Loading email template...

Email Template

BAB Format Cold Email Template

Master the Before-After-Bridge (BAB) framework for cold emails. This powerful psychological framework, developed by copywriting experts, creates a compelling contrast between the prospect's current state and potential future, making it perfect for solution selling.

3.5%
Conversion rate
15-20%
Response rate
Tuesday/Thursday 10AM
Best Time to Send
2-3% (average), 3-5% (good), 5%+ (excellent) Conversion Rate
Tuesday/Thursday 10AM
100-150 words
15-20% Response Rate

Psychology Behind the Framework

People are more motivated to change when they clearly see the gap between their current situation and a better future state.

Source: Kahneman & Tversky’s Prospect Theory

Before

Paint the current situation

Tips:


  • Use specific data points

  • Reference competitor performance

  • Highlight pain points
Example Phrases
Right now, your team is spending X hours…
Currently, your conversion rate is…
Like many [industry] companies, you’re facing…

After

Envision the ideal future

Tips:


  • Paint a vivid picture

  • Use concrete metrics

  • Focus on benefits
Example Phrases
Imagine reducing that time by 50%…
Picture your team focusing on strategy instead…
What if you could double your results…

Bridge

Show how to get there

Tips:


  • Reference case studies

  • Provide clear next steps

  • Create urgency
Example Phrases
We’ve helped X companies achieve this by…
The first step is a quick 15-minute call…
Here’s how we can make this happen…

Performance Metrics

35%+
Open Rate
20-25%
Average
25-35%
Good
22%
Industry Benchmark

Improvement Tips:


  • Use personalization in subject line

  • Keep subject line under 50 characters

  • Test different times of day
25%+
Response Rate
10-15%
Average
15-25%
Good
12%
Industry Benchmark

Improvement Tips:


  • End with a clear, simple question

  • Make responding easy

  • Follow up after 3-4 days
5%+
Conversion Rate
2-3%
Average
3-5%
Good
2.5%
Industry Benchmark

Improvement Tips:


  • Qualify prospects better

  • Strengthen social proof

  • Test different CTAs
35%+
Meeting Booking Rate
20-25%
Average
25-35%
Good
22%
Industry Benchmark

Improvement Tips:


  • Offer specific time slots

  • Make value proposition clear

  • Remove friction in booking process

Email Examples

Marketing Agency Example

Subject Line Options

[Company]’s social presence vs competitors
Quick question about [Company]’s social strategy
Saw your recent LinkedIn post…

Email Body

Hi [Name],

[Before]
Right now, [Company]'s social media presence is getting about 0.5% engagement rate, while your competitors [Competitor 1] and [Competitor 2] are averaging 3-4%.

[After]
Imagine tripling your social engagement within 90 days, driving qualified leads directly from LinkedIn and Instagram, and having a content calendar that practically runs itself.

[Bridge]
We helped [Reference Company] achieve exactly that through our AI-powered social media management system. They went from 0.6% to 3.2% engagement in just 60 days.

Would you be open to a 15-minute call to explore how we could do the same for [Company]?

Best,
[Your name]

Why This Works


  • Specific data points

  • Multiple benefit angles

  • Clear social proof

  • Time-bound results

  • Low-commitment CTA

Personalization Opportunities


  • Recent company news

  • LinkedIn activity

  • Company blog posts

  • Competitor mentions

Industry Variations

Conservative Industry

Focus more on risk mitigation and ROI

Tech Startup

Emphasize speed and innovation

Enterprise

Include enterprise-specific social proof

SaaS Sales Example

Subject Line Options

Cut your dev team’s debugging time by 50%
[Name], saw your team is using [Competitor Tool]
Question about [Company]’s development workflow

Email Body

Hi [Name],

[Before]
I noticed your engineering team at [Company] is currently spending around 30% of their sprint time on debugging and error tracking (industry average according to DevOps Research).

[After]
What if you could cut that debugging time in half, giving your developers back 15-20 hours per sprint to focus on building new features? Imagine shipping releases 40% faster with 90% fewer post-deployment issues.

[Bridge]
We recently helped [Reference Company] achieve this by implementing our AI-powered error tracking system. Within 3 sprints, they reduced debugging time by 62% and caught 95% of potential issues before they hit production.

I'd love to show you how we could implement a similar solution for [Company]. Would you be open to a quick 20-minute demo this week?

Best regards,
[Your name]

Why This Works


  • Industry-specific metrics

  • Quantified benefits

  • Specific time savings

  • Relevant social proof

  • Clear value proposition

Personalization Opportunities


  • Tech stack mentions

  • GitHub activity

  • Recent product launches

  • Engineering blog posts

Industry Variations

Startup

Focus on speed and cost savings

Enterprise

Emphasize security and compliance

Agency

Highlight client satisfaction metrics

E-commerce Solution Example

Subject Line Options

Boost [Company]’s cart completion by 35%
How [Competitor] increased sales by 40%
[Name], quick question about abandoned carts

Email Body

Hi [Name],

[Before]
I've been analyzing [Company]'s online store and noticed your cart abandonment rate is around 75% (I checked through Similar Web). That's potentially leaving $500k-$1M in annual revenue on the table, based on your current traffic.

[After]
Picture recovering 35% of those abandoned carts automatically, adding an extra $175k-$350k to your bottom line without increasing ad spend or changing your products.

[Bridge]
We recently implemented our smart cart recovery system for [Reference Company], and they saw a 42% reduction in cart abandonment within 60 days. Their ROI hit 300% by month three.

Could I show you how we'd implement a similar solution for [Company]? I've prepared a quick 10-minute video demo specifically for your store.

Best,
[Your name]

Why This Works


  • Specific revenue impact

  • Real data points

  • Clear ROI example

  • Custom solution mention

  • Low-friction next step

Personalization Opportunities


  • Current cart metrics

  • Product categories

  • Seasonal promotions

  • Customer reviews

Industry Variations

Luxury Brand

Focus on customer experience

Marketplace

Emphasize seller benefits

Subscription Service

Highlight recurring revenue impact

Best Practices

Research


  • Study competitor performance metrics

  • Identify specific pain points

  • Gather relevant case studies

Writing


  • Keep paragraphs short (2-3 lines)

  • Use bullet points sparingly

  • Include specific numbers and timeframes

Testing


  • A/B test subject lines

  • Try different CTAs

  • Test send times

Want More Content That Converts?

Join thousands of marketers and entrepreneurs getting weekly tips on writing high-converting copy that sells.

No spam ever. Unsubscribe anytime.