Contents
- 1 How to Send Cold Emails – TOC
- 2 What is the Best Way to Send Cold Emails? A Complete Step-by-Step Process
- 2.1 Step 1: Define Your Cold Email Strategy Before Sending
- 2.2 Step 2: Setting Up Cold Email Infrastructure to Avoid Spam Filters
- 2.3 Step 3: Warm Up Your Email Account to Prevent Cold Email Spam Issues
- 2.4 Step 4: Build a High-Quality Lead List for Cold Email Outreach
- 2.5 Step 5: Writing the Cold Email That Gets Responses
- 2.6 Step 6: Launch Your Cold Email Campaign Without Triggering Spam Filters
- 2.7 Step 7: Send Cold Email Follow-Ups to Get Replies
- 2.8 Step 8: Handle Replies and Booking Meetings
- 3 Scaling Up: How to Send Bulk Emails Without Getting Blocked
- 3.1 Step 1: Sign Up and Set Up Your Saleshandy Account
- 3.2 Step 2: Complete Your Technical Setup in Saleshandy (SPF, DKIM, DMARC)
- 3.3 Step 3: Ramp-up, Warm-up, and Sending Cold Email Time Limits
- 3.4 Step 4: Build Your Targeted Lead List from Saleshandy B2B Lead Finder
- 3.5 Step 5: Create a Personalized Cold Email Sequence
- 3.6 Step 6: Set Up Your Follow-Ups Within Your Cold Email Sequence
- 3.7 Step 7: Run a Test, Create a Schedule, and Activate Your Sequence
- 3.8 Step 8: Monitor Performance and Optimize Your Cold Email Campaign
- 4 What Things to Take Care of When You Are Sending Bulk Cold Emailing?
- 5 TL;DR on How to Send Cold Emails
- 6 FAQs About Sending Cold Emails
- 6.1 1. What is cold emailing, and how is it different from spam?
- 6.2 2. Is cold emailing legal? Will I get in trouble for sending cold emails?
- 6.3 3. What is the best cold email platform to use?
- 6.4 4. What should I include in a cold email to get replies?
- 6.5 5. Why do cold emails go to spam, and how can I prevent it?
- 6.6 6. How many follow-ups should I send, and how often?
- 6.7 7. How can I improve my email open and response rates?
You’re here because you want to start cold emailing, maybe to sell your product, generate leads, or just promote your business.
You’ve probably Googled it or checked out Reddit.
Yet, you are unsatisfied with the available blogs and answers in Reddit threads.
I understand your frustration and struggle because the proper process for sending cold emails is not properly explained.
And you don’t want to rely on generic tips that eventually disappoint you.
When you follow the right process, your cold emails will land in inboxes, get opened, and, most importantly, receive replies.
No matter whether you’re a founder, marketer, or recruiter, this guide will walk you through exactly how to send cold emails.
(An approach that I personally follow while sending cold emails, and even tools and tips that work)
PS: (Believe me, after reading this guide, you won’t need to rely only on luck)
How to Send Cold Emails – TOC
What is the Best Way to Send Cold Emails? A Complete Step-by-Step Process
Let’s understand the process of sending cold emails that help you reach your prospects. Here’s a quick overview of the sections I’ve used in this process.
Step 1: Define Your Cold Email Strategy Before Sending
Step 2: Setting Up Cold Email Infrastructure to Avoid Spam Filters
Step 3: Warm Up Your Email Account to Prevent Cold Email Spam Issues
Step 4: Build a High-Quality Lead List for Cold Email Outreach
Step 5: Writing the Cold Email That Gets Responses
Step 6: Launch Your Cold Email Campaign Without Triggering Spam Filters
Step 7: Send Cold Email Follow-Ups to Get Replies
Step 8: Handle Replies and Booking Meetings
Step 1: Define Your Cold Email Strategy Before Sending
First, define your campaign objective.
Be honest; ask yourself, what do I want to achieve from the cold email campaign?
Your objective helps to shape your cold email content to CTAs. A few common goals could be these, based on what I believe.
- Book meetings or close deals.
- Generate leads for your product or service.
- Network with experts from the same industry.
Let’s understand this with an example:
If you’re a SaaS provider, your objective might be to “Get a demo scheduled with your potential prospect.”
Be as specific as possible while defining the objective of cold emailing.
Next, you need to identify your target audience.
You can’t send emails to anyone randomly, and your cold email campaign will fail if you do.

To find your ICP for cold emailing, you should
- Will your product/services align with their pain points
- Check their location
- Revenue
Once you know who you are targeting, you must do in-depth research.
Pro Tip 💡: To do in-depth research on your prospects, you can check their company website, LinkedIn profile, or recent press releases.
Read this complete guide on creating ICP for your cold emailing for getting an in-depth understanding.
Afterward, you’ve to be clear on your value proposition.
Ask yourself. (Yes, I’m not kidding) Literally, ask yourself why your target audience should care about your product or whatever services you’re offering.
- Do you know that most cold email professionals make mistakes at this stage?
It’s not about you, but it’s about what YOU can ACTUALLY do for your target audience.
Yes, it’s about your cold email pitch.
As per my experience, your pitch should have these elements:
- Specification
- Relevancy
- Credibility
- Unbeatable Offer
Furthermore, you need to design your email structure.
A cold email should be concise, within 100 to 15 words (ideally speaking), skimmable, and, of course, HUMAN.
Let me share a framework with you that will help you get started.
Your cold email should have these elements:
- A subject line that generates curiosity to open an email
- The opening line of an email should be engaging
- Body content that encourages readers to read the next line
- CTA that asks politely to take action
- Sign-Off statement
Lastly, you need to decide on your follow-up strategy.
What will you do if you don’t get a reply on the first try?
The answer is follow-ups (which you might know, of course).
However, beginners or even experienced (sometimes) cold email professionals ignore this stage or don’t consider it as important as it is.
- Email 1: Your initial pitch from day 1.
- Follow-up 1: A gentle reminder about your first email.
- Follow-up 2: A gentle reminder about your second email.
- Follow-up X: A gentle reminder about your X email.
- Final Try: A final email that you need to send to your prospect.
Well, now you need to have a complete setup for cold emailing. Let’s understand it in the following section.
Step 2: Setting Up Cold Email Infrastructure to Avoid Spam Filters
Your cold email infrastructure is the core thing that will make your cold email campaign successful.
Here are the things you need to take care of while setting up your cold email infrastructure.
If you have domain and email accounts, you just need to connect with your cold email outreach software.
(Based on my experience, I advise you to avoid using free email service providers like Gmail, Hotmail, or Yahoo.)
The reason is that free email service providers like Gmail, Yahoo, or Hotmail signal “unprofessional” or “spammer” to filters and recipients alike.
If you don’t have a business email account, believe me, buy one. (It’s worth the investment)
However, if you don’t have one, here are the basic steps that you can follow.
- You can buy domains from Google Domains, Namecheap, or Domain.com.
- You have to create email accounts from these domains like “yourname@yourcompany.com.
Ah, don’t worry. If you don’t want to go through the hassle of buying, creating, and setting up domains and email accounts, Saleshandy now allows you to set up your email infrastructure, from buying domains and email accounts to completing the technical configuration.
Once you purchase your domains and email accounts, you need to connect with your Google Workspace or Zoho Mail.
Next, you need to configure email authentication protocols.
This is like telling ESP that you have proof of identity that you are actually an XYZ-named person and you are registered with the government.
Similarly, email servers need proof that you’re not fake. That’s where authentication comes in.
For that, you need to take care of these things.
Setting up these technical things doesn’t take much time if you know the right process.
Believe me, the process is also not complicated. If you follow the right tutorial, it takes around 20 to 30 minutes to configure.
Next, you need to decide on an IP strategy. (This section is optional until or unless you are going to send 50,000+ emails per month)
Decide whether you want to use a shared IP or a dedicated IP.
Based on these two situations, you should decide on your IP address.
- Shared IPs: Best for low-volume senders (<500 emails/day). Your emails share an IP with other senders.
- Dedicated IPs: Recommended for high-volume senders (50,000+ emails/month). A dedicated IP gives full control over your sender reputation, but it requires proper warm-up to avoid getting flagged.
Next, you now have to use cold email software.
Why?
You should avoid sending cold emails from personal Gmail or Outlook accounts, as they have low daily limits and can get flagged quickly.
→ Instead, use a cold email-friendly email service provider (ESP) like Saleshandy, Woodpecker, Reply.io, or Mailshake.
Benefits? Let me show you!
- Higher sending limits without triggering spam filters
- Personalization feature
- Email warm-up features to gradually establish trust
- Detailed analytics to track open rates, bounces, and complaints
Most ESPs start at $10-20/month for 10,000+ emails, which makes them scalable for outreach campaigns.
Step 3: Warm Up Your Email Account to Prevent Cold Email Spam Issues
If you send a large number of cold emails from a new or inactive account, email providers may flag you as spam.
Before getting started with cold emailing, you must warm up your email account.
This helps you build a positive sender reputation so your emails will land in the inbox instead of spam.
Why Warm-Up is Important?
Email providers (like Gmail and Outlook) monitor sender behavior. A sudden spike in email volume from a new or dormant account raises red flags.
Here are the issues that you can face.
- Spam Filters: Sudden increases in sending volume can trigger spam detection.
- Low Deliverability: Without a sending history, emails are more likely to land in junk folders.
- Blocked Accounts: Too many bounces or spam complaints can get your account restricted.
A structured warm-up process prevents these issues and builds trust with email providers.
How to Warm Up Your Email Account
- Start with Low Volume: Start by sending 10-20 emails per day to known contacts, colleagues, or a secondary test email. Keep messages personal and conversational to encourage responses.
- Gradually Increase Sending: After 2-4 weeks, increase your daily volume in small steps (e.g., 20-50 more emails every few days). Avoid sudden jumps, as email providers track sending patterns.
- Focus on Engagement: High open and reply rates signal legitimacy. Ask simple questions to prompt responses and ensure emails are not ignored.
- Monitor Key Metrics: Use tools like GlockApps to track bounce rates (keep them below 2%), spam complaints (under 0.1%), and inbox placement.
Does it sound like too much manual work?
Try email warm-up tools, which can help you automate the warm-up process by mimicking human-like conversation behaviour.
For a detailed understanding, check out our dedicated email warm-up guide.
By following this step, your email account is set for cold emailing. Before that, you need to build your lead list.
Step 4: Build a High-Quality Lead List for Cold Email Outreach
Cold emailing the right prospects drives your expected results, whether you want leads, book meetings, or generate sales.
Remember, as you prepare your ICP, based on that, you need to find accurate contact details like emails (particularly), contact numbers, or social media profiles.
At this stage, you need to use different B2B database providers to find leads for outreach.
If you are confused about choosing a B2B data provider, you can use Saleshandy’s B2B Lead Finder.

You can use Saleshandy B2B Lead Finder to find verified and accurate leads.
It has a vast database of 700M+ professionals and 60M+ companies’ contact information, from email to social media accounts.
Apart from that, you can use LinkedIn Sales Navigator to find and connect with your potential prospects through LinkedIn.
You can even use email scraping tools like Snov.io or Hunter to find and get email addresses that help you reach prospects in a few minutes.
However, it is important to note that if you are finding emails through an email scraping tool, you need to verify the email addresses. That’s a must.
You can use email verification tools, including:
- ZeroBounce
- NeverBounce
Once you build your email list, I recommend organizing and segmenting your lead list.
Organizing and segmentation help you improve personalization, which helps you get more replies to your cold emails.
When it comes to organizing and segmenting your email, you need to categorize your leads based on the following:
- Industry and Niche
- Job Role and Seniority
- Engagement Level
Now, let’s move on to writing your first cold email, which will help you get started with cold emailing. This was a warm-up before the game started.
Step 5: Writing the Cold Email That Gets Responses
The first thing to remember when writing cold emails is that you need to create personalized subject lines.
As it will help you to decide whether your email will be ignored or opened.
These are the generic ways that you can follow while writing subject lines.
- First name + relevant question
- Generates curiosity
- Straight to the point
Let’s see an example of a good and personalized subject line.
- Generic subject line: Improve your revenue with our tool
- Personalized subject line: Mark, a quick strategy to optimize your [Company]’s outreach
Next, while writing the email body, you need to make sure the first line or introductory part of your body message is engaging and encourages readers to read the next line.
A few of the ways that work in the introductory part are here.
- Mention a recent event
- Showcase a common connection
- Make it about them, not about you
Now, in the next paragraph of your cold email pitch, you need to write the valuable reason why they should care about your email.
Trust me; don’t be generic here.
Be specific by showcasing the points you can resolve, show a case study, and give examples of how your solution is useful for them.
Lastly, you need to end your email with a simple CTA.
→ Make sure your cold email is short, concise, engaging, and to the point.
Afterward, the following stage comes here: sending cold emails to your prospects to initiate the conversation.
Step 6: Launch Your Cold Email Campaign Without Triggering Spam Filters
With your strategy, infrastructure, warmup, leads, and email copy locked in, it’s time to hit send, but do it wrong, and you’ll trigger spam filters or blacklists.
This step is about launching your campaign by using all the features of the cold email software properly.
1. Use Dynamic Sending Techniques
- Spintax for Variation: Keep emails unique with spintax. —e.g., “{Hey|Hi} [Name], {loved|enjoyed} your recent post,” rotating phrases to make your email look human and proper.
- Multiple Inboxes and Email Rotation: Use 2-3 email accounts to send cold emails. You have to use different domains and email accounts. On top of it, set a limit of sending emails from each at 50 to 100 per day to reduce the risk of getting spammed.
- Custom Tracking Domains: Don’t use default tracking links (e.g., “saleshandy.link”) for your own subdomain (e.g., “track.yourcompany.com”). Set it up in Saleshandy’s settings because generic links are spam magnets.
2. Optimize Sending Limits
- Set Reasonable Daily Limits: After warming up, send 100 to 200 emails per day per account, staying well below your email provider’s maximum allowance. Sending too many at once can raise suspicion.
- Stop if Issues Occur: Monitor for high bounce rates (over 2%) or spam complaints (over 0.1%). If it increases, pause sending for a day or two, address the problem (such as refining your list), and then continue carefully.
3. Use Smart Sending Schedules
- Choose High-Engagement Times: Send emails Tuesday through Thursday, from 9 AM to 11 AM in your recipients’ time zones, when people are more likely to read them. Adjust timing for international contacts as required.
- Vary Sending Gaps: Adjust the intervals between emails (e.g., 7 minutes, then 12, then 9) to avoid a uniform schedule that suggests automation. A natural flow helps your emails appear genuine.
- Respond to Performance: After sending a group of emails, review open rates (aim for over 50%) and reply rates (target 2 to 5% or higher). If results are poor, try different times, such as early afternoons, or adjust your approach.
Step 7: Send Cold Email Follow-Ups to Get Replies
Follow-ups are necessary to increase your chances of breaking through, as people are busy, distracted, or simply miss your cold email.
As per cold email statistics, sending follow-ups at least three times increases your chances of getting a response by 28%.
A follow-up email helps to nurture your relationship, catch the attention of your potential customers, and get you leads.
So, how many cold emails do you need to send to get replies?
Well, at least send follow-ups 3-5 times, including your first initial email.
Let me share a list of steps that you can follow to take care of while sending cold emails.
Now, it’s time to create the following sequence.
- First of all, set a schedule. You must strike a balance and remain persistent in your cold emails.
- Start with your initial email (day 1), and if necessary, follow up on days 4, 9, and 15.
- Limit the number of emails you send, which should be around 3 to 4. (It includes all from your initial email to the last one)
- Keep each follow-up email short, concise, and to the point. (It doesn’t mean you copy-paste your follow-up from the previous one)
- The content should be unique and fresh and must be added properly.
- Make sure you personalize even your follow-ups while sending them.
- While sending follow-up emails, you need to make sure to follow these best practices.
- Maintain email sending consistency, which means the time interval that you follow, whether it can be 5 minutes or 15 minutes. (Strictly follow the same for all the emails while sending emails in a sequence, even in follow-ups)
- Keep the unsubscribe button within your email so readers can easily opt out, which helps you to follow the regulation of the CAN-SPAM Act.
Step 8: Handle Replies and Booking Meetings
A reply to your cold email means it’s a win, which means you have grabbed the attention of your potential prospects.
Next, the real challenge is to continue this conversation to achieve your desired goal (Whether you want leads, book meetings, make connections, or build a community)
To do so, you have to make sure you do it without losing momentum or making it overwhelming.
Here are the quick things to follow when you want to handle replies and achieve your desired result.
- Respond Fast: Make sure you reply within 24 hours, ideally 2 to 3 hours of getting their response. This keeps the conversation warm and helps you to achieve your results.
- Match Your Tone With Your Prospect: If you receive a casual reply, keep yours friendly, clear, and action-oriented.
- Acknowledge Your Prospect’s Response: Start with a greeting or thanks, based on the response you receive, to show you’ve read their message and value their response.
- Address Questions: If they have any questions or ask something, respond briefly by showing the benefits of your service or product. (Never write a sales pitch, or be ready to lose your prospect.)
- Propose a Meeting: You now have to suggest that we discuss this over a 15-minute call next week. You can also offer different options for different days and times.
Well, Saleshandy offers Unified Inbox, which helps you track and manage prospects’ conversations from a single place. You can also use the Saleshandy mobile app to access campaigns, manage replies on the go, and get instant notifications to ensure you never miss an opportunity.
This is the complete process that one can follow to send bulk cold emails without altering spam filters.
In the next section, I will teach you how to use the Saleshandy platform to send bulk cold emails. (Yes, it’s a step-by-step process.)
Scaling Up: How to Send Bulk Emails Without Getting Blocked
I’ll teach you from the very first stage of cold email. I assure you that if you follow these steps properly, then you will have a successful cold email campaign. It doesn’t matter if you are a beginner, intermediate, or experienced professional. Check these follow steps.
Step 1: Sign Up and Set Up Your Saleshandy Account
Step 2: Complete Your Technical Setup in Saleshandy
Step 3: Ramp-up, Warm-up, and Sending Cold Email Time Limits
Step 4: Build Your Targeted Lead List from Saleshandy B2B Lead Finder
Step 5: Create a Personalized Cold Email Sequence
Step 6: Set Up Your Follow-Ups Within Your Cold Email Sequence
Step 7: Run a Test, Create a Schedule, and Activate Your Sequence
Step 8: Monitor Performance and Optimize Your Cold Email Campaign
Step 1: Sign Up and Set Up Your Saleshandy Account
So, you have landed on Saleshandy’s website.
Navigate to the “Sign up for free” button. Next, verify your email address. Once done with it, you will be automatically logged into Saleshandy.

After completing the onboarding process, you will be able to see a dashboard of Saleshandy. So, now you can explore the tool and its features.
Step 2: Complete Your Technical Setup in Saleshandy (SPF, DKIM, DMARC)
At this stage, you need to connect your email accounts within Saleshandy.

Once you have connected your email account, you can set up your domain records, such as SPF, DKIM, and DMARC.
Apart from that, you also need to add a custom trading domain to ensure you have a separate domain exclusively for tracking open rates and clicks in your emails.
You can set up custom domain tracking within the Saleshandy.
Here is the process of setting up a custom domain for tracking. (These are the basic steps you need to follow)
- First, if you have a subdomain, you can directly use it for custom tracking.
- However, if you don’t have one, you need to purchase one domain.

Saleshandy now offers email infrastructure, which means you can purchase domains and subdomains from Saleshandy itself.
You don’t need to visit different websites to maintain the technical setup. (Saleshandy does it on your behalf)
Within the profile setting, you will find a custom domain tracking option.
- Go to your settings and select “Custom Tracking Domain.”
- Click the blue “Add Custom Domain” button.
- A dialog box will appear; select the email account for which you want to set up custom tracking.
- Enter the custom tracking domain you created in the previous step. In my case, it will be go.getsaleshandy.com.
- Saleshandy will automatically detect the host.
- Simply verify and save it.
Step 3: Ramp-up, Warm-up, and Sending Cold Email Time Limits
Now, once you set up your custom domain tracking, you need to ramp up your email accounts.
That means you can automate the daily email limits you send.

Your email account’s sending limits are set to 10 to 20 percent by default. You can configure them according to your requirements.
You can find the option to ramp up email within the profile setting under email accounts options.
- Click on the email account that is connected with Saleshandy.
- Within that, you will find an option for sending settings.
- In the sending setting option, you can set up your email’s ramping-up limits daily.
You can now use automated email warm-ups, which you can set up by connecting your Saleshandy account with TrulyInbox.

You can connect your account with TrulyInbox, and it will mimic human-like email sending behavior, helping you warm up your email accounts.

If you want to learn in detail, here is a detailed guide on how to connect your email account with TrulyInbox to warm up.
Step 4: Build Your Targeted Lead List from Saleshandy B2B Lead Finder
You can now use Saleshandy B2B Lead Finder to get the list of your prospects. As per your ICP, you can apply filters within the Saleshandy B2B Lead Finder to get contact information.
Saleshandy B2B Lead Finder has 700M+ professional contact information and 60M+ business contact information.

You can reveal bulk leads from a single go of up to 10K leads.
Here’s the process of how to use Saleshandy B2B Lead Finder.
- Click on the lead finder option to get into it.
You can search for leads by name, organization, location, department, or years of experience. It offers 10+ filters to help you find leads that match your ICP.
You can even save different filters so you don’t have to start again every time to search the related leads.
It even offers a recent search filter that prevents you from searching all the information and applying filters over again.
Once you search for a name and apply the suitable filters, you will get a list of leads with information such as name, location, and company name.
Next, you can click on get contact info to get the contact details.
Above the list of prospects, you will find a checkbox to select which leads you want to include in your list.
Based on your requirement, you can either directly add to your prospects list or you can add in the sequence as required.
Step 5: Create a Personalized Cold Email Sequence
On the left side, you’ll find a sidebar where you can click on the sequence tab.

- Click on the Sequence tab to create a new sequence.
- Once you create a new sequence, start it by adding steps.
- Click on the Email icon to set up your email sequence.
- Write your first email.
Here is the screenshot to help you.
Next, personalize your subject lines and messages and stand out by using merge tags, variable tags, and spintax to add a unique touch for each recipient.

Once you are done with your first draft, within the window of drafting your email.
You can check how it will look besides in the Email Preview tab.
Don’t worry, and you can also verify the content how it is by checking the Content Guide to see if your draft meets the quality standards.

Once you are done, you can save your template, and that’s it.
Your first draft is created successfully.
Afterward, you need to add prospects if you haven’t added them to your sequence.

Once you add your prospects, you can check on the settings tab to configure the different parameters of your email sequence.
→ You can also create multiple versions of your first email draft with the AI Variant feature for A-Z testing.

Step 6: Set Up Your Follow-Ups Within Your Cold Email Sequence
Once you set up your first cold email draft, you need to add follow-ups within your sequence.
If you ask me, I suggest you should create only four to five steps.
Within the settings tab, you can add rotation to your email accounts. Saleshandy allows you to add unlimited email addresses to your sequence.

Within that, you get different options to adjust your cold email campaign parameters according to your requirements.
You are almost done setting up all the important things in your campaign. Let’s learn an important step to take before activating your cold email campaign.
Step 7: Run a Test, Create a Schedule, and Activate Your Sequence
This is the ultimate stage before you hit the button on your email sequence.
In this stage, you need to send a test email. By sending a test email, you can make sure your merge, variable, and spintax tags are working properly.
Apart from that, you also ensure your domain and email account are functioning properly.
You can send a test email to yourself, a friend, or a colleague to check if your sent email is in the proper format, has all the proper information, and lands perfectly within the inbox.

Next, you need to set up a schedule.
Setting up a schedule for your cold email ensures that you reach your targeted prospects in their time zone at the right time.
This ensures you get the best open rates for your cold email campaign.
To set it up, you can follow these steps.
- Go to the settings of your account
- Select the option “Schedules” below email accounts
- Now, select the required time zone and days from the available options
- Save it

You can even choose the sender according to your preference to ensure that the sender you use is the one you want in your email sequence.
Lastly, you can activate your email sequence and launch your campaign.
Step 8: Monitor Performance and Optimize Your Cold Email Campaign
As you have launched your campaigns, it is a rock-hard part of the cold email sequence.
Wait, don’t be excited here.
Because you still have to measure the metrics of your report.
Now, you need to analyze the reports of your cold email campaigns.

Here are the benchmarks you can compare and optimize.
- The deliverability of your cold email campaign should be 95%, which is recommended for the best results.
- The open rates of your cold email campaigns should be more than 50%.
- If you have good open rates, you should aim for a reply of 2 to 5%.
All these metrics indicate that your cold email campaign is going well and that you have done a decent job.
What Things to Take Care of When You Are Sending Bulk Cold Emailing?
When I send bulk cold emails, hundreds or thousands at once, I know it’s a great way to connect, but it’s risky, too. One wrong move and my emails hit spam, or my account gets flagged.
Over time, I’ve learned through trial and error what really matters. Here are the top 11 things I do to keep my bulk campaigns on track.
- Follow regulations like the CAN-SPAM Act, GDPR, or CASL. I include my address (e.g., “123 Main St, Anywhere, USA”) and an unsubscribe option, “Reply ‘stop’ or click here”, every time. Breaking cold email rules can mean fines or a blocked domain.
- Get consent where it’s needed. In the EU, I only email personal addresses with permission, though business ones are fair game if relevant. Knowing the law keeps me safe.
- Honor opt-outs fast. When someone unsubscribes, I remove them within hours, delays spark complaints and legal trouble, as I’ve seen happen.
- Warm up accounts first. I start with 20-50 emails a day on a new account, scaling to 200 over weeks. Rushing to 1,000 once landed me in spam, so I won’t do that again.
- Use a trusted domain. I sent it from “me@mycompany.com,” not Gmail, and set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. Free domains cap me at 500 and look cheap, and authentication proves I’m real.
- Verify emails before sending. I check my list with a tool to reduce bad addresses and keep bounces under 2% to protect my reputation. Quality beats quantity every time.
- Segment your audience. I split my list by role or industry, such as “marketing heads” versus “small business owners.” Tailored emails get better replies based on my results.
- Limit volume per account. I keep it to 100-200 emails daily per account. For 1,000, I use five accounts at 200 each by spreading it out to avoid.
- Space out between emails. I send one every 5-15 minutes, not all at once. A slow pace feels human; a big blast got me caught once, and I’ve stayed careful since.
- Track key metrics. I watch bounces (under 2%), complaints (below 0.1%), and opens (50%+). When bounces hit 5% once, I paused, fixed my list, and dodged worse.
- Test small first. I send 50-100 emails to a sample group before going big. Good stats mean I scale; bad ones mean I tweak, as it’s my safety check.
TL;DR on How to Send Cold Emails
Cold emailing works only if your emails reach the inbox. Let’s have a recap of the entire process. Here’s how to do it right.
- Plan before sending: Know your goal and email the right people.
- Set up your email: Use a business email, verify it, and connect it to a cold email tool.
- Warm up your email: Start slow and increase sending gradually.
- Find the right leads: Get accurate emails and reach out to the right audience.
- Write simple emails: Keep them short, personal, and easy to read.
- Follow up wisely: Send reminders, but don’t spam.
Want an easier way to do this? Saleshandy takes care of email warm-up, deliverability, and automation so you can focus on reaching the right people.
The platform offers features like smart sequencing, personalization, and detailed analytics, which allow users to achieve better results without hassle.
Start sending cold emails that actually get responses. Try Saleshandy today to get started with cold emailing in an easy and quick way.
FAQs About Sending Cold Emails
1. What is cold emailing, and how is it different from spam?
Cold emailing is reaching out to someone you haven’t interacted with before for business purposes, like sales or networking. Unlike spam, which is mass-sent, irrelevant, and often intrusive, a cold email is personalized, provides value, and follows ethical best practices to engage the recipient meaningfully.
2. Is cold emailing legal? Will I get in trouble for sending cold emails?
Cold emailing is legal if done correctly. In the U.S., the CAN-SPAM Act allows it as long as you provide an opt-out option, use a real sender address, and keep the subject line honest. In the EU, GDPR requires a legitimate business reason to contact someone and mandates an easy way to opt out. Following these regulations ensures compliance and prevents legal issues.
3. What is the best cold email platform to use?
The best cold email platform depends on your needs. Saleshandy is great for finding prospects, writing personalized emails on a large scale, and automating the entire sequence in a single click. There are several other tools, like Lemlist, Klenty, and Woodpecker. Check different tools and select the tool that best fits your needs.
4. What should I include in a cold email to get replies?
A good cold email includes a personalized opening, a clear value proposition, and a simple call to action. Keep it short, focus on the recipient’s needs, and make it easy for them to respond. A compelling subject line and a natural, conversational tone can also improve engagement.
5. Why do cold emails go to spam, and how can I prevent it?
Cold emails often become spam due to factors such as spammy language, sending from an unverified domain, high bounce rates, or missing email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC). To prevent this, warm up your domain, verify your email list, personalize messages, and maintain a steady sending pattern to build a sender reputation.
6. How many follow-ups should I send, and how often?
It’s best to send 3-5 follow-ups, spacing them out strategically, first after 2-3 days, then every 4-7 days. Each follow-up should add value, offer new insights, or reframe your message rather than repeating the same content. Consistency, while respecting the recipient’s time, improves response rates.
7. How can I improve my email open and response rates?
To increase open rates, use an engaging subject line, personalize the opening, and send emails at optimal times. Focus on the recipient’s pain points to improve response rates. Keep emails concise and conversational, and make your call to action clear and easy to respond to. A/B testing different elements helps refine your approach over time.