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What is the best advice for dealing with cold invites?

10 Marketer opinions4 Expert opinions3 Technical articles4 Resources

Summary

The best advice for dealing with cold invites centers on avoiding spam, prioritizing ethical practices, and focusing on building genuine connections. Experts and marketers strongly advise against sending unsolicited emails and highlight the importance of obtaining consent where required. Personalization is key, involving thorough research of recipients and tailoring messages to their specific needs. Building a positive sender reputation is crucial, necessitating adherence to legal requirements (GDPR, CAN-SPAM), clear opt-out options, and respect for subscriber preferences. A multi-channel approach, A/B testing, and setting realistic expectations can further enhance the effectiveness of cold outreach efforts. Maintaining consistent email practices and proactively managing sender reputation are also vital considerations.

Key findings

  • Avoid Spam: Sending unsolicited emails without prior consent is considered spam and can lead to negative consequences.
  • Personalization is Key: Tailoring messages to the recipient's specific needs and interests significantly increases engagement.
  • Build Relationships: Focusing on building genuine connections and providing value upfront fosters better long-term results.
  • Comply with Regulations: Adhering to legal requirements such as GDPR and CAN-SPAM is essential for avoiding penalties and maintaining a positive reputation.
  • Manage Sender Reputation: Proactively monitoring and managing sender reputation is crucial for ensuring consistent email deliverability.

Key considerations

  • Obtain Consent: Ensure you have explicit consent before sending marketing emails, especially to individuals in the EU.
  • Offer Clear Opt-Outs: Provide easily accessible and functional opt-out mechanisms in all email communications.
  • Segment Your Audience: Segment your audience to ensure that your messages are relevant and targeted.
  • Track Your Metrics: Monitor your key metrics, such as open rates, click-through rates, and complaint rates, to optimize your campaigns.
  • Use Multiple Channels: Employ a multi-channel approach, including email, phone calls, and social media, to increase engagement and response rates.
  • Be Transparent: Clearly identify yourself as the sender of the email and provide a physical postal address.

What email marketers say
10Marketer opinions

Experts and marketers generally advise caution and a relationship-focused approach to cold invites. Personalization is emphasized, including researching recipients, addressing their pain points, and offering value upfront. A multi-channel approach, A/B testing, and setting realistic expectations are also recommended. Several sources strongly advise against sending unsolicited emails or 'spam'. Focusing on industry connections and providing a reason for the recipient to connect is also considered key.

Key opinions

  • Avoid Spam: Multiple sources discourage sending unsolicited emails and emphasize obtaining consent.
  • Personalization is Key: Researching recipients, understanding their needs, and addressing specific pain points enhances engagement.
  • Value Proposition: Offering something of value upfront, rather than immediately asking for something, fosters better relationships.
  • Multi-Channel Approach: Combining email with phone calls and social media increases response rates.
  • Simple and to the point: Cold invites should be simple and highlight the benefits

Key considerations

  • Realistic Expectations: Understand that cold outreach success rates are often low, and continuous improvement through measurement is crucial.
  • A/B Testing: Experiment with different subject lines, email body copy, and calls-to-action to optimize performance.
  • Industry Relevance: Focus on connecting with individuals in your industry and providing a clear reason for them to connect with you.
  • Complaints: High complaint rates can damage your sender reputation, leading to deliverability issues and potential blacklisting.
Marketer view

Email marketer from G2 stresses the importance of setting realistic expectations for cold outreach and measuring key metrics to improve strategies over time.

June 2021 - G2
Marketer view

Email marketer from Reddit user u/EffectiveSalesGuy shares that personalizing the subject line can greatly improve open rates. They suggest mentioning a specific pain point or recent accomplishment of the recipient.

May 2022 - Reddit
Marketer view

Email marketer from Woodpecker.co emphasizes hyper-personalization by mentioning shared connections or recent news about the recipient's company.

August 2024 - Woodpecker.co
Marketer view

Email marketer from HubSpot shares that focusing on building relationships is crucial. They suggest offering something useful upfront, not just asking for something.

January 2024 - HubSpot
Marketer view

Email marketer from SalesLoft recommends a multi-channel approach, including phone calls and social media, alongside email, for cold outreach to increase response rates.

May 2024 - SalesLoft
Marketer view

Email marketer from Quora Mark Hughes suggests keeping the invite simple and to the point, highlighting the benefits.

January 2023 - Quora
Marketer view

Email marketer from LinkedIn Sarah Jones suggests only reaching out to people in your industry, and giving them a reason to reach out to you in the future.

August 2022 - LinkedIn
Marketer view

Email marketer from Reply.io advises A/B testing different subject lines, email body copy, and calls-to-action to identify what resonates best with your target audience.

September 2021 - Reply.io
Marketer view

Marketer from Email Geeks answers question regarding cold invites. He has had similar requests through his consultancy and urges the user simply reply: `Don't`

May 2022 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Email marketer from Neil Patel's Blog explains that personalization is key to cold outreach. He advises researching the recipient, addressing their pain points, and offering value.

September 2023 - Neil Patel's Blog

What the experts say
4Expert opinions

Experts overwhelmingly advise against sending unsolicited cold invites and emphasize the importance of permission and sender reputation. Sending emails without consent is considered spam, which can lead to high complaint rates, damage sender reputation, and result in deliverability issues or blacklisting. Maintaining consistent email practices and adhering to industry standards are crucial for protecting your sender reputation and ensuring consistent inbox delivery.

Key opinions

  • Avoid Spam: Sending unsolicited emails is strongly discouraged and considered spam.
  • Permission is Crucial: Prior consent is necessary before sending emails to avoid being labeled as spam.
  • Sender Reputation Matters: Protecting and building a good sender reputation is vital for email deliverability.
  • Complaints Impact Deliverability: High complaint rates can severely damage sender reputation and lead to blacklisting.

Key considerations

  • Email Practices: Implement careful management of email practices to align with industry standards.
  • Industry Standards: Adhere to industry standards to improve the likelihood of reaching the inbox consistently.
  • Reputation Monitoring: Continuously monitor and manage your sender reputation to identify and address potential issues promptly.
Expert view

Expert from Spamresource explains that sending unsolicited emails without prior consent is considered spam, regardless of the content or intent.

May 2021 - Spamresource
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks answers the question by saying 'advice - don't send spam'.

July 2024 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Spamresource indicates high complaint rates can damage your sender reputation, leading to deliverability issues and potential blacklisting.

February 2024 - Spamresource
Expert view

Expert from Word to the Wise emphasizes the importance of building and protecting sender reputation, stating that consistent delivery to the inbox requires careful management of email practices and adherence to industry standards.

March 2025 - Word to the Wise

What the documentation says
3Technical articles

Legal compliance and ethical practices are critical for cold outreach. Documentation from Mailchimp, GDPR, and the CAN-SPAM Act emphasizes the need for clear opt-out options, respecting subscriber preferences, obtaining consent (or having a legitimate interest), identifying emails as advertisements, and providing a physical postal address. Adhering to these requirements is essential for maintaining a positive sender reputation and avoiding legal penalties.

Key findings

  • Clear Opt-Out: Providing easily accessible and functional opt-out mechanisms is legally required and ethically sound.
  • Respect Preferences: Honoring subscriber preferences enhances sender reputation and avoids alienating potential customers.
  • Consent or Legitimate Interest: GDPR mandates consent for marketing emails in the EU unless a legitimate interest exists, carefully balanced against individual rights.
  • Transparency: Clear identification of emails as advertisements is a legal requirement under CAN-SPAM.
  • Physical Address: Including a valid physical postal address is a legal requirement under CAN-SPAM.

Key considerations

  • Legal Compliance: Thorough understanding and adherence to GDPR, CAN-SPAM, and other applicable laws are crucial to avoid legal repercussions.
  • Ethical Practices: Prioritizing ethical practices in cold outreach builds trust and improves long-term sender reputation.
  • Risk Mitigation: Implementing policies and procedures to ensure legal and ethical compliance minimizes the risk of penalties and reputational damage.
Technical article

Documentation from FTC (CAN-SPAM Act) states clear identification as an advertisement, a physical postal address, and a functional opt-out mechanism are legally required in cold emails.

August 2024 - FTC
Technical article

Documentation from GDPR specifies that consent is required for sending marketing emails to individuals in the EU unless there is a legitimate interest that is carefully balanced against the individual's rights.

January 2024 - GDPR
Technical article

Documentation from Mailchimp details that clear opt-out options and respect for subscriber preferences are essential for compliant and ethical cold outreach, building a positive sender reputation.

February 2024 - Mailchimp

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