// Glossary
Cold Email
An unsolicited but compliant email sent to a prospect you have no prior relationship with to start a conversation.
Definition
Cold email is outreach sent to a recipient who hasn't previously engaged with you, usually a B2B prospect, with the goal of starting a conversation. To work and stay legal, it needs a verified address, honest headers, a clear opt-out, and relevance, and it must follow laws like CAN-SPAM and, for EU recipients, GDPR. Deliverability hinges on a warmed domain, clean list, and low bounce and complaint rates.