A cold email is an unsolicited e-mail that is sent to a receiver without prior contact.
[1] Cold email is a personalized, one-to-one message targeted at a specific individual.
Its aim is to get into a business conversation with that individual, rather than to promote a product or a service to the masses.
Cold emailing is distinct from spam in that it aims to initiate a genuine conversation rather than deceive the recipient.
If a cold outreach campaign has a 50% open rate, it is considered successful.