The Email That Came In From The Cold

Cold email. Love it or hate it, it refuses to die. And done right, it’s an ROI machine.

But done poorly? It’s a one-way ticket to purgatory.?

The inbox is sacred. Every email you send either earns you trust—or burns it. Get it right, and you’re in. Get it wrong, and you’re not just ignored—you’re blacklisted.

Here’s how to wield cold email with precision with razor-sharp copy and follow-ups that turn “no” into “not yet.”?

Cold email works because it skips the gatekeepers and puts you in front of decision-makers. Founders. Hiring managers. Buyers. It’s scalable, direct, and effective—if you treat it like a conversation, not a pitch.

Here’s the problem: most cold emails come off like spam. Actually, let’s be blunter still: they are spam.

They’re unfocused. Overly formal. Or, worst of all, a laundry list of features nobody asked for.

Cold email is like joining a conversation at a dinner party. You wouldn’t barge in shouting about yourself. You’d listen, find common ground, and then speak. That’s the key to making cold email work: start a dialogue, not a monologue.

The first sentence of your email is the most important. It’s your chance to prove you’re worth reading. Most people blow it with generic fluff. Not you. Here’s how to hook them:

1. Get personal: Reference something relevant to their industry, company, or role. For example: “Notice how engineering costs keep rising but client billing isn’t?”
2. Spark curiosity: Make them want more. For example: “We helped [their competitor] save 30% on verification costs—without adding new hires or equipment.”
3. Be human: Nobody wants to read a robot. Write like a person talking to another person. Drop the formality.

Once you’ve hooked them, hit them with the why it matters. Don’t sell features. Sell outcomes. Replace “Our software streamlines your processes” with “Our software helps you close deals 50% faster.”

Targeting isn’t just important—it’s everything. Who you email determines whether you get replies or rot in a junk folder.

Forget “everyone.” Narrow it down. Focus on industries, company sizes, or roles where your offer solves a pain point. For example, selling software? Email decision-makers at companies with 50+ employees where inefficiency kills revenue. Offering consulting? Target startups with fewer than 20 employees that need strategic guidance but lack the bandwidth. (That one is mine!) Relevance gets replies. Everything else gets deleted.

No one replies to the first email. The magic happens in the follow-ups. From Email 2 onwards you are building your credibility. Share a case study or specific results your product has delivered. “Last month, we helped [Competitor] cut churn by 20%. Want to know how?”

Then with Email 3 you highlight a fresh benefit. “We’ve helped 200+ businesses spend less time chasing leads and more time closing deals.”

By Email 4 you can offer something low-risk. A free trial, a quick chat, or a discount. “Think this might work for you? Let’s talk. I’ll show you exactly how it works.” Keep follow-ups short. Every word should build trust, not waste their time.

Spam filters are ruthless. Send too much, too fast, from a single domain, and you’re blacklisted. Game over, man, game over.

So:

• Use secondary “dummy” domains to protect your main one.
• Warm up your email addresses by sending gradually over a few weeks.
• Spread campaigns across multiple domains to avoid triggering spam filters.

Follow a few simple rules and you can send thousands of emails a week without risking your reputation.

Cold email won’t land you instant deals. It’s about planting seeds, nurturing them with follow-ups, and closing when the time is right.

Expect 10-15 leads a month in niche markets. Higher-volume industries? You might see leads daily. Success depends on two things: consistent testing and relentless targeting. Run your campaigns, learn from the data, and refine.

Done right, cold email is a door opener. It starts conversations, builds relationships, and delivers you warm leads.

(And if you want cold email copy that actually works, my go-to is ?? Dean Waye . He’s got this down to a science. Tell him I sent you, so he owes me a favor).

Shameless Self Promotion:

If you are a founder, everything you need to know to lead marketing that works is in one place. https://foundational.thinkific.com/

I've got Black Friday pricing today through Monday. First lesson is free, so check it out. Then save 50%.

If you're a VC who wants to gift this to multiple founders, I've got one heck of a deal for you. Ping me.