How to personalize cold emails with AI using company websites
Let AI read each prospect's website and write a short, specific first line. Includes prompts you can copy.
A personal first line shows you looked at the prospect's business. AI can write one for hundreds of companies by reading their websites.
But AI only helps when the basics are right. It makes a good email better. It can't save a weak offer or the wrong list.
Step 1: Get your offer right first
Make sure you can explain your offer in one sentence. Say who it's for and what changes for them.
If a plain version of your email gets no replies, fix the offer or the list first. Personalization won't fix it.
Step 2: Export your list with websites
AI needs a website to read. Every ContactYard export includes a Website column for each contact's company.
Set aside rows without a website. Need a list first? Follow how to build a prospect list.
Step 3: Pick one type of personalization
Don't ask AI to "personalize" in general. Give it one clear job. These three work well:
- What they do. One line about the company's main product or service.
- Who they sell to. AI sorts companies into groups. You write one email for each group.
- Ideas for them. Two short ideas for how you could help, based on what they sell.
Tip: Sorting into groups is the safest place to start. AI only picks a label, and you write every word the prospect reads.
Step 4: Write the prompt
A good prompt is short and strict. Give the AI these rules:
- Use only facts from the website.
- Finish a sentence you start, so every line has the same shape.
- Keep it under 12 words.
- Reply NONE if the website doesn't say enough.
- No buzzwords, compliments or exclamation marks.
Copy one of these prompts. Change the parts in square brackets. Your tool fills in the parts in curly brackets from your list.
Visit {website}. Read the home page and the about page. Finish this sentence in under 12 words: "I saw that {company} ..." Rules: - Use only facts from the website. - Say what they do or sell, in plain words. - No compliments, buzzwords or exclamation marks. - If the website doesn't say enough, reply NONE. Reply with the finished sentence only.
Visit {website}. Work out who {company} mainly sells to. Reply with one word only: BUSINESSES if they mainly sell to other companies CONSUMERS if they mainly sell to the public UNCLEAR if the website doesn't make it clear
Visit {website}. Learn what {company} sells and who buys it. We help companies [your main benefit]. Suggest 2 specific ways we could help {company}. - Each idea must be under 15 words. - Each idea must connect to something on their website. - Only suggest ideas related to [what you offer]. If the website doesn't say enough, reply NONE.
Step 5: Run it on your list
How you run it depends on the size of your list:
- Under 50 rows: paste each website into an AI chat tool that can open web pages.
- Bigger lists: use a spreadsheet or email tool with an AI column. Point the prompt at the Website column.
Save each result in a new column called first_line. Most email tools can insert a column into your email.
Step 6: Check the results
Read at least 20 rows before you send anything. Look for lines that are wrong, vague or odd.
If you see the same problem more than once, fix the prompt and run it again. Fixing rows by hand won't fix the next batch.
For rows that say NONE, use a plain opening instead. A plain line is better than a wrong one.
Step 7: Put it into your email
Put the line at the very start. Keep the rest of the email short and about them.
Hi {first_name}, {first_line} We help [type of company] [get a clear result] without [common problem]. Would it be worth a quick chat to see if this fits {company}? [Your name]
Bad lines vs good lines
| Bad | Good | Why |
|---|---|---|
| I love what you're doing at Fernway! | I saw that Fernway helps clinics book patients by text. | A real fact, not a compliment |
| Your innovative platform is transforming the industry. | I saw that Harborgrid tracks shipping containers for freight brokers. | Plain words, no buzzwords |
| I noticed your company is doing great things in software. | I saw that Quillstack sells contract templates to small law firms. | Only true for this company |
Common mistakes
- Letting AI write the whole email. It ends up sounding generic. Use AI for one line and write the rest.
- Sending without checking. One strange line makes the whole email feel automated.
- Hoping AI fixes a weak offer. If the offer isn't clear, no first line will save it.