Why cold emailing works (and where it works best)
A cold email is simply an unsolicited, personal message to a company that isn't advertising a role. It works because most good internships are never advertised at all — a small firm will happily take on a sharp student for the summer if the right person asks, but they won't run a hiring process to find them.
The trick is who you email. Sending to a giant company's careers inbox is pointless — you'll hit an automated system. Sending to a 5–50-person local firm is different: your email lands with a founder or manager who can simply say yes. That's the whole game.
Step 1: Target the right companies
Aim for small and mid-sized companies (SMEs) in a sector you care about, ideally near where you can work. At that size:
- The decision-maker reads their own email.
- There's no formal internship programme to compete for.
- An extra pair of capable hands is genuinely useful.
- You'll do real work, not photocopying.
Build a list of 20–40 firms. You can find them through local business directories, Google Maps, LinkedIn, or industry bodies — or let Nearside source them automatically from your postcode and chosen sectors.
Step 2: Find the right email address
Look for a named person where you can — a founder, a manager, the head of the team you'd join. Their address is often on the company's website (an "About" or "Team" page), on LinkedIn, or follows a pattern like firstname@company.co.uk. A generic info@ address still works, but a named person is better — address them by name.
Step 3: Write an email that earns a reply
Every good internship cold email has the same five parts. Keep the whole thing under 200 words.
1. A subject line that isn't clickbait
Understated and honest. "Internship enquiry from an economics student" or "Student keen to help over the summer" both work. Avoid anything that reads like marketing.
2. An opening that could only be sent to them
This is the line that decides whether they keep reading. Say something specific about their work — a service they offer, a project they've posted about, how long they've been trading. Never open with "I came across your website" or "I'm a passionate student" — those fit any company and signal a mass email.
3. Who you are, briefly
One or two sentences: what you're studying, and what you're looking for. Measured, not breathless.
4. Your skills, tied to their work
Don't just list what you can do — connect it to something they actually do. "Having built valuation models and run my university's finance society, I could support the analysis behind your advisory work" is far stronger than "I'm proficient in Excel."
5. A small, clear ask
Make it easy to say yes. Not "please give me an internship" but "a short project, or a few days helping where you're stretched, would suit me well — could we have a brief call?" Add when you're free.
A full example
Here is what all of that looks like put together:
Subject: Internship enquiry from an economics student Hi Priya, I read through Harbour Advisory's site before writing — the fact that you focus on owner-managed businesses rather than large corporates is exactly the kind of hands-on finance work I want to learn from. I'm a second-year economics student at UCL. Having built discounted-cash-flow models and led my university's finance society, I think I could genuinely support the analysis behind your valuations and reporting rather than just watch. I'm not after a formal programme — a short project, or a few days helping where you're stretched, would suit me well. I'd be available across July and August. Would you be open to a brief call? Many thanks, Jordan Wingfield 07123 456789
Want more? We keep a set of copy-and-paste internship cold email templates broken down by sector.
Step 4: Follow up (this is where the replies are)
Most people never reply to the first email — not because they're not interested, but because it slipped down the inbox. A short, polite follow-up a few days later is where a lot of the replies come from. Send one nudge, then one final note, and always stop the instant someone replies.
Step 5: Send a steady batch, not a blast
Sending 200 identical emails will get you ignored and possibly flagged as spam. A consistent 10–20 genuinely personal emails a week, from your own inbox, is both more effective and safer for your email reputation. Keep a rhythm; reply fast when someone bites.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Generic openings that fit any company.
- Emailing giant firms' careers inboxes instead of SMEs.
- Listing skills without tying them to the company's work.
- Writing an essay — keep it under a minute's read.
- Never following up.
We go deeper on these in the mistakes that quietly kill your reply rate.