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Compose Emails

Generate personalized, professional emails using AI directly in your Google Sheet. Perfect for creating customized outreach at scale.

Email Compose Formula​

Formula Structure​

=COMPOSE_EMAIL(recipient_email, your_name, your_company, offering, value_prop, call_to_action, [tone], [personalization], [showHeader], [ignore_cache])

Parameters​

  • recipient_email: Email address (used for context only; sending is handled by Mail Merge)
  • your_name: Your name to introduce yourself
  • your_company: Your company name
  • offering: What you're offering (product/service)
  • value_prop: Value proposition / benefit
  • call_to_action: What you want them to do
  • tone (optional): e.g., "professional", "friendly", "casual"
  • personalization (optional): Extra context for tailoring the message
  • showHeader (optional): TRUE to include header row
  • ignore_cache (optional): TRUE to force fresh output

Examples​

Simple intro email:

=COMPOSE_EMAIL("[email protected]", "Alex", "MailNinja", "Sales automation", "Save 5 hours/week on prospecting", "Schedule a quick demo", "professional", "Saw your talk at SaaStr")

Follow-up email:

=COMPOSE_EMAIL("[email protected]", "Alex", "MailNinja", "Meeting follow-up", "Custom sales solution for your team", "Book 30min call", "friendly", "Following up on our conversation at conference")

Product launch email:

=COMPOSE_EMAIL("[email protected]", "Alex", "MailNinja", "New AI features", "Automate your outreach with AI", "Try it free", "professional", "You mentioned interest in AI tools")

Using Cell References​

Build emails dynamically from your spreadsheet data:

If your sheet has:

  • Column A: Recipient Email
  • Column B: Their Name
  • Column C: Their Company
  • Column D: Personalization Note
=COMPOSE_EMAIL(A2, "Alex", "MailNinja", "Sales automation for " & C2, "Save 5 hours/week", "Schedule demo", "professional", D2)

What You Get​

The formula returns a structured output with:

  1. Subject Line: Engaging subject line for the email
  2. Email Body: Complete, personalized email message

When showHeader is TRUE, you get column headers making it easy to use the output.

Sending Your Composed Emails​

The COMPOSE_EMAIL formula generates the content. To actually send emails, use the Mail Merge feature:

Mail Merge Workflow​

  1. Generate Emails with COMPOSE_EMAIL formula

    • Subject in one column
    • Body in another column

  2. Open Mail Merge

    • Go to Extensions → MailNinja → Email & Mail Merge → Mail Merge: Send

  3. Configure Send Settings

    • Select your recipients range
    • Choose Single or Per-row subject/body
    • Map sheet columns to {{variables}}

  4. Detect & Fill Variables

    • Click "Detect & Fill Variables"
    • Map columns like {{firstName}} and {{company}} to your sheet

  5. Send

    • Preview a test email
    • Send to all recipients

Use Cases​

1. Cold Outreach​

Generate personalized cold emails for prospects:

=COMPOSE_EMAIL(A2, "Your Name", "Your Company", "Solution for " & B2, "Increase efficiency by 40%", "Book a 15min call", "professional", "Noticed you're hiring for sales roles")

2. Follow-ups​

Create follow-up sequences:

=COMPOSE_EMAIL(A2, "Your Name", "Your Company", "Following up", "Still interested in improving " & C2, "Quick 10min call?", "friendly", "Following up on my previous email from last week")

3. Event Invitations​

Invite prospects to events:

=COMPOSE_EMAIL(A2, "Your Name", "Your Company", "Exclusive webinar invitation", "Learn how to scale sales", "Register now", "professional", "Given your role as " & D2)

4. Product Updates​

Announce new features:

=COMPOSE_EMAIL(A2, "Your Name", "Your Company", "New AI features launched", "Save even more time", "Try it free", "friendly", "As a " & B2 & " user")

Tips for Better Emails​

1. Strong Value Propositions​

❌ Weak: "Our product is great" ✅ Strong: "Save 5 hours per week on prospecting"

2. Personalization Context​

Include specific, relevant details:

  • "Saw your talk at SaaStr"
  • "Noticed you're hiring for sales roles"
  • "Read your article about sales automation"

3. Clear Call-to-Actions​

Be specific about what you want:

  • "Schedule a 15-minute demo"
  • "Reply with your biggest sales challenge"
  • "Download our free guide"

4. Appropriate Tone​

Match tone to your audience:

  • Executives: "professional"
  • Peers/Equal level: "friendly"
  • Creative industries: "casual"

5. Keep It Concise​

Let AI generate concise, scannable emails by being clear in your inputs

Combining with Research​

Create highly personalized emails using AI research:

// Column A: Email
// Column B: Company
// Column C: Research their pain points
=PERPLEXITY(CONCATENATE("What are top challenges for ", B2, "? List 2 key challenges"))

// Column D: Generate personalized email
=COMPOSE_EMAIL(A2, "Your Name", "Your Company", "Solution for " & B2, "Solve your challenge: " & C2, "Book demo", "professional", "Based on " & B2 & "'s focus on" & C2)

Credit Cost​

  • 1 credit per email composition (uses OpenAI)