If you're running a display advertising agency, you're competing in a crowded space. Most prospects think they can just run display ads themselves or use another agency. Your cold email needs to cut through that - but it also needs to speak their language, not yours.
The problem most display agencies face with cold email is they lead with creative or reach. Nobody cares yet. Prospects care about whether display ads actually move the needle for their business. If you can't establish that in the first email, they'll never reply.
Who You're Actually Emailing (And Why It Matters)
Your target is usually the CMO, VP of Marketing, or Head of Paid Media at mid-market companies in ecommerce, B2B SaaS, and direct-to-consumer brands. These are people who already understand digital advertising - they're not learning what display is.
They've probably tried display before. They've seen flat ROAS. They've gotten burned by agencies that blame the creatives or the placement strategy. What they want to know is: can you actually lower CAC and increase ROAS compared to what they're doing now?
This changes everything about your email approach. You're not selling display advertising. You're selling a solution to their CAC problem.
The Email Structure That Works
Here's the structure I've seen work consistently for display agencies:
Line 1 - The open: This is not a compliment. It's a specific observation about their current situation.
Hey [Name], noticed your product is getting decent traffic on [specific site/network], but display CAC is probably running 15-20% higher than it was last year - sound right?
This works because:
- It shows you've done basic research (checked their site, looked at their ad placements)
- It nails a problem they're actually experiencing right now
- It's not a generic compliment - it's specific enough to be credible
Line 2 - The reason you're writing: Give them a reason to keep reading that isn't about you.
We've worked with 12 ecommerce brands in your space over the last 18 months, and the pattern is clear - most agencies optimize for CTR and impressions, not for profitable customers. That's the gap.
What this does: It signals you understand the problem (most agencies suck at unit economics), you have relevant experience, and you know what the fix is.
Line 3 - One specific result: Not a range, not a guarantee. One number that's credible.
The last SaaS client we took over was at 3.2:1 ROAS on display. After restructuring audience stacking and testing three new placement strategies, they hit 4.8:1 within 60 days.
Notice what's here and what's not:
- Specific before-and-after (3.2:1 to 4.8:1)
- Specific timeframe (60 days)
- Specific industry (SaaS - so they can judge relevance to their own business)
- Specific tactics mentioned (audience stacking, placement strategies) - not vague buzzwords
- No guarantee, no