10 Expert Cold Email Tips And Best Practices in 2024

Inbox overload is real.

Your brilliant cold emails could go unseen in a sea of unread messages. If you want to truly grab attention, you need to level up your cold emailing strategies. 

The best way to bring your A-game is to master the latest cold email best practices. 

In fact, Google and Yahoo are now implementing stricter control measures for bulk senders. So, it is more important than ever to keep up with the latest trends.

In this blog, we’ll cover the expert cold email tips and best practices to make sure your emails reach your prospects’ primary inboxes.

Cold Email Tips -Table of Contents

• 10 Expert Cold Emailing Tips and Tricks in 2024
• Google and Yahoo’s Latest Update For Cold Email Outreach in 2024
• Ready to Improve and Scale Your Outreach in 2024
• FAQs

10 Expert Cold Emailing Tips and Tricks in 2024

The expert cold email tips you’ll see in this section have been carefully curated to improve your sales outreach strategies.

These best cold email practices are designed to guide you in crafting effective, response-generating emails. Each tip focuses on a key aspect of cold emailing, from setting clear objectives to fine-tuning your follow-up strategy.

Here is a short video that talks about the best cold emailing practices for 2024, which we will be expanding upon in this blog.

Here are the ten best cold email tips and tricks that help you draft expert emails to land directly in your prospect’s inboxes.

1. Set Clear Goals and Objectives
2. Build Your Prospect List
3. Set Up Your Email Accounts
4. Warm Up Your Accounts
5. Draft Your Cold Email Copy
6. Schedule Follow-Up Emails
7. Create Variations Of Your Cold Emails
8. Know Your Sending Limits
9. Plan Your Email Ramp-Up
10. Send a Test Email

1. Set Clear Goals and Objectives

Before you start working on a project, you typically sketch a game plan.

Cold emailing is no different – it requires a well-defined strategy right from the start. It would be best if you began by setting clear goals.

Are you looking to increase sales, generate leads, or perhaps establish new business relationships? By understanding your primary aim, you can plan and execute strategies to achieve your goals.

Once you’ve defined your objectives, it’s time to convert them into actionable goals.

These should be SMART goals – Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.

For example, a SMART goal for your cold email campaigns could be: “To get a 15% open rate and 5% response rate that generates 15 new qualified leads over the next 3 months.”

When you have such clearly defined and measurable SMART goals, you can easily track your progress at regular intervals and make any necessary adjustments to optimize results.

Finally, you have to decide who your target audience is, determine the style and content of your emails, and plan how you’ll measure the success of your campaign.

Such a strategic approach to cold emailing will automatically guide your actions and also set you up for achieving the results you desire.

2. Build Your Prospect List

After defining your goals and objectives, the next crucial step is to build your prospect list. To create a quality list of prospects, you need to start by defining your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP).

You can identify your ICP by asking yourself, “Who would benefit the most from my product or service?” 

Consider factors such as location, industry, company size, and the position of the contact person when sketching your ICP.

You should also think about other metrics, such as a company’s annual revenue, the technology they use, and the size of their customer or client base. This detailed profiling will help you to target your outreach more effectively.

Seems like a lot of work doesn’t it? That’s why we have done the work for you, grab our FREE Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) Google Sheet.

Once you have a clear picture of your ICP, you can start finding their details.

An easy way to find relevant leads along with their contact information is to opt for a B2B database like Saleshandy’s Lead Finder.

It provides you access to over 750M verified professional profiles from across 60M companies.

For all the leads, you can get access to the most updated information and build a targeted list with the use of advanced filters. 

You can identify the most relevant using filters like industry, designation, company size, and others. It’s a great way to get access to targeted leads and build a solid prospect list.

Also Read: 15 Best Places to Buy an Email List for Verified B2B Contacts

Once you get access to contact information, never send marketing or outreach emails to personal accounts like @gmail or @yahoo.

You must delete personal emails from your lists to avoid issues down the line. 

Always send emails to your prospects professional emails to keep things professional and relevant.

3. Set Up Your Email Accounts

Once you have built a robust prospect list, you need to set up the email accounts you will use to contact them.

By properly validating your email accounts, you can improve deliverability and establish the credibility of your primary domain.

Start by purchasing secondary domains and setting up multiple email accounts. It’s recommended to have a maximum of five email accounts per domain.

Purchasing secondary domains helps to keep your primary domain secure.

The number of email accounts and domains you need depends on:

• The number of prospects you want to reach.
• The duration of your outreach.
• The number of emails that you want to send in a day.

So, let’s say you’re planning to send 5,000 emails in 30 days, then you’ll need 1 domain and 3 email accounts.

But, if you want to send 15,000 emails in 30 days, then you’ll need 2 domains and 10 email accounts.

These calculations are based on a limit of sending 50 emails per day from each account and having 5 emails per domain.

Why 50 emails per day?

With all Email Service Providers (ESPs) we tested, 50 is the safest number to ensure that your emails land in the inbox without being flagged as suspicious.

To make your life easier we have a calculator that can help you do all the needed calculations. Here grab our Email Account Calculator.

Once you have the required number of secondary domains, you can redirect them to your primary domain. This step diversifies your sending sources, which can enhance deliverability and reduce the risk of being flagged as spam.

Next, ensure your SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are correctly set up. This is a mandatory requirement by Google and Yahoo starting February 1, 2024.

These authentication protocols verify your emails’ legitimacy, making it less likely they’ll be marked as spam.

You should also set up and assign a custom tracking domain for your email campaigns. This helps in maintaining the consistency of your brand and improving the tracking of email opens and clicks.

Another crucial cold emailing tip that you shouldn’t overlook is delisting your IP if it’s blacklisted. Regularly check your IP against blacklists using tools like MailGenius and GlockApps.

If you find your IP blacklisted, you should follow the procedure to request removal from each relevant database. Remember, this process should be done for each email account, not just the domain.

Finally, don’t overlook the power of a profile picture for each email account.

An image combining a headshot and your company logo can make your emails stand out in the recipient’s inbox, adding a personal touch.

4. Warm Up Your Accounts

After your emails are set up, it’s time to warm up your accounts before you start your outreach.

Email warmup is the process of gradually sending out legitimate emails from your new IP address or domain to establish a good sender reputation before you launch full email campaigns.

This is one of the cold email best practices you should not miss out on. If you start sending a high volume of emails without warm-up, you risk getting your email account blocked.

By warming up your email accounts, you signal the ESPs that you are a legitimate sender. It helps ensure your future emails reliably land in inboxes rather than in spam folders once you kick off your actual campaigns.

Dedicating adequate time to warm up and monitoring your sending reputation is vital for achieving email deliverability.

Here are some tips on how to effectively warm up your email accounts:

1. Set a Warm-Up Period: For each email account, you should set up a 2-3 week warm-up period before launching your campaign.
2. Send Relevant Warm-Up Content: In your warm-up emails, you should include content relevant to your business offering and steer clear of spammy content. This way, you can establish trust and engage your readers.
3. Start with Low Email Volume: In the beginning, you should send only 10 – 20 emails per day per account. You can gradually increase over your warm-up period once your IP and domain have established a good sender reputation.
4. Monitor Metrics Before Launching: After your warmup period, closely pay attention to any spikes in complaints, bounces, or backlisting. These indicate issues you need to work on before you launch a full campaign.

Ideally, you should use services specifically designed for email warm-ups like Trulyinbox. They automatically send warm-up emails from your account to real people who have opted in.

Once you have warmed up your email accounts, you can start sending cold emails to your prospects.

Also, while the warm-up process is going on, you can work on crafting your cold email copies.

5. Draft Your Cold Email Copy

Your email copy makes the vital first impression that determines whether your message is opened, read, and acted on. 

That’s why nailing compelling yet professional email copy is so vital for cold email success. 

An attention-grabbing cold email communicates value clearly, establishes credibility rapidly, relates to their specific needs, and guides them to take action in just a few sentences.

This isn’t easy, but a proper copy can make all the difference.

Here are the few cold email tips for drafting a perfect email.

1. Concise Subject Lines: Your cold email subject lines should be compelling and personalized but under four words. You can use a curiosity hook question that focuses on the reader’s needs or highlights the specific value you offer.
2. Relevant Pre-Header: You can use the preheader to build on the subject line intrigue. The idea is to add more context so that the reader wants to open your email.
3. Scannable Content: Write concisely in short, 2-3 line paragraphs for an easy scan. Get to your main point fast. The total word count should be under 100 words if possible for the highest open and response rates.

Also Read: Cold Email Sequence That Generated 15+ Replies (Per Day)

1. Personalization: In 2024 using first name, last name personalization isn’t going to make the cut. You should do your research on your prospects thoroughly and include personalized icebreakers and details upfront in your emails.
   This way of personalizing your emails can make your prospects believe that the emails were specifically written for them.
2. Unsubscribe Option: You should include an easy-to-find unsubscribe button in your cold emails. This gives recipients control over the communication they receive from you.
   When you make it simple for people to opt out, you demonstrate respect for their preferences. This is also a non-negotiable requirement that Google is rolling out on February 1, 2024.
3. No Spam Trigger Words: Certain words and phrases can trigger spam filters which can affect email deliverability and open rates. Some common words that you want to avoid include “free,” “guaranteed,” and “risk-free.”
4. No Links: Links in your cold emails often trigger spam filters, so don’t include any in your initial outreach.
5. One Clear CTA: Your cold emails should have just one clear CTA that is focused on driving the reader to the next step. It could be anything like signing up, booking a meeting, or simply replying back.
6. Test on Mobile Platforms: A lot of people check their emails on their phones. So, make sure you optimize the layout, length, and CTAs for easy mobile engagement.

These cold email tips can help you craft emails that grab attention, demonstrate relevance, build trust, and inspire your desired action in prospects.

Here’s a template that you can copy and personalize for your cold email outreach needs.

Cold Email Template

Subject :{{First Name}}, Let's Discuss a Potential Partnership
Pre Header :I believe we could create great value by working together!
Hi {{First Name}},

[Personalized Icebreaker: I saw that {{Company}} recently launched [Product/Service]. Congratulations on that achievement!]

I'm [Your Name], [Your Role] at [Your Company] and I believe there is an opportunity for us to bring more to your customers.

Specifically, we could [describe the partnership opportunity]. By working together, we could achieve [outline benefits/outcomes].

If this is something that excites you, I would love to set up a quick call to discuss this opportunity further.

Please let me know if you have availability on [Date] or [Date] for 30 minutes.

I look forward to speaking with you soon.
Best,
[Your Name]

Read More: Cold Email Frameworks That Will Get You More Conversions (+Templates And Examples)

6. Schedule Follow-Up Emails

Follow-up emails can be crucial in converting your initial outreach into successful conversations and meetings.

However, there’s a certain psychology behind writing effective follow-up messages. It requires skill and planning so that you continue to provide value to your prospects.

The first step is planning an organized cadence for your follow-ups:

• Follow up within a day or two after your initial email.
• Space out additional messages every few days if you don’t hear back – aim for 3-5 follow-up emails over 2-3 weeks.
• Send each message at varying times to avoid looking robotic.

Along with the timing of your follow-up emails, the content you add is equally important. You should aim to write concise copy that grabs the attention and communicates value. 

Here are some points you should remember to write impact copy for your follow-up emails:

• Maintain relevance by clearly tying any information provided back to original discussion topics.
• Summarize key benefits.
• Build further credibility by providing additional industry insights and thought leadership content.

By following these few best practices, you can nurture leads with your follow-up emails.

If you are looking for inspiration to write impactful follow-up emails, we’ve got covered.       

Here we have a few follow-up templates that you can copy and use in your cold email outreach campaigns.

Cold Email Follow-Up Template

Subject :Following Up on Our Discussion {{First Name}}
Pre Header :How our partnership could benefit your company!
Hey {{First name}},
 
I know you have a lot on your plate, but I wanted to check in again about working together.

I think you'll find our recent success story with [Your Client] relevant and impactful. Here’s what we did for them:

[Goal #1]
[Goal #2]
[Goal #3]

I believe we could achieve similar success for you as well. Let me know of your availability so that we can explore a successful partnership.

Looking forward to hearing back.

Best,
[Your Name]

Also Read: 50+ Best Follow-Up Email Templates To Get Faster Replies!

7. Create Variations Of Your Cold Emails

When you send the same cold email and follow-up emails to multiple people, you may get flagged by ESPs.

You can easily overcome this issue by crafting a range of different cold emails and follow-ups that ultimately convey the same core message. All you need to do is make slight variations to the content.

The key is creating enough variety that no two people get the exact same message. Even when emailing similar prospects at the same company, you can tweak the content flow, or the phrasing you use.

These small but numerous changes help your outreach seem more human. Just ensure the main value and CTA stay the same.

8. Know Your Sending Limits

A common mistake that most people make when cold emailing is sending too many emails, too fast.

Sending a large number of emails from a single account with no gap in between them is a sure way to get flagged as spam and blacklisted.

A simple and easy way to overcome this is by being aware of – and sticking to – some simple sending boundaries to make sure your cold emails reliably reach inboxes rather than getting flagged as spam.

• Set Daily Email Caps: First, set a reasonable cap on daily emails per account, ideally between 10-25. High deliverability depends on gradually establishing trust with providers by not overwhelming them.
• Set a Buffer Between Emails: Next, put a 360 – 1800 second (6-30 minute) buffer between each email you send out. Matching human habits beats rousing suspicion with machine-gun messaging.
• Add Breaks in Your Sending Schedule: You should also send your cold emails in random time blocks instead of predictably regimental patterns which can seem bot-like. Short consistent spurts separated by variable breaks will help you seem more authentic.
• Send at Optimal Times: The best time to send your cold emails is typically early in the morning. This is because most people are most likely to open and respond to emails before starting their workday.
  
  You should avoid sending emails late at night or on weekends when fewer people are checking their inboxes.

By slowly increasing your daily sending limit you can strengthen your sender reputation over time. This careful approach maximizes the chances of your messages being opened, read, and answered. 

You should focus on building meaningful relationships with your prospects rather than sending emails to as many people as possible.

9. Plan Your Email Ramp-Up

This cold email tip can save you from being marked as spam.

If you have new accounts and domains, you’re likely to have a low sender reputation, therefore the likelihood of it getting marked as spam is quite high.

You should be careful not to send a lot of emails in the first few weeks of cold emailing. By carefully ramping up daily email volume over time you can maintain your domain reputation and deliverability.

Here’s how you can ramp up your email:

1. Calculate Email Volume Needed: First, you need to find the number of emails you need to send per day to meet your campaign goal.
   For example, let’s assume we want to send 5,000 emails in 30 days. So, 5000/30 would roughly be 167 emails a day.
2. Avoid Sending Too Many Emails Initially: This is where you should wait and think, as sending 167 emails a day can get you marked as spam or worse blacklisted.
   Instead of sending larger volumes right at the start, you should slowly ramp up the number of emails you send each day.
3. Start Low and Slow: On day 1, you can start by sending 10 emails from each of your email accounts. We recommend this number based on the research we did internally sending thousands of emails.
4. Ramp Up Volume Gradually: You can then slowly increase this number by 15% each day. During this time, it is a recommended practice to closely monitor spam complaints and blacklist status.
5. Monitor and Pause if Needed: If you see any spikes in complaints or blacklists, pause immediately and find out what could be the cause.
6. Keep Ramping Up to Meet Goals: You should keep ramping up slowly till you hit the calculated number of email sends needed to hit your goal.

You can use our Email Account Calculator to calculate your email ramp-up volume.

By ramping up daily sending volume in such a manner, you give your accounts crucial time to establish good sender reputations. This way you can save your domains’ reputations and maintain deliverability rates.

10. Send a Test Email

You have now seen it all – from setting goals to ramping up volume, you are ready to launch your cold email campaign. At this point, only two simple but critical checks remain.

First is checking your cold email sequence. You can check this by sending a test text email from each account to yourself or any of the team members to make sure everything is working fine.

So, when you send your test email thoroughly check the following:

• Sender’s name displays accurately
• Subject line renders fully
• Email copy formatting looks as expected
• Call-to-action stands out appropriately
• Mobile and desktop display correctly

After you’re satisfied with the visual appeal of your email, you can paste the email copy into htmlwasher.com. It will remove any links and HTML/hidden junk code that could trigger the ESPs’ spam filters.

We recommend that you use a mix of text and external linking CTAs to maintain a balance between deliverability and engagement.

Also Read: 📄Plain Text vs.🌐HTML Content

If you have too many links it may hurt deliverability, but no links will limit the ability to drive traffic and conversions. So, you should aim for 1-2 external links maximum, and focus the majority of the CTAs around building engagement through text-based calls-to-action. 

By following this quick two-step checklist, you can eliminate any errors that can undermine your efforts. Once you validate the quality of your cold email copy upfront, you can launch your campaign without hesitation.

Google and Yahoo’s Latest Update For Cold Email Outreach in 2024

In an effort to provide email users with a more secure and spam-free experience, Google and Yahoo came out with a few changes to their email policies in October 2023.

These policy changes are going to change cold emailing and email marketing forever. Here’s a look at what you’ll be required to follow from February 1, 2024:

1. Email Authentication: Both Google and Yahoo have made validation of your email accounts mandatory. Therefore you need to set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC to confirm that your emails are genuine.
2. Spam Complaint Threshold: Google has enforced a shallow spam threshold that you should comply with. They recommend keeping your spam rates below 0.10% and avoid ever reaching a spam rate of 0.30% or higher.
3. Unsubscribe Options: It is mandatory to include a one-click unsubscribe option for your recipients.

Although the main target of these changes is spammers, ethical cold emailers also need to adapt. The proposed updates mainly target bulk email senders – those sending over 5,000 messages a day to Gmail addresses.

So, if you want your cold email campaigns to be successful in 2024, you must adapt to these new standards.

Remember that these changes are focused on improving user experience and also the effectiveness of your cold emails.

Ready to Improve and Scale Your Outreach in 2024?

With these 10 expert cold email tips and best practices we’ve discussed in this blog, you can quickly improve your outreach strategy in 2024.

These proven cold email tips can help you beat spam filters and comply with Google and Yahoo’s latest updates that are set to roll out in February 2024.

You can use these insights to write engaging copy, improve your deliverability, carefully scale up your email volume, and boost response rates over time.

We hope this guide helps you scale up your cold email outreach.

FAQs

1. Is cold emailing legal?

Cold emailing is legal, provided you comply with regulations like the CAN-SPAM Act in the U.S. This includes reaching out to prospects with relevant information and offering an opt-out option.

2. What is the difference between a cold email and a warm email?

When you send an email to someone with whom you had no prior contact with, then that is called a cold email. In contrast, a warm email is sent to someone who has already interacted with you or shown interest in your product or service.

3. What is the success rate of cold emails?

The success rate of cold emails varies widely. It depends on several factors, including the industry and the quality of the email content. Generally, you can expect average open rates of around 17-28% and response rates between 1-5%.