Cold Email Mistakes That Hurt Response Rates

Cold email still starts plenty of B2B conversations. It also gets ignored more than any other channel, mostly because so many messages make the same avoidable mistakes.

01Writing about yourself first

Openers like “We’re a leading provider of…” put your company at the center. The prospect doesn’t care yet. Start with them: something about their business, their role or a problem common to companies like theirs.

02Making it too long

Most first-touch emails should be short enough to read on a phone without scrolling. If you need four paragraphs to explain why you’re reaching out, the message isn’t focused enough yet.

03Fake personalization

Inserting a first name and company name isn’t personalization, and prospects can tell. One real detail, like a recent expansion, a job posting or a change in their industry, does more than three merge fields.

04Asking for too much

“Can we schedule a 60-minute demo?” is a big ask from a stranger. A simple question is easier to answer: “Is this something you’re dealing with?” or “Worth a 15-minute call to compare notes?”

05Ignoring the technical side

A great email that lands in spam does nothing. Sending from a properly authenticated domain, warming up new inboxes and keeping your list clean all affect whether your message is seen at all. See our article on email deliverability for the basics.

06Sending to bad data

Outdated lists lead to bounces, and high bounce rates damage your sender reputation. Verify addresses before every campaign and remove contacts who have left their companies.

07Giving up after one email

Plenty of replies come from the second, third or fourth message. Plan a short sequence with a new angle on each touch, and space them a few days apart.

08Skipping the basics of compliance

In the US, commercial email needs an accurate sender, an honest subject line, a physical mailing address and a clear way to opt out. Honor opt-out requests promptly. Following the rules also protects your reputation with prospects and inbox providers.

Written by Scott Henkin, Founder of Tek & Tel

Scott brings more than 20 years of sales experience to helping businesses build stronger pipelines through appointment setting, sales development, LinkedIn outreach, cold email and lead generation.