The founder of a company registered last Tuesday has an inbox that is still mostly personal. Your email will be one of the first commercial messages they receive about their new business. That is an advantage, and a responsibility: it will be read, and it will set their expectation of what a sales email looks like. Write accordingly.
The structure
- Subject line: a fact, not a pitch. 'Congratulations on registering Fieldnote Studio' beats 'Accounting services for start-ups' every time.
- Line one: how you know. 'I saw Fieldnote Studio was incorporated on 15 September.' Honest, specific, and it explains the email.
- Line two: the observation. One thing from the record that is relevant to what you do. The SIC code, the registered office, the first accounts date, the fact that there is one director.
- Line three: why it matters to them. Not a feature. A consequence. 'Most software studios sort out their accountant in the first month, because the VAT decision is easier before the first invoice.'
- Line four: a small ask. Fifteen minutes. A reply. A link to something useful. Not a demo, not a call this afternoon.
- Sign off with who you are and a real address, which the law requires anyway.
Three examples
An accountant to a software start-up
Subject: Congratulations on Fieldnote Studio
Hi Priya — I saw Fieldnote Studio was incorporated on 15 September under software development. Most studios I work with decide on VAT registration before their first invoice, because it changes how you price. If it would help, I can send a one-page note on the decision — no call needed. Either way, good luck with the launch.
Sam Ortiz, Ortiz & Co Accountants, 14 Peter Street, Manchester
An insurance broker to a building company
Subject: Northline Build Co — one thing before the first job
Hi Dan — congratulations on registering Northline Build Co last week. Most main contractors ask for public liability and employers' liability certificates before the first site day, and it is quicker to arrange now than the night before. Happy to send indicative figures for a domestic-builds contractor if you tell me roughly the size of job you are taking on.
Aisha Rahman, Rahman Risk, Leeds
An agency to a retail brand
Subject: Common Thread — your first 30 days online
Hi Jo — I noticed Common Thread Systems was incorporated on 3 September under online retail. We have built launch sites for three new brands this year; the thing that mattered most was getting the shop live before the first stock arrived. If you have a launch date in mind I can share what a realistic timeline looks like.
Marcus Lee, Thread & Needle Studio, Bristol
What gets you deleted
- Pretending it is not outreach. 'I was just browsing and came across your company' is transparently false. Say you read the register.
- Length. Anything over a screen on a phone is not read.
- Features. A founder in week one does not care what your product does. They care about the decision in front of them.
- Urgency and discounts. 'Offer ends Friday' to a company that has existed for six days reads as desperate.
- Inventing detail. If you do not know their website, do not guess it. If you do not know what they sell, ask. The record gives you plenty of true things to say.
Let the record write the first line
Every Lead Forge profile carries an AI analysis with suggested outreach angles that reference specific facts on the record, labelled as public data or interpretation. Use them as a starting point, then say it in your own words. Keep a note of who you emailed and honour every 'no thanks' the first time. The register will have two thousand more companies tomorrow.
QUICK ANSWERS
Questions this article answers
- How long should a first email to a new company be?
- Under 120 words. One specific observation from the record, one sentence on why it matters, one low-friction ask. Founders read on their phones.
- Should I mention that I found them on Companies House?
- Yes, briefly and honestly. It explains how you know about them, signals that you did your homework and is far better received than pretending the email is not outreach.