Cold email GIF campaign that got huge speakers for a conference
What up friends? This is Sam, the founder of Hustle Con and TheHustle.
I wrote a post on Nev’s blog explaining how I hosted a conference made me $40,000 in 7 weeks. You people loved it. So, I thought I’d teach you another cool lesson:
How to get in touch with influencers.
In this post, I’ll explain step-by-step the four ways we convince big time founders to speak at Hustle Con. If you follow these steps you’ll be able to connect with pretty much anyone with an email address.
In fact, we got these founders to speak at HustleCon using these exact emails and methods:
....so let me show you exactly how I got all these big-wigs to show up to my conference just with just some cold emails.
You've got to cold email like a boss!
In 15 years our kids will be shocked when we say, “back then you could email anyone on earth…and they’d actually respond!”
A lot of people don’t realize this, but getting in touch with someone via cold email is shockingly easy. I’ve had email convos with Jeff Bezos (founder of Amazon), the founder of Twitter, even famous actors…all because of cold emails. Here’s how I do it…
I’m using Tim Westergren, the founder of Pandora, for this example. He's agreed to speak at this year's Hustle Con after a few cold emails.
Step 1: Find the person’s email:
Obviously we have to find the person’s email, right? Most email addresses are pretty simple, but there’s one tool that’ll make the guessing game super easy: Thrust.io
Thrust is super simple. Enter in your target’s name, what company they work for and watch the magic happen. Thrust uses wizardry and finds your your target’s email:
I just typed in "Tim Westergren, Pandora" and found his email in two seconds.
Step 2: Craft an irresistible email:
This is where the Hustle Con team and I really kick ass. We know how to make participating in our conference a no brainer.
It doesn’t matter what you’re selling, make sure your “ask” clearly shows how it benefits the receiver. If you’ve never studied copywriting before, take Neville’s Copywriting Course. It’s a game changer for cold emails. If you’re too lazy to take it, here’s the summary: no one cares about you…they only care about themselves.
Here's what I sent Tim along with his response. If you wanna write your own, use the AIDA formula.
Check out the gif we sent Tim. This is our secret touch. We made one for each speaker. They’re pretty easy to make. We took photos of us spelling out “Hey will you speak at Hustle Con?” Then, when we sent an email, we Photoshopped the person’s name on a blank photo:
People loved this photo because it was unique, funny, and showed we took extra time to personally reach out.
Step 3: Follow up and CLOSE THEM:
Here’s where winners emerge. Big shots get 100’s of emails a day, so they’ll most likely ignore you. Don’t take it personally. You must follow up. When I was a noob, I thought this was nagging. It’s not. Just make sure to add an easy out.
Something like “if you’re not interested in this, no sweat…I’m still a fan of your company.”
As long you’re tasteful, you can send 7 to 10 emails every 5 days without being annoying. Here's how many emails I sent Tim Westergren:
See, it’s not nagging. Tim responded after three emails!
I can’t emphasize enough how important following up is. I’ve chatted with the founders of GoPro, Thrillist, Gilt, and Twitter all because I’m constantly following up. Sure, they may not always say yes, but they will remember me.
Hell, I’ve followed up so much that the founder of Legal Zoom and Honest Co. (aka Jessica Alba’s cofounder) offered me a job:
And finally, here are three emails that required tons of followup. In fact, I followed up with the founder of Imgur for literally 6 months before he said yes.
Use your current network for a warm intro:
Rick Marini, the founder of Branch Out and Tickle, was one of last year’s most accomplished speakers at Hustle Con. He sold Tickle for $100 million, founded one of the fastest growing social networks in the world, and is an extremely successful angel investor....so he gets literally 100’s of emails a day.
To contact Rick, I used a mutual connection using this 5-step process. Sure, it’s mostly common sense, but you’d be shocked at how many people fail after steps 3, 4, and 5.
Use your current network for a warm intro.
Method A: Find your target’s Linkedin account
Simple enough, right?
Method B: Find mutual connections
Next, I scrolled to the bottom of Rick’s profile and see who we had in common. Sweet! Looks like my buddy Joey is LinkedIn buds with with Rick.
If you don’t have any mutual friends, use this same tactic but on Facebook or skip to the cold email step below:
Method C: Write the email FOR your mutual connection
I asked Joey for the intro, but I made sure to write the majority of the email for him. (Here’s a link to the exact email I wrote for Joey. Feel free to copy)
Remember, he’s doing me the favor. I should make life as EASY as possible for the person doing the intro. That’s why I write the email for them. Otherwise it’ll never happen.
And if your friend decides to write a little message, like Joey did for me, your email with the important details is still at the bottom.
This was my initial email to Joey. Assume that your target will see this email, so include all the details:
Joey wrote his own message but kept our original email at the bottom.
Step 4: Create a powerful first impression:
Once you get the opening, respond FAST and hit your mark. I try and respond within 30 minutes, but ideally within 5. Rick is doing me a favor by even talking to me. He’s a successful and busy guy, so he most likely won’t respond first.
Think of networking or sales like hunting. This is your chance to make a fantastic first impression and get the kill. The goal of this hunt isn’t a deer, but a relationship. And you’re not using a bow and arrow, but kindness, sincerity, promptness, and salesmanship. So basically, be Cupid.
This is your opening...make it count!
I wanna point out two crucial parts of my message: specifics and writing style.
You’ll notice that I mentioned how I knew Rick worked at Fisher Scientific years ago. How did I know this?
Because I watched every video about Rick. I wanted to make sure he’d be a good fit for the event, but also to better understand my “customer.”
Before I talk to a potential customer, I read/watch everything about them so I know their wants and personality. If you’re trying to make a sale, make sure to comment about something very specific and meaningful to that person so they know you’re sincere.
The research isn’t hard to do, it just takes time. Google the person you’re contacting and read everything from pages 1 to 5.
Yes, some may think it’s strange to tell Rick how much I know about him, but in doing so I prove that I genuinely appreciate him. Basically, I want him to know I’m willing to work hard to get him to come. It’s called the rule of reciprocity.
The second thing to notice is my writing style. Always remember to write like you speak and know your audience. I wouldn’t say the word “badass” if I emailed a Stanford professor. If you wanna learn more about this, take the Copywriting Course (Nev also spoke at Hustle Con).
Step 5: Close:
The purpose of each step is to move closer and closer to a predetermined goal, which in this case is a phone call.
Never end an email with “so what time works for you?” Be as specific as possible. This is easier for your customer.
I suggest ending your ask email with 3 possible times so the person can simply say yes to one and not have search their calendar for a free space. Or, if you get lucky like I was with Rick, your customer will suggest a time:
Luckily Rick suggested a time. Our call was fantastic and Rick agreed to participate!
