How to Use Case Studies in Cold Email: The "BAR" Method

Are you sending case studies in your cold email campaigns?

Yeah? What’s your click rate? 1% or 2%? (yikes)

Here’s a better question… Have you ever read a case study in a cold email? Oh… you haven’t? (shocker)

Stop sending them.

Instead, we coach a technique you might remember from interview practice: BAR

• Background
• Action
• Results

Using the BAR Method in Your Sales Emails

BAR is a fantastic way to tell a story. It creates logical progression, which is key for keeping your readers attention. Your brain loves stories.

Here's an example:

“We met Sendoso at a similar growth stage. They were sending email templates that relied on clicking through. By making their emails more conversational, we 4x'd their reply rate.”

Background: We met Sendoso, and they were sending cold email templates.

Action: We made their emails more conversational, and less templated.

Results: Quadrupled reply rates.

How to Use the BAR Method

1) Simplify the details (five sentences max)

2) Don't dive into too many numbers

3) Plug it in when it's relevant (a case study with Uber doesn't matter to a startup)

4) Recognize what it is:

BAR is a framework you can plug into other frameworks. It's a building block. It's a credibility builder.

Ex. Here's one of our favorite cold email frameworks.

Hi (Greeting),

Saw your… (Observation). Willing to bet (or) I imagine… (status quo/problem).

Insert BAR (credibility builder)

Would that help… (Interest-based CTA)?

Stop Linked Case Studies in Sales Emails

Linking out to a case study is asking them to opt out of your email, and opt in to the story. People don't want to take that extra step. Make the subject line and preview text your opt-in.

When your recipient is in their inbox, they're in triage-mode. Pulling them out of the inbox is selfish and not effective.

Using BAR also allows you to talk about yourself more without talking about yourself. You let your customers speak about you for you.