How to write B2B emails that convert: 8-step guide (with examples)

Over the past 8 years, we’ve written and tested 50,000+ B2B emails across 50+ industries, helping clients land meetings with decision-makers. One thing we’ve learned? Generic “best practices” and templates rarely work in B2B sales conversations. Real results come from context-driven strategies and relentless testing.

Still, we’ve uncovered actionable insights that boost reply rates by over 40% and spark genuine conversations.

Below, you’ll find a data-backed framework, refined through thousands of campaigns. This 8-step B2B email guide includes real-world examples and high-performing templates you can adapt to your business outreach right away.

8 steps to writing high-performing B2B emails

B2B email copy should be clear, concise, and engaging. Check out these 8 steps on how to write B2B email copy:

Diving into your ideal buyers' pain points

Key takeaway: Anchor each email to a single, clearly defined pain point of your ideal buyers. Validate it with quick, low-lift research (e.g., scanning LinkedIn posts or recent company updates) to ensure the problem is timely and real. That way, your outreach doesn’t just appear personalized — it hits home as directly relevant.

At Belkins, we never start writing until we do the homework on the ICP. Interviewing and researching each group of clients helps us 1) pinpoint the single most relevant problem and value proposition to frame the message around, and 2) write B2B emails that actually convert.

Our copywriting team works hand in hand with researchers, sales development representatives, and account managers to map out every prospect’s role, industry, responsibilities, and likely pain points. Here’s how our content strategists receive the ICP file before drafting any email: 

This alignment ensures the outreach is rooted in the prospect’s real-world context, not generic assumptions.

Where to look for pain points? We combine client input (typically the 3 to 5 most common pain points provided in the value proposition brief) with our research. If you’re doing this yourself, here are some practical ways to uncover pain points quickly:

• Check what the decision-maker is engaging with online. Recent likes, shares, or comments on LinkedIn and industry forums often reveal what’s on their radar.
• Review company news and press releases. Funding announcements, product launches, or expansions can indicate challenges such as scaling operations, entering new markets, or hiring quickly.
• Study job postings. Open roles often expose operational gaps (e.g., hiring a compliance officer suggests compliance-related pain points).
• Analyze customer reviews. Platforms like G2, Trustpilot, or Glassdoor highlight recurring frustrations that your solution can address.
• Look at industry trends. Macroeconomic shifts, regulatory changes, or emerging technologies create shared pain points across verticals that can be woven into your outreach.

📚 Related reading: How to use clients’ ideal customer profiles (ICPs) in lead generation

Creating a concise, relevant subject line

Key takeaway: The best-performing B2B subject lines are ultra-short (3–4 words), personalized, and written in a way that feels like a 1-to-1 note, not a sales pitch.

47% of recipients open an email based solely on the subject line, while 69% mark it as spam for the same reason. In other words, a single line can determine whether your message is read or discarded.

When reaching out for the first time, your subject line should be as brief as possible, ideally 3 to 4 words max. Neutral phrasing works best at this stage, especially when paired with the recipient’s name or company. Including a variable like {{FirstName}} or {{CompanyName}} not only helps you bypass spam filters but also makes the email instantly feel more relevant.

Our A/B tests have also shown that subject lines written in lowercase tend to stand out more in crowded inboxes. They appear more human and conversational, often resulting in higher open rates.

Below are the most effective subject line approaches from our content strategists:

📚 Related reading: How different B2B cold email subject lines perform (Belkins’ 2025 study)

Setting a clear context with the first line

Key takeaway: The first line of your email should set context instantly. Skip long intros and get straight to something valuable or specific that makes the recipient want to keep reading (e.g., emphasizing a well-researched pain point or tailoring the opener to their recent activity, role, or company update).

When writing the first line, your goal is to make it feel natural, relevant, and worth the reader’s attention. Long, fluffy introductions often cause drop-off. Instead, imagine how the person you’re writing from would actually speak.

Your first instinct may be to introduce yourself, but it’s much better to focus on them instead. Relevance here is more important than personalization here. Speaking directly to the problem they’re trying to solve is what makes your email impossible to ignore.

Here are some examples for inspiration:

• “I noticed you're ranked 13th on Google for [keyword]; I think we could help you improve that.”
• “I have invited {{Referral_Name}}, the {{Referral_Title}} at {{Company}}, to discuss expanding your offerings with our power solutions. But I realized you, too, might be interested in a conversation given the growing need for portable power across industries.”
• “I have invited {{Referral_Name}}, the {{Referral_Title}} at {{Company}}, to discuss expanding your offerings with our power solutions. But I realized you, too, might be interested in a conversation given the growing need for portable power across industries.”
• “One of my clients moved our meeting to next week, so I have a spare hour in {{City}}. Can we meet on Wednesday at 3 pm for coffee?”
• “I have invited {{Referral_Name}}, the {{Referral_Title}} at {{Company}}, to discuss expanding your offerings with our power solutions. But I realized you, too, might be interested in a conversation given the growing need for portable power across industries.”
• “I have invited {{Referral_Name}}, the {{Referral_Title}} at {{Company}}, to discuss expanding your offerings with our power solutions. But I realized you, too, might be interested in a conversation given the growing need for portable power across industries.”
• “Quick question. Are you using any tools to speed up and automate your record-keeping or exam documentation at {{Company}}?”
• “I've been chatting with a few CX and support teams near {{City}}, still managing older systems like Avaya or NEC. Figured I'd connect with you, too.”

When it makes sense, and the tone of your email is more conversational, you can experiment with extraordinary or even slightly inconvenient opening lines (attention-grabbers). Again, the key is to ensure they fit the context and feel authentic to the sender’s voice. Otherwise, you risk sounding like a marketing campaign rather than starting a serious B2B conversation.

Here are some unconventional examples our team has successfully tested:

• “Here’s something I learned from a famous person you know and love…”
• “Three things I'd like to share about myself to break the ice:…”
• “We have common enemies: laziness and inaction.”
• “What if your campaigns could be as captivating as a blockbuster movie? It could be…”
• “Our competitors hate us because…”

Including an ICP-oriented value prop with specific details

Key takeaway: Connect the solution to your ideal clients’ priorities, describe the outcome in their language, and use numbers as proof whenever possible. This approach transforms your value proposition from a feature list into a compelling reason for the prospect to reply.

The mistake most sales teams make is listing features and expecting prospects to connect the dots. Instead, when writing emails for our clients, we always try to frame the message around results.

Think of it this way: if you received two emails about a proofreading solution, which one would you be more likely to respond to?

The second version is more compelling because it speaks directly to the result the reader cares about (faster output and higher quality) and supports them with relevant numbers rather than simply listing features.

Assume you have a product that provides eco-friendly packaging for food enterprises. Value propositions will vary across B2B emails depending on two factors: the prospect’s industry and role. 

Adapting the value proposition to industry

SaaS prospects may care about improving retention, while manufacturers might focus on lowering production costs. Use industry-specific language, include relevant numbers, and explain how the solution applies in their world. Here’s how the same product value would differ in B2B emails across different industries:

• Retail and supermarkets: “Switching to our compostable packaging allows your stores to cut up to 18 tons of plastic waste per year per 100 stores, while boosting eco-conscious shopper loyalty. Our biodegradable trays, wraps, and takeaway boxes also help chains remain 100% compliant with EU 2025 packaging regulations.”
• Food and beverage brands: “Our eco-friendly packaging extends product shelf life by an average of 3–5 days, reducing spoilage rates by 15%. Leading F&B companies report saving up to $1.2M annually in plastic costs after switching to our compostable films and containers.”
• E-Commerce and meal delivery: “Our lightweight, recyclable packaging reduces shipping weights by 12%, cutting packaging waste by 35% annually while maintaining a 99.7% safe-delivery rate for fresh and prepared meals.”
• Events and festivals: “At scale, our compostable cups and containers lower post-event cleanup waste by 40%, saving organizers $75,000+ in disposal costs for events with 100,000 attendees.”
• Nonprofits and NGOs: “Our recyclable food packaging reduces per-meal packaging costs by 11 cents, which saves over $220,000 in a program distributing 2 million meals annually. We’ve supported hunger relief and refugee resettlement efforts, where waste reduction and lower transport costs made distribution faster and more sustainable.”

Adapting the value proposition by role

A title-based approach to value proposition is necessary if you have a complex product or service that provides different values for targeted titles.

C-level executives care about strategic outcomes like growth, cost savings, and long-term scalability. Your pitch might highlight how your solution can cut expenses or reduce headcount. 

Managers, on the other hand, focus on day-to-day process improvements, making their teams faster, more efficient, or less burdened with manual work. Tailoring your message to the decision-maker ensures the value feels real and relevant.

Compare these two value propositions written for the same product, but with different roles in mind:

• Recipient: chief data officers. “How scalable would you say your current workflow is when business teams require predictive insights? Analysts at {{Company}} could independently deploy predictive models using just SQL by partnering with Company X. This partnership would eliminate dependencies on ML engineers while cutting churn in half and driving a 4.5x uplift in spend per user.”
• Recipient: managers. “How much time does your team lose waiting on ML engineers to build models? 10, 20 hours a week? With Company X, your analysts could deploy predictive models using SQL, cutting project turnaround times by 60%. Teams using our platform reduce backlog requests by 40%, freeing analysts to focus on higher-value insights and helping managers deliver results to business stakeholders 2x faster.”

The difference is that the C-level version emphasizes scalability and strategic business outcomes (churn reduction, revenue uplift), while the manager version focuses on time savings, backlog reduction, and faster team output in day-to-day operations.

Adding relevant case studies with numbers

Key takeaway: Whenever possible, don’t just drop numbers. Frame your case studies around the challenge → solution → result formula. Use 2–3 clear metrics per email, tie them directly to the prospect’s pain point, and distribute additional proof points across follow-ups to build credibility step by step.

Including case studies in B2B emails demonstrates tangible results and establishes trust. Referencing recognizable brands or local companies makes the story even more credible while positioning your client as an industry expert who delivers measurable outcomes.

To be effective, case studies should do more than state results; they should explain how those results were achieved. For example, instead of simply saying “we increased leads by 20% for Coca-Cola”, clarify the process: what challenge the client faced, what solution was implemented, and how that led to measurable improvement. This narrative makes the numbers believable and actionable.

Here’s an example of a perfectly used case study:

“Coca-Cola’s regional team was losing nearly 40% of prospects before demos. Within 90 days after we introduced a cross-channel prospecting framework with tailored value props by role, qualified leads rose 20%, and demo attendance jumped 32%.”

Also, the key is not to overload one email with all proof points. Instead, spread case study insights across multiple touches, each wave adding new value, so the prospect sees a consistent narrative of results, not just a sales pitch.

Including a call-to-action (CTA)

Key takeaway:  Every CTA should guide the prospect to a clear next step. Keep it short, tie it directly to the value in your email, and adapt it to the campaign type. For instance, suggest a quick 15-minute sync, offer to share a case study, or propose a virtual coffee instead of using a generic “demo.”

Every CTA must be a logical extension of the introduction and value proposition. Keep it short, clear, and action-oriented — only one clear question. For example, instead of a vague “Let me know what you think,” use “Would it make sense to walk through this on Thursday at 10:25?” The specificity adds confidence and makes it harder for the prospect to ignore. Also, remember that CTAs should evolve across the sequence, becoming more specific as interest builds.

There are two kinds of CTAs: 

• Soft CTAs. Best for early-stage prospects since they are lighter and non-intrusive.  They keep the door open without putting pressure on the prospect. For example:  “Open to chatting?”, “Would it make sense to connect?” or “Let me know if this is useful for {{Company}}.” They help to start a conversation rather than book time immediately.
• Specific CTAs. This approach is best for engaged leads or decision-makers who appreciate the clarity of a direct request. It signals confidence and usually drives higher response rates since such CTAs are easier to reply to. For example, “Can you do Tuesday at 10:45?” or “How about an 11-minute chat next Monday?” 

The best practice is to test both, adapt to your audience, and remember — the clearer the next step, the easier it is for a prospect to say “yes”.

Running regular A/B tests

Key takeaway: By consistently experimenting with subject lines, email bodies, CTAs, and campaign angles, you can identify what resonates, cut what doesn’t, and steadily improve open and reply rates across channels.

A/B testing is a must-have step to creating high-converting B2B emails since it allows you to validate assumptions with data instead of guesswork. It also ensures your campaigns evolve continuously instead of going stale.

Here’s what we’ve A/B tested, along with insights we took as the best practices:

• “We-focused” vs. “You-focused” language: You-focused language performs better in 95% of occasions.
• Extremely short intro vs. long intro: Short intros win 9 out of 10 tests, improving reply rates.
• Emojis in subject lines vs. plain text: Subject lines with emojis land in spam folders 35% more often and deliver 40% lower open rates. Plain text consistently performs best in B2B outreach.
• Text-only vs. formatted emails: Text-only emails get 47% more replies because they look like genuine one-to-one messages, while formatted templates often feel too salesy.
• Soft vs. specific CTAs: Specific CTAs like “Can you do Tuesday at 11:25?” generate 33% more confirmed meetings than soft CTAs for innovative products with clear value props, especially in mid-to-late waves, but soft CTAs work better with weaker offers.
• Long vs. brief emails: The perfect email length that generates a 50% better response rate is 50–125 words.

You can use these best practices as a starting point, but that doesn’t mean they’ll work the same for you. Always test your own campaigns, because there are exceptions to every rule. For instance, we once ran a long-form email that broke all the “shorter is better” advice, yet it performed exceptionally well (14% reply rate):

Refining your emails with AI smartly

First things first — at Belkins, we don’t pull from a stash of generic templates or outsource our B2B emails to AI. As you’ve seen in the earlier steps, crafting effective outreach is too nuanced and context-driven to be left entirely to automation.

But! We still recommend using AI occasionally to refine B2B email copies, when you’re stuck on a blank page, or to analyze deeper customer pain points. In fact, according to a recent survey by Hunter, 67% of decision-makers said they’re open to AI-generated emails as long as they’re relevant. That’s the key. Tools like Hunter's AI Writing Assistant can be effective if you use them to generate personalized messages grounded in your prospect’s pain points, your unique value proposition, and proven outreach frameworks — not as a shortcut, but as a smart starting point.

Below, we’ve listed the use cases when we use AI, along with the most used prompts, to assist you in writing B2B emails: 

• Generating new ideas: If you need some fresh ideas or new phrasing, you can ask ChatGPT to generate 10 or more options (for your sentence, paragraph, SL, etc.). Another great approach is to ask AI to analyze your previous emails and illustrate how you can approach conversations from a fresh perspective:
  Prompt example: “Act like my Creative Director. You’ve reviewed hundreds of campaigns, and your job is to help us break patterns, avoid sameness, and push the copy into fresh but still on-brand territory. Here are 5 recent campaigns we’ve run [insert emails]. 1. What patterns are we stuck in with tone, structure, or hook? 2. What angles are we avoiding that competitors aren’t? 3. Show me 3 creative risks we should test that still align with the brand?”
• Analyzing and summarizing pain points/industry insights: You can use it to better understand the pain points of the targeted titles or trends within certain industries. For instance, here’s a great template to analyze user reviews and gain insights for your emails:
  Prompt example: “Act like a customer insight analyst specializing in qualitative research and message development. Your job is to extract emotional patterns, objections, and language directly from real customer voice. Here are 20 recent customer reviews, testimonials, or call transcripts. Analyze them and tell me: 1. What emotional triggers do show up repeatedly? 2. What objections or hesitations are hinted at? 3. What words or phrases do customers use that we don’t?”
• Proofreading final B2B email copy: Ask it to check grammar, clarity, and cohesion, proofread your email, or shorten it if needed.
  Prompt example: “Act like an expert editor and fix the copy I will send. Offer more specific and sophisticated word choices where appropriate. Ensure the copy doesn't include clichés. Replace them with fresh and original language. Ensure the copy maintains a coherent and logical narrative. Check for continuity of ideas and transitions between sentences. Reduce redundancy and wordiness. Be as specific as possible. Identify and correct dangling modifiers, misplaced modifiers, verb tense errors, subject-verb agreement errors, and run-on sentences.”
• Analyzing top-performing emails: Send AI the templates or SLs that perform well as a reference and ask to analyze what elements make them stand out.
  Prompt example: “Act like a B2B email strategist. I’ll share a few of our top-performing email templates and subject lines. Analyze them and explain what makes them effective. Break down the structure, tone of voice, length, word choices, and CTA style. Highlight which elements likely drive high open and reply rates. Suggest how these insights can be applied to future templates while keeping the copy natural and prospect-focused.”

Our high-performing B2B email templates

Below, you’ll see the best-performing B2B emails shared by Belkins’ SDRs, with different approaches. However, always remember that the “best” email is the one that fits the specific context. There’s no single top performer that guarantees results in every case. Still, you can definitely use these as inspiration and adapt them to your audience.

A referral-based email that generated 52 appointments in 3 months

Why it performs: It uses a referral-based opener, which immediately makes the outreach feel warmer and more relevant. The specific data points on reliability, lifespan, and cost reduction give it instant credibility. Combined with a clear next step, it drives both trust and action.

A face-to-face meeting email that brought 13 appointments in one month

Why it performs: It feels personal and casual, using a friendly invite rather than a hard pitch. The location-based angle (“I’ll be in {{City}}”) makes the outreach timely and relevant. Plus, the light CTA (“lunch or coffee?”) lowers the barrier to saying yes.

A user interview email that brought 5 appointments in 3 weeks

Why it performs: It frames the outreach as a request for advice, which feels flattering rather than salesy. The value is mutual: the prospect shares expertise while hearing about relevant innovations. Finally, the social touch (“virtual coffee”) keeps the ask informal and approachable, lowering resistance.

A post-conference email with a 13% reply rate

Why it performs: It uses the conference as a warm entry point, making the outreach feel contextual instead of cold. The personalized mention of the missed connection builds authenticity and rapport. Plus, the clear, low-commitment CTA (“virtual coffee”) makes it easy for prospects to say yes.

Lastly, we’ve asked our senior content strategist what her insight would be if she had to share just one piece of advice for making B2B emails perform. Here’s what she answered: