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Ep 24: Cold emails that actually work with James Milsom from Hunter.io
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Episode Summary:
* Jon and Alex speak with James about cold email outreach.
* James explains Hunter’s analysis of over 11 million emails sent in 2024.
* He shows why 61 % of decision makers still prefer email over other channels.
* He reveals that 95 % of cold emails land in spam.
* They cover why open rates mislead and why reply rates matter more.
* They discuss targeting small lists and deep personalization.
* James shares how new AI tools can scale unique messages at volume.
Key Topics Discussed:
* Hunter’s 2024 cold email data analysis
* Decision makers’ channel preferences
* Spam rates and deliverability issues
* Vanity metrics vs. reply rates
* Ideal campaign size and targeting
* True personalisation vs. mail merge
* Cold outreach as part of a multi-channel strategy
* AI writing assistants for personalized scale
Key Takeaways:
* 61 % of decision makers rank cold email as their top outreach channel
* 95 % of cold emails are classified as spam
* Open rates can be inflated by bots and spam filters
* Reply rate drives real conversations and pipeline
* Smaller, targeted lists (under 50) yield higher reply rates
* Personalisation means relevant research, not just name merges
* Cold outreach should join paid ads, events, and social
* AI tools can help research and craft unique emails at scale
Memorable Quotes (Sound Bites):
* “Cold email was number one.”
* “95 % of cold emails that get sent are spam.”
* “Open rates are a vanity metric.”
* “Less is more.”
* “That’s creepy as f**k.”
* “It’s a conversation, not a command.”
Chapters:
00:00 – Introduction and Guest Welcome
02:47 – Why Cold Email Still Works
05:23 – Spam Rates and Deliverability
07:33 – Vanity Metrics vs. Reply Rates
11:11 – Targeting Small Lists for Higher Replies
14:27 – True Personalization Defined
19:06 – Cold Outreach in a Multi-Channel Mix
26:52 – AI Writing Assistants for Scale
28:28 – Messaging Madness: What Is It and Why It Matters
29:27 – How We Ran the “Super 16” Cold-Email Tournament
35:51 – Key Lessons from Messaging Madness
42:04 – Cold-Email Quiz: Test Your Hunter 2025 Knowledge
Keywords:
cold email, outreach, decision makers, spam rate, reply rate, personalisation, targeting, AI email assistant, marketing strategy, Hunter report
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit saasyasfuck.substack.com
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