Is Email Outreach Dead? The Do’s and Don’ts to Land in the Inbox

📅 LIVE Training Session – March 12, 2025
🎙 With: Nagui Bihelek & Vlad Gvozdic

In this live training session, Nagui Bihelek and Vlad Gvozdic broke down the essentials of cold email outreach—what works, what doesn’t, and how to craft emails that actually land in the inbox (and get responses). The discussion covered key strategies, common pitfalls, and data-driven insights to improve outreach success.

The Evolution of Cold Email: Unlocking Business Growth in a Crowded Digital World

In a rapidly changing digital landscape, where businesses face increasing competition, the challenge of reaching new clients has never been greater. Email marketing, once a straightforward approach to prospecting and customer engagement, has evolved significantly due to rising advertising costs, regulatory restrictions, and changes in consumer behavior.

Recently, I had the pleasure of discussing these challenges with Vlad Gvozdic, a marketing expert specializing in cold email outreach. We explored the state of email marketing, the impact of AI, and how businesses can still leverage email to drive client acquisition effectively.

Why Email Marketing is Still Relevant

Despite the saturation of digital channels and the tightening grip of major tech companies, email remains one of the most reliable methods of reaching potential clients. Unlike social media, where algorithms dictate reach, or advertising, where costs continue to rise, email allows direct communication—provided it is done correctly.

Businesses today, especially small businesses, are being pushed towards paid advertising due to the declining effectiveness of traditional outreach methods. Cold calling is nearly obsolete due to call blocking and regulations. Social media, while valuable, is noisy and often lacks the precision necessary for targeted outreach. In contrast, email still offers an opportunity to engage prospects directly, as long as it adheres to best practices.

Key Takeaways:

Avoid Overused Subject Lines ❌

Phrases like "Elevate your business" or "Hope you're well" are overused and often trigger spam filters. Avoid anything that sounds too AI-generated.

Follow Up Smartly 🔄

Don't rely on excessive follow-ups (5-7 emails in a sequence is overkill). Assume recipients won’t remember your previous email, so provide context in each follow-up. A good follow-up should add value (e.g., sharing another relevant case study or highlighting new insights).

Cold Email vs. Advertising 🎯

Cold email is cheaper and more personal than paid ads. It should feel like a one-to-one conversation, not a generic pitch. Well-crafted emails mimic natural human interactions.

Targeting the Right Audience 🏹

Context matters—don’t "cold pitch" like you would in a networking event. Speak the recipient’s language and ensure your message is relevant to their needs. Ideal cold emails feel tailored, even if sent at scale.

Segmentation & Personalization ✂️

The best approach is to segment your audience into Ideal Customer Profiles (ICPs). ICPs should be as specific as possible (e.g., separating businesses by industry, size, job role, etc.). The more precise the segmentation, the better the response rates.

Testing & Data-Driven Approach 📊

Start with small-volume testing before scaling. Track key metrics to refine your approach:

• Response Rate (2-5% is normal, 10% is excellent)

• Positive Response Rate (10-20% of responses should be interested leads) Success depends on audience targeting, personalization, and offer relevance.

Cold Email Best Practices ✅

• Write in plain text—no HTML, no fancy templates.

• Keep it short and to the point.

• Avoid spammy words and phrases.

• Focus on benefits, not features.

• Ensure every email has a clear, low-friction call to action.

The Shifting Landscape of Cold Email

Cold email has undergone a transformation in recent years. The primary goal of email providers like Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft has been to reduce spam, limiting the number of outbound emails businesses can send per day. This crackdown means that the old method of blasting thousands of emails at once is no longer viable. Instead, success now relies on:

• Personalization: Mass, generic emails are no longer effective. Cold emails should feel like personal, one-to-one communication.

• Technical Setup: Email reputation, authentication protocols, and domain warming are essential to ensuring deliverability.

• Targeting the Right People: A well-curated email list, segmented by industry and business type, dramatically increases success rates.

Deliverability: The Key to Cold Email Success

One of the biggest hurdles businesses face with cold email is deliverability. Email providers have implemented sophisticated algorithms to detect spam-like behavior, meaning businesses must carefully structure their email campaigns to avoid getting flagged.

Key deliverability strategies include:

1. Setting Up Multiple Domains and Email Accounts – Using your main business domain for cold outreach is risky. Instead, businesses should create alternate domains (e.g., businessname.co instead of businessname.com) and distribute sending across multiple email accounts.

2. Warming Up Email Accounts – New email addresses start with no reputation. Automated tools can help simulate engagement (sending and receiving emails) to establish credibility.

3. Low-Volume, High-Quality Sending – Sending 10,000 emails from one account is a surefire way to get flagged. A better approach is sending 10-15 emails per inbox daily, using multiple email addresses.

4. Avoiding Spam Triggers – AI-generated copy, repetitive phrasing, and overuse of images or links can negatively impact deliverability.

Conclusion: The Future of Cold Email

Cold email is far from dead—it’s evolving. Businesses that adapt to the new rules of email outreach, leverage AI responsibly, and focus on high-quality engagement rather than mass outreach will continue to see success.

For those looking to navigate this landscape efficiently, seeking expert guidance can make all the difference. If you’re struggling with deliverability, targeting, or crafting effective cold emails, working with an experienced team can help streamline the process and maximize results.

Interested in refining your cold email strategy? Let’s connect and explore how to make your outreach more effective.