Cold Email Insights: What’s Really Working in 2024 (Templates, Tactics, and Results)

I hate sales. I find it cringy, forced, and honestly, a bit soul-draining. Even worse, I can’t stand getting those generic cold emails from people trying to sell me something. Naturally, I projected that onto my efforts for outreach. But I realized that to grow, I needed to confront this head-on. So, despite my reservations, I decided to jump in and try cold outreach for myself.

Here’s the thing: cold outreach works. I know I was surprised, too. But it’s a simple numbers game — get in front of the right customers at the right time and be ready to solve a problem they care about. The key is not expecting instant results. You must go for volume, not just fire off a few messages and hope for the best. However, this doesn’t mean you should adopt a ‘spray and pray’ approach, using generic templates and sending mass emails to anyone and everyone.

Do You Know Your Clients?

Before sending a single email, you must know who you’re contacting. Who is your ideal customer? What keeps them up at night? What problems are they facing? How have they tried to solve them before, and how much money is on the line? Be very specific about this. Knowing your target client inside and out is the foundation for successful cold outreach. Who you are targeting is indefinitely more important than the copy of the emails you are about to send.

Once you’ve nailed down your ideal customer, it’s time to build a list of leads. But let’s assume you’ve got a solid list of prospects that match your target persona and know you can help.

The next step is deciding how to execute your outreach. Do you handle it yourself or bring in external help? This decision will impact your strategy and resources.

Decide: DIY or Agency Support?

Now, how do you reach out? You have two basic choices: do it yourself or hand it to an agency. I handed it off because if you’re sending cold emails at scale, you need more than just a list of addresses.

First, you need multiple domains. Your primary domain is precious. It’s your digital reputation, and you don’t want it to get marked as spam. My agency's main domain is nozero.agency, but I also use domains like meetnozero.com, withnozero.com, and teamnozero.com — domains I can afford to lose if they get flagged. You need these backup domains so you can spread the risk.

Next, you need to "warm up" those domains. This involves sending small amounts of legitimate traffic so email providers like Google recognize them as trustworthy. It can take four weeks or more, and it's essential to avoid landing straight in the spam folder. Tools such as Instantly or Warmy automate the process of sending low volumes of emails that gradually increase over time, helping to establish a good sender reputation.

While the DIY approach is cheaper and gives you more control over the process, it is time-consuming, has a higher learning curve, and is prone to errors.

One advantage of working with a cold outreach agency is that they handle all rejections. They manage all domains except my primary one and remove leads from the process once they opt out. They then automatically forward only positive replies to my actual Inbox. Since I always take rejections personally, it helps me a ton to only see and act on the positive replies (it frees up time, too!).

My Cold Outreach Process: Leading with Value

Now, let’s talk about the actual process. Here’s the twist: I don't like direct sales, so my call to action isn’t a pushy “let’s jump on a call” or “schedule a meeting now.” Instead, I aim to get permission to send a Loom video. Why? Because asking someone to book a call immediately is a big ask. It’s synchronous, so they must immediately set aside time and effort. That’s a high hurdle, especially if they don’t know you.”

So, I start with a plain, straightforward email. No links. No Calendly invite. Nothing but text asking if they’d be open to me sending a short (under three minutes) video with some ideas on how I could help them. This subtle approach usually gets a positive response because it’s low-pressure and easy to say “yes” to.

Once they give the green light, I do my homework. I’ll look into their business, figure out what they’re doing, and find a genuine angle where I can help. Then, I record a personalized three-minute Loom video. It’s short, focused, and a glimpse into who I am and how I work. The lead can watch it whenever they have a spare moment — whether on the bus or on the toilet. They see my face, hear my voice, and understand my offer, all without committing to a call.

This approach is the door opener. It breaks down barriers and feels less like a sales pitch and more like a personalized outreach. If they’re interested, they’ll reply, and we move to a call already set up for success because they’re genuinely interested.

A Winning Template

Now, let’s dive into the templates that I’ve found to be the most effective. Meet Jane:

This template is a perfect example of how to make cold outreach feel warm, engaging, and tailored to the recipient. Let’s dissect why this works and how each part is critical in creating a connection.

1. Subject

The subject line is the first thing that your potential lead will see. I always keep it simple here, starting with their name, followed by a short question. But subjects like Jane <> nozero work equally well.

2. Opening

This feels like the oldest trick in the book, but it still works:

I address the lead directly and immediately follow up with a personalized message. This demonstrates that I’ve taken the time to understand their background and interests. Mentioning Jane’s previous focus on the international market immediately positions us as someone who knows what she’s about and genuinely cares. This sets a positive tone from the outset and helps break down initial skepticism.

3. Address the Pain Point

Now, we cut to the core of what we assume to be her most pressing problem by asking a pointed question.

This question is sharp and direct, addressing a specific pain point that Jane might be dealing with. It invites her to reflect on a potential problem without feeling like she’s being sold to. This approach captures her attention and positions us as someone who understands her challenges and could offer a relevant solution.

4. Value Proposition

We move on to acknowledge her problem and hint at a solution (that we can best deliver). This sentence succinctly conveys the benefit of our service — rapid innovation without the burden of a full-time team. It’s clear, compelling, and speaks directly to the recipient’s likely goals: staying competitive while managing costs and resources. It avoids jargon and focuses on what matters most to the recipient — speed and flexibility.

5. Call to Action

Instead of pushing for a meeting, we take a softer approach.

This is where the magic happens. Instead of a hard sell, we offer to create a custom video with specific insights for Jane’s company. It’s a low-commitment ask that provides value upfront and respects her time. This approach encourages Jane to say ‘yes’ by making the next step easy and on her terms.

6. Closing

I finish my emails with a warm greeting and always provide an escape rope. This postscript serves multiple purposes. It acknowledges that not every pitch will land and gives Jane an easy way to decline if she’s not interested. By respecting her time and inbox, we position ourselves as someone who understands her reality and won’t be offended if she declines. This authenticity often encourages a response, even if it’s just a “not now,” and keeps the door open for future opportunities.

Following up

In most cases, you will not hear back from a lead. This is not because they reject you but because life got in their way, and they have moved on. It is generally a healthy mindset to assume positive intent and that other people are as busy as you are.

That doesn’t mean we cannot follow up and give them another chance to reach out. Here is the template:

We keep the subject the same as for the initial mail and offer Jane three options, making it easy for her to reply. This template makes it clear we won’t send any more emails.

So, if there was at least some interest on her side, this now creates some sense of urgency to act. Otherwise, she’ll have to deal with the pain herself. Regarding when you should follow up, three days works well for me - though you can experiment a bit.

Mind you, this email should be genuine, and you should not create a false sense of urgency to elicit a response.

Results: The Numbers Behind the Process

Now that we know the process and what to say, let's talk numbers.

Do you think cold outreach is a quick win? Think again. Over the past ten weeks, I’ve sent thousands of emails, tracked every reply, and tallied the wins and losses. Let’s dive in: