Two rules before you touch any template. First, keep the final email under 150 words. Second, send it to the right person: the hiring manager or the recruiter actually working the role, at their real work address. If you do not have that yet, start with how to find the hiring manager, or paste the job link into FindHR and get verified emails in under 2 hours.
Template 1: You just applied and want to stand out
When to use: You submitted an application through the portal and want a real person to see you before the ATS decides your fate.
Subject line: RE: [Role Title] Candidate for [Company]
Hi [Name],
[One sentence that leads with value. A specific observation about their product, company, or a recent news article about them.]
I'm [Your Name], a [your role/background] in [their industry]. I just applied for the [Role] at [Company]. My background in [your top differentiator] makes me a strong fit.
[One sentence about what you can do for them, not what they can do for you.]
Would you be open to a quick intro call to discuss? Totally fine if the timing doesn't work right now.
Best,
[Your Name]
[LinkedIn URL]
Real example
Hi Marcus,
I saw that Relay just closed a $12M Series A. Congrats on the momentum.
I'm Priya Desai, a product marketer who spent the last two years helping an early-stage fintech grow from 2,000 to 45,000 users. I just applied for the Product Marketing Manager role at Relay. My experience building go-to-market playbooks for SMB banking tools is directly relevant to what you're scaling.
I have a couple of ideas on how to position Relay against competitors in the under-50-employee segment. Would love to share them.
Would a 15-minute call work sometime this week or next?
Best,
Priya Desai
linkedin.com/in/priyadesai
Template 2: No job posting exists, but you want in
When to use: You've identified a company you want to work for, but they haven't posted a role that fits you. You're creating your own opportunity.
Subject line: [Specific thing about their company] + [your angle]
Hi [Name],
[Lead with value. Reference something specific about their company, product, or a recent move they made.]
I'm [Your Name], a [role] in [their industry]. I believe my background in [top differentiator] could help [Company] with [specific challenge or opportunity you've identified].
I'd love to hear directly from you about what [their team/department] looks like right now and where you see it going. Would you be open to a brief conversation? Happy to hop on a call or come to your office. Whatever's easier.
Best,
[Your Name]
[LinkedIn URL]
Real example
Hi Tonya,
I noticed Greenhouse just rolled out a new candidate experience survey feature. Smart move. I've been thinking a lot about how recruiting platforms can reduce drop-off between offer and start date.
I'm James Okafor, a recruiting ops specialist who built the entire interview scheduling and candidate communication system at a 300-person company from scratch. We cut our time-to-hire by 22 days in six months.
I don't see an open role on your team right now, but I'd love to learn about where Greenhouse is heading on the ops side and whether there's a fit. Even a 10-minute call would be great.
Best,
James Okafor
linkedin.com/in/jamesokafor
Template 3: Warm outreach to someone you loosely know
When to use: You have a connection at a company that's hiring. A former colleague, a classmate, someone you met at an event.
Subject line: [Shared connection point] + quick ask
Hi [Name],
It's [Your Name]! [How you know them, one short sentence.] Here's a quick life update:
- [One professional update]
- [One personal or interesting update]
I noticed [their company] is hiring for [role]. Given my background in [differentiator], I think I'd be a strong fit. What would next steps look like to explore this?
Warm regards,
[Your Name]
[LinkedIn URL]
Template 4: Asking for an intro to someone specific
When to use: You want someone in your network to introduce you to a hiring manager, exec, or recruiter. The key is to make it copy-paste easy for them.
Subject line: Favor: Warm intro to [Person] at [Company]
Hi [Name],
Do you know [Target Person] at [Company]? I see that [how they're connected]. I'm interested in [specific role or team] there and would love an introduction.
Could you forward something like this:
"[Your Name] is a [role] who [one sentence about your most relevant experience]. They're interested in [specific role/team] at [Company] and I think they'd be worth a conversation."
I know this is a favor. Happy to return it however I can.
Thanks,
[Your Name]
Why this works: You wrote the intro for them. They don't have to think about what to say. They just forward it.
Template 5: Securing an intro call by offering value
When to use: You want to get on a call with a founder, hiring manager, or team lead. Instead of asking them for something, you're bringing something to the table.
Subject line: Idea for [Company]'s [specific area]
Hi [Name],
[One line that leads with value. A specific reference to their product, a recent article, or a company milestone.]
I'm [Your Name], a [role] in [their industry]. I checked out [their product], and given that your target customer is [their ICP], I have a couple ideas for [improving retention / growing the user base / reducing churn].
I'd love to share these with you in more depth. Would a quick call work?
Best,
[Your Name]
[LinkedIn URL]
Real example
Hi Danielle,
I read the TechCrunch piece about Alma expanding into group practice management. Exciting move.
I'm Sofia Reyes, a product designer who's spent three years designing for mental health platforms. Given that Alma's core user is independent therapists, I have a couple of ideas for simplifying the group onboarding flow that could reduce setup time significantly.
Would love to walk you through them. Open to a 15-minute call whenever works for you.
Best,
Sofia Reyes
linkedin.com/in/sofiareyes
Don't skip the follow-up
Most replies come from the second or third touch, not the first. Wait 4-5 business days, then send one short nudge. The full timing and scripts, including the graceful close that often gets the reply, are in how to follow up after applying.
And before you send anything, run it against the 7 rules in The Cold Email Playbook: research the person, open with something they don't know, one specific ask, no groveling.
The template is the easy part
The hard part is knowing who to send it to. Paste a job link and FindHR finds the hiring manager and recruiters for that exact role, with verified emails, in under 2 hours.
Find my hiring manager