there's no reply. Each one adds something new instead of "just bumping this".
- Will it make up a customer or a result?
- No. It only uses the proof you give it or the true facts in your company profile. If there's no proof, it leaves it out.
- Does it work with the free version of ChatGPT?
- Yes. The prompt is plain text and works in any ChatGPT plan. Looking things up in your email needs a plan and setup that connects those apps.