Being a self-taught designer, cold emails are one of the best ways to get internships.

A thread on the cold emails I have sent over the last few years

This was the first email format I used. I was one internship old and didn’t have a dedicated portfolio website at the time. I just attached my resume (which had links to my work) and emailed a bunch of Indian designers.

I quickly realised that my work should be more upfront so I updated the format. Looking back, I feel throwing up so many links can result in a choice overload for the person at the other end—so it might be better to have one dedicated link

Applying for summer 2018, I had a dedicated portfolio website and spun up a custom HTML template which I was really proud of. I used to change the color scheme of the email depending on the company. But this time, I made the email content really long

For the next summer, I went really minimal with the template. Added a couple of buttons with tracking, and if someone clicked the ‘interested’ link I would send them a dedicated email about why I want to work with them. Sadly, this version did not perform up to my expectations

This is one of the last cold emails I sent—personalized and to the point. I still feel this format needs a little visual flavor, but I guess it works

What would I tell Abhishek of 2017? Keep it concise, personal, and catchy. Also, follow up if you don’t get a reply. I never did this, but I feel one should definitely do it. People are busy, emails get missed.

Also—if you can, please use your college email address (.ac.in,.edu etc.) to send these emails. I have heard that emails from these handles don't end up in spam. So you have a better chance of landing in the other person's inbox.

Interested in more? Then you must read this brilliant 3-minute guide by @thetkkong https://medium.com/@tkkong/a-guide-how-to-cold-email-e105a67ebd74