What is the best letter
Ranking the Letters of the Alphabet, From Lamest to Coolest
It’s a question that has long puzzled scholars and laymen alike: Which letter of the alphabet is coolest, and which is the lamest? Today, here at Paste, we’re finally answering the question of questions.
Note: We’ll only be using the commonly accepted, 26-letter English alphabet. Ns with tildes and double Ls and accented vowels are all very cool, but not eligible for this particular ranking.
We start with the lamest, and work our way to the best:
26. B
B is an incredibly lame letter. Everything about it is soft and weak. B is a prominent feature in words like “baby” and “Bobby” and “bibby” and “bubby.” It’s not a prominent feature in the word “bebby,” because that word doesn’t exist, but I believe those other words show how weak B can be. Even the “B” swear words, like “bastard” or “bitch,” are lame in comparison to the harder-hitting swear words. And beyond an exception here or there, it’s all “belly” and “boo-boo” and “Bambi” and other sad words.
Best B-Word: Beer
25. M
One of the most common letters, and one of the most boring. M is mediocre and middling and meh. I can’t stand M. It’s just a sound you make when your lips are together. It should never have been elevated to letter status.
Best M-Word: Modicum
24. Q
Just a very, very limited word. Overly dependent on U. Kinda pathetic.
Best Q-Word: Quixotic
23. O
The most bOring vowel. O is the safe person with a secure job you marry when you turn 35 and want to settle down. It’s no coincidence that when we want to express displeasure, we string together one B with a bunch of Os. Booooo.
Best O-Word: Ominous
22. E
It’s like water. Super useful, but so ubiquitous that you can’t really think of it as anything special. And just like water, it can turn horrible without warning; words like “peepee” are the tsunamis of the English language.
Best E-Word: Eclipse
21. L
Hard to pronounce, limited in use, and ultimately pretty apathetic.
Words like lollygag and idle and lazy and aimless and desultory and casual and frivolous and sluggish and lethargic and lackadaisical and dull and dally and indolent and laggard and languid and lummox and loafer and lifeless and slack and sloth and slow and lag and somnolent and…you get it. They all feature an L, the slug of letters.
Best L-Word: Liquefy
20. W
This is the only letter that needs more than one syllable to say its name, which makes it kind of ostentatious. But for all that effort, what do we get? A loner letter that really doesn’t do anything special. Why did I just waste three syllables on you, W?!
Best W-Word: Whipoorwill
19. N
Very normal. Non-entity. Nothing. For naught.
Best N-Word: Noxious and nebbish
18. A
Not a bad vowel, not a great vowel. It’s a bit of a chameleon in terms of changing its pronunciation, but none of them sound that cool. Ah is what you say at the dentist, Eh is what Canadians say when they’re confused (which is always), aw is what you say when something is adorable but not thrilling.
We need A, and we know it, but that doesn’t mean it presses our buttons.
Best A-Word: Alabaster
17. Y
Y is a little cutesy. It’s always trying to be super positive in the beginning of words (yay, yippee, yowser, yasss), and at the end of words it’s immature and cloying. The word “yummy,” for example, is an all-time horrible addition to the language. Plus, we should ask ourselves whether we really need Y. Couldn’t the “yuh” sound just be replaced by J, and couldn’t we just use “ie” and “ee” at the end of words? Y is redundant, and the only reason I don’t rank it lower is because it can be a wild card vowel, which is pretty cool.
Best Y-Word: Yokel
16. P
The only real cool thing about P is that it combines with H to form the “f” sound. Other than that, it’s a very basic, no-frills letter, and I refuse to write another word about it.
Best P-Word: Pharisee
15. I
There are a lot of things to hate about “I.” For one, it’s the only vowel that you never see in double, except in the word “Hawaii.
” For two, it’s highly functional but pretty boring. However, it has the most selfish word in the English language, “I,” and it doesn’t have to share with anyone else. Selfish, independent people are kinda cool.
Best I-Word: I
14. H
H really slips under the radar. Maybe it’s the soft sound, or the way it transforms when coupled with an S or a G or a C or a W, or maybe it’s been typecast as the sound of laughter. In any case, I like H, but I can’t justify putting it in the top half of these rankings.
Best H-Word: Hemorrhage
13. G
For me, G is summarized by the word “guttural.” It’s a sound that comes from the gut. In Freudian terms, it’s the id of the alphabet, a gasping gulping gah of a letter. Everything sounds rougher with G—even nice things like a grotto. G finds itself in its natural habitat with words like ghetto and gulag and garbage and garote and gag. It’s cool, but only in that very earthy, unfeeling way. Sometimes people try to dress it up with words like genre or gazelle, or to soften it with words like grass, but it always ends up looking like a bull in a china shop.
Deep down, G can’t change is stripes. G makes me uncomfortable.
Best G-Word: Gazebo
12. R
R is the inventive word, the cutting-edge word, the future word. R is radical and rebellious and revolutionary. R is roguish and riotous and recalcitrant and reactionary and recherche, and R is a rowdy reformer and a renegade. R is real, and R is remorseless.
Best R-Word: Refulgent
11. T
Such an extravagant letter! Everything about it is terrific, tops, tremendous, and a triumph. It’s the Donald TRUMP of letters, but without all the bigotry. It’s just towering and terrific, and always a little bit tacky.
Best T-Word: Tabernacle
10. U
Definitely the coolest vowel. Pairs up in weird ways with all the other vowels, and also Q. For a rounded letter with a rounded sound, it can come off surprisingly cool in words like “ultra” and “umbrage.” It also pairs with “n” to reverse the meaning of most words, which is quite a power to have. This is the letter you sort of look at askance at first, thinking, “hmm…kinda dorky,” but eventually you realize it’s pretty sweet.
It’s just unfortunate that the most famous example of it pairing with itself comes in the word “muumuu.”
Best U-Word: Ukulele
9. D
A very negative letter, D, but in kind of a cool grandfatherly way. It’s like the Bernie Sanders of letters, featuring such words as dearth and damn and dastardly and dreck and drivel and dirt and done and dope and drug and deform and devil and demagogue and dystopia and decay and drought and death. D tells it like it is, and that’s cool.
Best D-Word: Diabolical and duodenum
8. C
Multiple pronunciations, hangs out with most of the other letters, including Z (czar), and looks like it could eat the other letters, Pacman style. C is vastly underrated, probably because it’s a little co-dependent with K at the end of words.
Best C-Word: Concatenation
7. V
Other than a certain letter to come later, V is the sexiest letter. Any word with a “V” is automatically more alluring and mysterious. Vixen, vespers, violet, vermillion, vampire, vivid, velvet, vulva, vapor, vulpine, volcano, vicious, verve, vanity, vodka, vinyl, vino, venom, vroooooom.
Man, that’s a red-hot letter.
Best V-Word: Vivacious
6. S
S is a traveler. It can go anywhere with any letter. Even crappy consonants like “B” can pair up with S in words like “Sbarro.” Q? Absolutely, don’t be a square. V? Svengali says yes. The only real hold-out is “D,” the most previously mentioned most independent word. Aside from that, S is the most popular, coolest kid in the school.
Best S-Word: Sarsaparilla
5. K
K is by far the most sinister letter. Put it at the end of a word that usually ends in “C,” and you’ve got terrifying constructions like “politik.” At the beginning of words, you have killers and kicks and kidnappers and kings and kabals and knockouts. The letter is pure kerosene, and it has that dangerous kool vibe that’s impossible to resist.
Best K-Word: Kabuki
4. J
The reason J is this high is because it has a lot of range in terms of pronunciation. You can have the hard J in jugular, the h-sounding Spanish J in Guadalajara or jai alai, and the hardish-softish French J, as in “au jus.
” (Which tastes great with roast beef.) In some European countries, it’s pronounced like a “y,” as with the soccer team Juventus. You could argue that other letters like G, Y, H, and even X are merely J cover bands. For versatility, it’s hard to beat J.
Best J-Word: Jumanji
3. X
X is so illicit. X is sex, basically. X is a vixen. X is a place where people don’t give a shit, like Texas, or a place that cool criminals in westerns escape to, like Mexico. X is the letter you use to replace spiritual words in a way that annoys people. X is where treasure is buried. In games of tic-tac-toe, everybody roots for X. An extreme word like “extreme” becomes even more extreme when you cut off the “e” and make it X-treme. It is the nexus, the pox, and the hex. There is no exit, because X is the apex.
Best X-Word: Excess
2. F
It has the greatest, most versatile word in the English language.
Best F-Word: Fuck
1. Z
Need to make your product sound awesome, but you’re stuck with an “s”? Just switch it up with a “z,” and you’ve got Rocketballz and Lazers and Canz and Truck Nutz and Blue Razzberry and Lugz and Bratz.
Every word that ends with “z” is awesome, as we see from examples like jazz and pizzazz and whiz and topaz and waltz and spazz. It can simultaneously be aggressive (blitz), communal (kibbitz/kibbutz), and funny (ditz/schnozz). It is always exciting (abuzz). It knows when to be silent (chez). And at the start of words, it’s sharp and incisive: zing, zippy, zest, zeal, zero, zone, zombie. In words like Xanadu, even an ultra-cool letter like X tries to be Z.
Best Z-Word: Zydeco
We have launched the A-Z Series at Paste! By watching the Paste Studio sessions in the series, you could win a prize from the featured artist, including performance tickets, albums, signed photographs and much more! Check out the sessions on the Paste Cloud here and find the coordinating letter prop (example: A = find the aardvark) hidden in the studio. Click the A-Z badge to email us your guess for a chance to win! Winners will be chosen at random, each week, for each new letter.
The series will go on until the alphabet runs out!
Top 10: What is your favourite letter of the alphabet and why? - YP
Last week, we asked our readers: What is your favourite letter from the alphabet, and why?
This week’s question: What is the most rebellious thing you want to do or have ever done?
To take part, drop us a line via this form or email us at [email protected] by 11.
59pm, November 10. Tell us your name, age and school.
My favorite English letter is ‘U’, because it means “you.” I like “you” the most. That sounds sweet and romantic, right? It’s what every girl likes. If a boy said something like this to me, it would make my heart beat out of control. People would be happier if they could hear lovely words like this every day.
Noki Wong, 16, Fung Kai No. 1 Secondary School
Awesome ‘A’, Brilliant ‘B’ and Cool ‘C’. Photo: Shutterstock
‘I’ is the letter I love most. ‘I’ stands for ideas, independence, information, interaction, interest, the Internet, and inventions. Inventions come from many different ideas and require a lot of interest. Interactions between people involve the exchange of information. Inventions improve our lives and enable us to be independent, and the Internet lets me interact with people around the world.
Thank you, ‘I’!
Justin Jon Poon, 14, Hong Kong Baptist University Affiliated School Wong Kam Fai Secondary School
‘Z’ is my favourite letter, not only because ‘Z’ is the first letter of my family name, but also because ‘Z’ represents us! As students, we have to learn words from A to Z. And as a member of Generation Z, l believe we are the future, so we have to make an effort to build a better world. Our lives are full of potential, from zero to zenith.
Zhen Ying-yi, 15, Fanling Rhiensh Church Secondary School
What’s a better name for Facebook than ‘Meta’?
‘S’ is a lovely creature, with a smooth body that blinks at me as I look at it. A curved line swirled to form the letter ‘S’ is a tiny, creepy snake. I always imagined that if the letter ‘S’ had a pair of eyes, they would look like those on a cute snake. Moreover, “S” always appears with plural nouns.
Plural words are luckier than single ones: being singular is lonely and reminds me of sadly sitting alone by the sea. With an ‘S’, you’re more than just one!
Josie Wong Sin-ying , 14, TWGHs Wong Fut Nam College
I like the letter ‘X’ because it stands for infinite or unknown. It’s just like us at this stage of our lives, facing unknown challenges, but also having infinite possibilities as well. ‘X’ stands for goals and hope.
Wan Tin-yan, 16, NTHYK Tai Po District Secondary School
Your favourite weird food combinations
Clearly, the best letter in the alphabet is T, because T relates to the best thing in the world - T(ea). Why do people like going out for afternoon T(ea), rather than afternoon water, or afternoon orange juice? Why did the British want T(ea) from China (and other goods, but let’s just shhh that for now) during the Opium Wars? Because whether you care to admit it or not, T(ea) is an ever present, ever loved possession, and it always will be.
Also, T is not like all the other letters that sound like a word. I mean, look at U and C. Sure, they’re cool and sound like You and Sea, but You and Sea don’t even start with U and C. These letters are cheats. And let me tell you my friends, that’s the TEA.
Clara Lu, 18, St. Paul’s School (United States)
Specifically this tea, right here. Photo: Shutterstock
‘W’ is special because it has a unique pronunciation: it’s pronounced as “double-u”, and it’s the only letter like this. ‘W’ can also be found in many words used to answer questions - take the 5Ws, “who, what, where, when and why” as an example. Furthermore, the most necessary element in our lives, water, also starts with a W. I think that ‘W deserves a notable place in the world.
Ruby Lee wing-kiu, 14, STFA Leung Kau Kui College
No matter how you rotate ‘O’, whether you’re spinning it around or putting it in front of a mirror, it’s still the same ‘O’.
Also, the Latin word octo, which means eight in English, starts with an ‘O’, and in Chinese this is a lucky number. This lucky letter will always be my favourite. May the ‘O’ be with you!
Xerena Yee Wing-yan, 13, STFA Leung Kau Kui College
The small things we’re grateful for
When we look at the camera, we can’t help but give a hand gesture that looks like the letter ‘V’. It symbolises happiness and cheerfulness. ‘V’ is my favourite letter, and it can indeed reflect my optimistic mood. In addition, the letter ‘V’ means victory. Whenever I see it, I get a sense of achievement.
Venus Lam, 15, Tsuen Wan Public Ho Chuen Yiu Memorial College
My favorite letter of the alphabet is ‘M’ because it means money! I like money and I think if I had a lot of money, I would buy a lot of things, including an apartment, lots of furniture, clothes and a big car.
Then I wouldn’t need to ride on a crowded bus or live in a small house.
Yoyo Shek, 12, King Ling College
7 letters that you need to write in your life
It is foolish to deny the merits of electronic communications. But they have one significant drawback: they will never be able to convey the warmth that we feel and the joy that we experience when we write a real letter.
Of course, traditional mail should not replace our online communication. Letters "the old fashioned way" should become a pleasant hobby.
Think how great it is when you have one or more pen pals to whom you can write a real letter. Imagine: you open your mailbox and find the message you've been waiting for. What a happy feeling it is!
In addition to friendly correspondence, there are seven types of letters that I suggest that everyone write at least once in their life. Correspondence is a win-win lottery, you will win it in any case: both as an author and as a recipient.
The author learns to express his feelings in words, the recipient receives moral support.
Writing at least one letter from each category is the minimum task. The habit of writing letters regularly throughout your life will bring you significant benefits. Well, go ahead!
1. Letter of congratulations
We are proud of ourselves when we achieve our goals. But when others recognize our achievements, it certainly makes our victory much sweeter. We want people to see in us the potential that we see in ourselves.
Letters of congratulations are a good tool for strengthening both personal and professional contacts. It is a great idea to regularly send such letters to colleagues and loved ones, congratulating them on pleasant events in their lives. However, if someone next to you reaches great heights, does something that you can admire, then this is an excellent reason to write them not just a small congratulation, but a full-fledged congratulatory letter. Maybe your brother just got into the Marines, or your friend broke all the records in the shooting range.
Or your daughter is a college graduate, the first in your family, by the way.
Let others see that you know about their victories. And be proud of them.
2. Letter to your father
A father is an important figure in the life of any person. For better or worse, in any case, fathers are the first standard of masculinity for a child.
Every boy in the future wants to become an "ideal dad". Our fathers are sometimes so far from this model that we get very upset when we realize how much better they could be. And sometimes the exact opposite happens: they are close to the ideal, and we are worried that we will not be able to follow their example.
One way or another, the relationship with the father in many ways shapes our personality. Sometimes our feelings for a parent are so deep and complex that we ourselves cannot fully understand them.
Most of us never take the time to thank our fathers for all they have done for us. The reverse situation is also possible: sometimes we cannot forgive them for the pain they once caused us.
Yet, if we are not aware of our feelings for our fathers, we will never be able to understand how they affected us, and to some extent we will not be able to fully understand ourselves.
Writing a letter to your father is a great way to reflect on all these questions. You can not send this letter if you do not want to - you are doing this for yourself. The goal is to better understand your own feelings.
3. Letter of condolence
Of all the letters you have to write, the letter of condolence will be the most difficult. At such a moment, it is very difficult to find the right words. We are afraid to say something wrong, we feel embarrassed. For these reasons, we very rarely write condolences. We assure ourselves that people already know about our sympathy and support, and words are superfluous here.
Yes, they are probably aware that you empathize with them. But they all want to hear it from you. People need a reminder that you are thinking of them when they are having a hard time.
Let not for long, but your words will make them feel a little better. It really means a lot when someone takes the time to tell you, “I know how hard it is for you and it hurts me that you are suffering.”
4. Letter to your future
marekuliasz/Shutterstock.comThere will definitely come a moment in your life when you feel that you have changed: you look at many things differently, make different decisions. Feeling it is quite strange, actually. This does not mean that you begin to forget your past or categorically reject your "young self". It's just that your previous life is left behind, and it seems to you that "you before" and "you now" are two completely different people.
Such a “borderline” state between the past and the present gives us an excellent opportunity to reflect on who we are now. Think about what the child you were would say to the adult you now see in the mirror?
Now write a letter to yourself in the future. You will not print this letter for several years or even decades.
Describe the hopes you have for the person you will be when you read this letter a second time. How do you see your career? Are you/are you married? Do you have any children? Are you faithful to your favorite habits? What are your goals? What ideals have remained with you throughout all these years?
When you read this letter many years later, you may find that your former goals and ideals have changed drastically, but you don't really mind: you have those that suit you much better. Your youthful maximalism and naivety can make you smile and even laugh a little :) Or, on the contrary, when you face your old dreams again, you can realize how much you wanted to achieve and how little you actually achieved.
Such time travel will help you remember your youthful dreams and aspirations, inspire you to new achievements, and if now everything is not going the way you once wanted, then there is always a chance to fix it.
5. Love letter
LiliGraphie/Shutterstock.com It's not always easy to express your emotions towards other people.
Men would be far more willing to express their feelings through actions rather than words. But women, as you know, love with their ears. They want words with action behind them.
The difficulty lies not only in finding beautiful words, but also in saying them aloud. When we prepare a beautiful love speech in our mind, very often we do not take into account the environment in which we will "expose" our feelings. The most awkward position is when you sit next to a person and are desperately trying to remember exactly what words you were going to say to him. To avoid all these incidents, we begin to write a love letter.
We often associate love letters with the past century. Men from the front wrote letters to their wives and brides, saying how much they missed their warmth, and the girls, in turn, wrote that they loved and waited. Such letters went for months, and came only a few times a year.
In the biographies of great people very often there are wonderful love confessions that they wrote to their wives and mistresses.
Again about my love. About the notorious activity. Does love exhaust everything for me? Everything, but only differently. Love is life, that's the main thing. Poems, deeds, and everything else unfold from it. Love is the heart of everything. If it stops working, everything else dies, becomes superfluous, unnecessary. But if the heart works, it cannot but manifest itself in this in everything.
From a letter from Vladimir Mayakovsky to Lilya Brik
However, your beloved does not have to be far away for you to decide to write her a love letter. You can even address it to the girl you sleep with every night. It will be more original and pleasant than the standard love confessions that we say every day.
Romantic letters are evidence of your love story. Which, perhaps, your grandchildren will then read.
6. Letter of encouragement
There have been moments in everyone's life when they had to struggle with doubts and fears, or moments when they wanted to give up everything and retreat.
If you are lucky, then a person appeared in your life at this sad time who could cheer you up, convince you that everything will be fine, in other words, raise your self-esteem and help you move on.
Such support always has a positive effect on a person, especially if the words are supported by encouraging actions (a pat on the shoulder, for example). Although there are times when a letter is the best option to provide support. And not only because, purely physically, you cannot always be present with those whom you want to cheer up. The letter remains with the recipient for a long time, he can return to it at any time and reread it. When we listen to a fiery motivational speech, we listen to every word and believe that everything will pass and all problems can be solved. But as soon as we remain alone after a while, all our fears and doubts overtake us again.
A letter of encouragement tells the recipient that you believe in him and his abilities, that he will cope with all difficulties.
Maybe your niece just got into college and is feeling out of sorts and thinking about dropping out. If you have a similar experience, you can help her with advice, cheer her up. Perhaps your son broke up with his first love and thinks it's the end of the world. Let him know that everything is exactly the opposite and this is not the end, but only the beginning.
7. A letter of thanks
Gratitude is one of the brightest feelings. Nothing else can so support our personal and professional relationships as it does. Appreciation can instantly melt the ice between two people.
We all understand very well how much we need kindness and help from others. You are very lucky if you have people in your life that you can thank.
For many, only a kind word helped to become a man again, and gold turned out to be powerless.
Erich Maria Remarque "Shelter of Dreams"
Letters of thanks should be written as often as possible.
Of course, it's much easier to send a thank you note via email (and it's definitely better than nothing). But just imagine how touching it is to receive a real handwritten letter. For example, if there is an employee in your office who is diligent and successful in his work, you can leave a small note for him in which you note how much you appreciate his efforts.
We hope that, in addition to such small news, at least once in your life you will write full-fledged letters of thanks to the most important people in your life: mother, wife (husband), beloved school teacher, best friend.
Think of all they have done for you and the changes they have brought to your life. Remember that there is nothing more precious than simple human gratitude.
Which of these letters have you already tried? Share in the comments!
21 examples of how to start a letter to get warm leads
Ideas
What to write to be read and answered
Editor's Note
We've translated an article from the TeamWave blog about how to start emails so they'll be opened and read.
The text mainly describes approaches for b2b, where the cost and average check of each client is quite high.
Example of an email sent to cart
Hello Anton!
This is Ivan Petrov from Amazing Company and we offer innovative social media solutions for growing companies.
And this letter immediately flies to the "Deleted Items" folder.
The emails we reply to do not look like this email. For a person to respond to a letter, 2 key factors are needed:
- Personalization.
- Benefit offer (it's not about you, it's about them).
Let's face it: people are self-centered and interested in their own lives. The recipient will read the letter depending on the download - what triggers will make him continue reading depends on what you can do for him. It doesn't matter if you send 200 or 2000 emails, all customers will read it independently, and their expectations will be unique.
In this post, we have compiled a list of examples of how to start a letter in order to “hook” a potential client.
21 examples of how to start a letter
1. Link to a general acquaintance
"I worked with [A Mutual Friend] on [Project]."
Start by mentioning a person you both know and a project you have completed. Tell what you achieved in a particular project, and continue to describe how a similar approach can be applied to solve the problems of a potential client.
2. Mentioning a speech or presentation
"Saw your [Presentation] at [Event] and really liked your solution for [problem]."
Anyone will be pleased to hear that other people are actually using their materials. This could be an interview or a conference where your lead shared the "problem" areas of his business. Find something relevant to your offer and show in this way that you have completed the task. Now explain how your proposed solution will help solve the other problems mentioned.
Translator’s note
For example, we at UniSender could write: “I saw your speech at the Business in Russia 2016 conference and I really liked what you said about the sales funnel.
Therefore, we at UniSender made a special integration with CRM so that we could expand the funnel and apply techniques not only by phone, but also in letters.”
3. Problem - Solution
“I learned that you are having difficulty with [problem] and we can help you with [Solution]”
Tell the prospect directly about the problem, and then briefly describe the solution in the format "speech in the elevator" (elevator pitch).
About elevator pitch
Elevator pitch is a very concise presentation of the company. Imagine that you need to tell all the most important things while you are going up with a client in an elevator.
Use some meaningful pictures with statistics to grab attention and prove the rationale of your decision.
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4. Compliment
case study of a potential client.
Write how you can help bring these results to perfection in order to further accelerate the development of the company.
5. Congratulations
"Congratulations on [Achievement]"
Track your potential customers' publications and awards and use this opportunity to start business communication.
6. Promise of a benefit
“If you want to [benefit from the solution], this letter details how to do it.” your offer.
Letter example:
If you want to reduce SMM costs by 50% and get the same number of customers, then…
The method works because it promises the client that he will solve his problem by reading the letter.
7. Article mention
“I came across your article when I was looking for [Industry Trend]. Thank you for the insight.”
Mention an article or post written by a potential client and select a few findings or unresolved issues.
Show that you really appreciate the content and provide a link to what you offer.
8. Statistics
“What if I say [statistic]”
Find statistics that are not interesting to most but are directly related to what the prospect does. Definitely a good way to show your knowledge of the market and talk about your decision.
9. Question
“I have been reading your blog for a few months now and there are some questions that I would like to discuss with you”
This is a good start if you are going to build a business relationship. This is how you immediately recognize your potential client as an expert in the subject and attract attention, as you are interested in what your lead wrote about. Provides an opportunity to truly understand the pain points of the business and offer an appropriate solution.
10. Commonality
“You and I belong to an exclusive group [something in common]”
This beginning will help you to connect with the reader.
Start with what unites you. People usually communicate with those with whom they have a lot in common.
For example, you sell advertising in a magazine:
You and I belong to a group of people who have achieved success through a deep understanding of customers.
11. News mention
“I saw the news about your company about [News]. Your competitor is having the same problem and I want to point out that we can solve it with [Solution]"
Track news that is directly relevant to your prospect. If something significant happens, write how your solution can solve this problem. Example of starting a letter:
If you are a research agency that works with startups and new products, tell your potential client how you helped a similar company change their product for the better by embodying the findings of the study.
12. Business tone and specifics
“I know you get bombarded with emails every day, so let’s get straight to the point — [Customer Benefit from Collaboration]”
This is where you directly start describing the customer’s benefit from your offer.
Your task is to provide a measurable and understandable point solution for a specific problem.
For example:
I know that dozens of people write to you every day, so get straight to the point - get more customers from the newsletter in April.
You are sending mailings and a certain number of people are placing orders. For example, the conversion is 1%. For $50 per month, we double the conversion from the newsletter so that you get more orders.
13. Interest
“I have been reading your posts for a long time and want to know your opinion about [Latest industry news]?”
Gather the most important industry news and ask the potential client for their opinion. This is a good way to show that the recipient of the letter is an opinion leader, as well as get some dose of recognition in return. Again, this beginning of the letter will help to start communication and justify why your decision is important right now (if the business is developing).
14. Problem Solving
“I have a solution [problem description]”
Start by describing the specific problem and immediately explain in detail how it can be solved.
It shouldn't be something generic like "no customers". The problem should be specific, for example, low conversion to customers from paid traffic from Adwords or sales managers do not make repeat sales.
15. Link to result
“I helped [Similar company name] get [Income]”
Here you start with an analogy - you have already achieved success with a similar company and are ready to repeat with a potential client's company.
16. Specific Benefit
“What if I told you that I can help you achieve [Benefit]?”
Here you talk directly about the results or income from using your solution.
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17. Soft entry from profit
“I don’t know how you feel about [Benefit], but for me…”
Here is an example letter:
I don't know what you think about turning every client into a brand advocate, but for me, this is the reason for the success of our company.
Such a beginning does not oblige the reader in any way, it simply expresses the sender's thought. We do not know how the person who received the letter feels, so we do not attribute anything to him. We also create an image of benefit for the recipient. This beginning helps to understand that a potential client can also get this benefit if they read the letter to the end.
18.
Useful Research “Here is a study on [Topic] that will help you.”
This is another key to start a correspondence. You start by submitting a study or article that will help your potential client.
19. Recommendation
“[The referrer] advised me to contact you”
Nothing beats a direct recommendation. Since you are writing for the first time, it is better to mention someone who can vouch for your work. This absolutely adds credibility to your letter.
20. Growth Question
“Is [Problem Statement] Stopping Your Company from Growth?”
Start with a question that speaks directly to the thing that is holding the company back. Then explain how your solution will remove that obstacle.
21. Specificity
"What would you think if I said that we specialize in solving [a specific problem]?"
We are always relieved when our problems are solved.
