We all know health is important. Debatably, the most important aspect of health is sleep. Yet, modern life does little to support proper sleep. We have stress from work; we overextend ourselves, and we’re always on our screens. It’s no wonder that 1 in 3 adults don’t get enough sleep. That’s where Ra Optics comes in.

Ra Optics is a start-up that makes blue-light blocking glasses. Research shows that blue light interferes with our circadian cycle by disrupting the secretion of melatonin. Our brain thinks it’s still daytime when it’s not. These glasses prevent that disruption and improve our sleep.

Sleep is one of my top priorities, and I’m always looking to improve it. When I came across Ra Optics on the Ben Greenfield Fitness Podcast, I was intrigued. The biggest benefit was that I could go out at night, be exposed to blue light, and still get high-quality sleep. Plus, I started waking up less and less throughout the night.

Few people know about Ra Optics. It’s a niche product and a competitive market. They’re up against guys like GUNNAR, ROKA, and Warby Parker. Since I loved their products and mission so much, I tried a brief experiment to get the word out. I almost instantly thought of getting athletes to use the product — as they’re a demographic likely to care about their health. For instance, sleep is vital to recovery, and they need to recover to perform well. Athletes regularly receive televised attention that can trickle down into the larger population. This gave me the idea of creating sales emails for Division 1 basketball trainers. This will increase the exposure of Ra Optics, increasing their customer base.

Here’s the copy I wrote for Ra Optics, with each of the follow-up emails being sent after 3 business days.

Prospecting Email

Subject: Question for Brent

Hey Brent.

I’m a huge fan of Badger basketball and I appreciate all the work you do behind the scenes to keep our athletes healthy!

As a fellow athlete and fan, I understand what it’s like to not perform at your best. Recovery and sleep are key. But college athletes don’t always prioritize sleep. I can help. At Ra Optics, we make blue-light-blocking glasses that improve sleep.

Want proof? Take this study, which found that reducing blue light in the evening improved sleep in athletes. Let us help your athletes recover so you can win more games!

Can I steal just 15 minutes? I’d love to learn more about you and your training program. How’s {day and time}?

Have a great day!

{contact information}

Breakdown

This email has a few functions. The subject is interesting, as it makes Brent curious to know what the question is. Using Brent’s first name shows this isn’t a basic automated email. Some time and thought went into this.

The first paragraph starts off with a compliment. This builds trust, establishes a relationship, and shows Brent I did my research.

Then, I show I know what I’m talking about when it comes to performance by mentioning the importance of recovery. I also mention Brent’s pain point; His athletes aren’t recovering. In college, a lot of athletes like to party and drink. Yet, this is incredibly harmful to recovery and performance. I’m coming with a solution.

The third paragraph is about proof. I mention a study showing the link between restricting blue light and enhanced sleep. Then, I segue into how Ra can help his athletes get better sleep, meaning better performance and more wins.

Finally, the last paragraph is the call to action. It’s a short, low friction phone call to see if Brent is a good fit. I’m emphasizing the free value I can provide.

Follow Up 1

Hi Brent,

It’s Jackson from Ra Optics.

I haven’t heard from you since our last email. I wanted to take the time and make sure you’ve received everything.

Did I mention that our Night Lenses block 100% of the artificial blue and green light? Less artificial light means your athletes can sleep longer and better. Then, they’ll be more recovered and ready to perform!

Grab a time on my calendar and let’s talk (just 15 minutes!) {Calendly link}

{contact information}

Breakdown

This follow-up is a quick reminder about Ra and focuses on the solutions we can provide Brent.

My intro sentence shows I took time out of my day to ensure Brent received all his information. Then, I add in another benefit of our glasses to pique his interest. Finally, the call-to-action is more direct, as there is a Calendly link. This will accommodate his schedule better than a single date and time. I again remind him of the low commitment of this meeting (only 15 minutes).

Follow Up 2

Hey Brent.

Just checking in – I did some digging and found you worked with the AA Springfield Cardinals!

I’m curious, how does training baseball players compare to basketball players?

Have a good one,

{contact information}

Breakdown

So far, we have gotten zero responses from Brent. For this email, all I’m trying to get is a response, some investment on his end. I start with an interesting fact about him (showing I did my research). Then I ask a simple yet interesting, thoughtful, and low friction question.

Follow Up 3

Hi Brent,

It’s Jackson from Ra Optics.

It’s been a while. I’m wondering, are you still interested in improving your athlete’s sleep (and hence recovery and performance)?

No worries if you’re busy. If you don’t respond, I’ll take it our glasses aren’t a good fit for your team right now.

All the best,

{contact information}

Breakdown

At this point, it is unlikely that Brent will respond. This email serves as a last-ditch effort to get a response out of him. If he’s been busy but interested in the product, this will prompt him to respond, as I’m giving him no other options. I’m also reminding him that this is a great way to help his athletes perform better, AKA his pain point.

Response

Subject Line: Ra Optics

Hey Brent, it’s great to hear from you!

I’m excited that you’re interested in trialing our glasses.

Let’s schedule a meeting to discuss your training programs and how our glasses fit with them. Here’s a link to my calendar {Calendly link}

If you have questions before then, don’t hesitate to email me.

{contact information}

Breakdown

The response email is about setting up a long call where we can go into details. We’ll dive more into the specifics of how the glasses affect sleep and cite researched studies. I already know he’s interested, so this point is about finalizing the sale.

Lead List

Finding leads was surprisingly easy, as colleges publicly list their staff. First, I searched for the top D1 basketball programs in the country. Then, I searched {school name} sports medicine staff. Usually, the head trainer and his or her name would pop up. Again, I chose basketball because it’s the sport I’m most familiar with. Also, since it’s currently fall, basketball hasn’t started. This gives trainers time to make adjustments to their programs and add in our glasses.

Here’s a video of me finding these leads.

The Takeaways

This project was awesome! The biggest takeaway was the difference between contacting businesses versus sports teams. Founders and CEOs often have a large social presence and are easy to research. On the other hand, a lot of athletic trainers don’t have as robust social profiles. As a result, it’s much harder to find information to grab their attention.

Two, it’s more about the customer than the product. Raving about your product’s benefits is nice, but that’s not what customers care about. They care about how your product solves their problems. It takes critical thinking to apply your product to a customer’s context. But taking the extra step makes your customers feel more invested in and more likely to respond.

Three, it’s essential to have a cheat sheet. During my research, I created a cold email cheat sheet. Now, everything’s in one central location, which has decimated the time to write these emails.

Four, don’t be married to a template. Yes, templates are good for starting emails. They’re like having an outline for writing articles. But, they’re not an end all be all. These are individuals we’re contacting, so it’s important to personalize the emails. However, we also need to balance automation and personalization. I’m still trying to find this balance, but I have definitely made substantial progress!