Below are three cold email templates for contractors, written to be sent as they are after you swap in the names and numbers. Each one asks for a single small thing, a walkthrough of a property, because a contractor can't quote what he hasn't seen and a busy property manager will say yes to a 20-minute look far sooner than to a meeting about "partnering."

A follow-up email, subject lines, and the legal basics come after the templates. The sample contractor is Dale Whitaker, owner of Whitaker Building & Repair, a six-person crew doing interior repairs, flooring and light renovation. Every name here is made up.

Property managers who hire the same trades every month

Start with people who hire the same kind of work over and over: property managers who run 40 to 400 units, small commercial landlords, and facility managers at medical offices or churches. One manager with 200 units turns over perhaps 5 to 10 units a month, and each turn needs paint, floors or repairs. That is more steady work than ten homeowners who each call once.

Write to the manager of the portfolio, not the leasing desk. On a company website that's usually titled "Property Manager," "Regional Manager" or "Operations." Twenty names is plenty for a first week. If you want help finding them, the property management page shows how Rocketship searches by role and area, and the home services page covers the trades side.

Email 1: the first message

Subject: Unit turns at Birchwood Commons

Hi Marlene,

I'm Dale with Whitaker Building & Repair, a six-person crew in Dayton. We do unit turns: paint, flooring, drywall and small plumbing fixes, usually back to you in 3 to 4 days.

I saw Birchwood Commons has 112 units. Could I walk one vacant unit with you and give you a written price for the turn, no obligation? Twenty minutes, any weekday.

Dale Whitaker, Whitaker Building & Repair, 640 E 3rd St, Dayton OH 45402. If you'd rather not hear from me, reply "stop."

Why it works: It's 85 words. It says what you do in one sentence with a time (3 to 4 days), names her property, and asks for a walkthrough of one unit rather than a vendor meeting. A written price on a real unit is something she can compare against her current vendor, which is the thing she actually wants.

When to send: Tuesday to Thursday mornings. Managers have the most vacancies to deal with at the start and the end of the month, so the last week of the month is often better than the middle.

Email 2: for a manager who already has a vendor

Most managers already have someone. Don't pretend otherwise and don't ask them to switch. Offer to be the second call.

Subject: A backup crew for turn weeks

Hi Marlene,

I'm sure you have a go-to contractor for turns. Where I usually help is the week three units go vacant at once and your crew is booked.

I'm Dale, Whitaker Building & Repair, Dayton. I keep two open slots a month for overflow work. If you send me one unit's scope, I'll price it within 24 hours. If the price is no good, nothing lost.

Dale Whitaker, 640 E 3rd St, Dayton OH 45402. Reply "stop" and I won't write again.

Why it works: It respects the vendor she has and describes the exact moment she'd need you. "Two open slots a month" is honest and gives her a reason not to wait. It also lowers the risk: one unit, one price.

When to send: Whenever a vendor might be stretched: right before the busy move-out season, after a storm, or in the first week of a new month. This is also a good message for anyone who replied "we're all set" to Email 1. Wait a month and send this version.

Email 3: tied to something she can see

This one is for commercial or multifamily owners where there is a visible trigger, such as an inspection notice, a vacancy listed on a rental site, or a storm in the area. It isn't an invention of urgency. It's a real reason you wrote today.

Subject: The north stairwell at Ridgeline Plaza

Hi Tom,

I drove past Ridgeline Plaza this week and noticed the north stairwell railing is loose and the landing paint is peeling. It's an easy fix, and it's the kind of thing an inspector flags.

I'm Dale, Whitaker Building & Repair. I could re-secure the railing and repaint the landing in one day. Would you like a written quote? I can come by Thursday and take measurements.

Dale Whitaker, 640 E 3rd St, Dayton OH 45402. Reply "stop" and I'll take you off my list.

Why it works: It proves you looked at his property. It names the repair and how long it takes. The ask is a quote, which is cheap to give. Only write about things you can actually see from public view, and never claim a code violation you haven't confirmed.

When to send: The same week you see the problem. Keep a note on your phone and photograph from public sidewalks, so you have a record of what you saw.

The follow-up that offers to look at a vacant unit

Subject: Re: Unit turns at Birchwood Commons

Hi Marlene, quick follow-up in case this got buried. I can come by any weekday this week to look at a vacant unit. If someone else handles vendors, tell me who and I'll write to them. Dale

Keep it to two sentences. The question "if someone else handles vendors" gets answers that the first email doesn't. Send one more a week later, and then stop. Most replies come from the second or third touch, not the first, which is why the pattern in cold email that is not spam assumes a short, honest sequence and not a flood.

Subject lines that fit contractors

Short and specific beats clever. Use a property name, a street or a task: "Unit turns at Birchwood Commons," "A backup crew for turn weeks," "The north stairwell at Ridgeline Plaza," "Quote for the Oak Street roof." Avoid anything with a percent sign, "free," or all caps. If the subject could be sent to any property, it will be read as if it was.

What to leave out when you write to a property manager

Leave out your license numbers and insurance details (bring them to the walkthrough), a list of every service you offer, a price before you've seen the job, and a photo gallery attachment. Don't write "we're the best" or "highest quality." Don't promise a specific savings you haven't calculated. Do not ask for "15 minutes to introduce myself," because it sounds like it costs her something and gives her nothing.

CAN-SPAM and license numbers in contractor ads

CAN-SPAM requires a truthful From line and subject, your postal address in every email, and an opt-out you honor within 10 business days (same day is better). The footers above cover the last two. Keep a list of people who said stop, and never email them again. Contractor licensing adds its own rule: California requires your contractor license number in advertising, and other states have similar rules for some trades, so check with your state licensing board before you send.

Sending without burning your business domain

Use a Google account on your business domain, send as yourself, and stay near 20 to 50 a day per inbox at first. Google's published sending limits are far higher than what is safe for cold email. Send a few real messages to people you know first so the account has normal activity. Rocketship's AI worker sends from your own Gmail at that pace, follows up, and reads the replies. See what the AI workers do. The next templates over are cold email templates for plumbers and HVAC companies, which cover maintenance agreements, and cold email templates for cleaning companies, which work the same property-manager route.

Three emails and a follow-up won't win every manager, but they will start real conversations with the people who hire repeatedly. Rocketship finds the buyers, emails them from your own Gmail, follows up, and books the meeting on its own. Plans that get you customers start at $24.99 a month (Launch), and every monthly plan starts with a 7-day free trial, card required.