How to Do Cold Email for SaaS in 2025 - Playbooks from RB2B, Fyxer AI & Directive (8M Emails/Month)

The Founder-Led Marketing Show

Taylor Haren is the founder of Sales Automation Systems, running high-volume outbound campaigns for companies like RB2B, Fixer AI, and Directive, sending up to 8.5 million emails per month.

In this episode, Taylor breaks down what actually works in cold outreach in 2025, why most people fail with it, and how to build systems that generate PLG signups, meetings, and revenue at scale.

We will talk about:

- Why cold email isn’t dead—but traditional tactics are

- The “Navy SEALs vs. Carpet Bombing” framework for outbound

- How to get a 3X reply rate by changing one line of copy

- Offers that convert: what makes a good one, and how to test it

- How Taylor built a system to analyze 250+ messaging variants

- Tech stack recommendations for deliverability in 2025

- The real reason most campaigns fail (it’s not the copy)

Perfect for:

- Founders wondering if outbound still works (it does)

- Growth leaders building PLG or hybrid sales models

- Anyone testing cold email and struggling with results

Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast for more unfiltered conversations with SaaS founders and operators building differently.

Connect with Taylor:

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/taylorharen/

- Sales Automation Systems: https://www.salesautomation.systems/

- Episode with Garrett, CEO of Directive: https://youtu.be/_ln2Tw_GFWc?si=Yw2RpVdpYLZgMjWx

Connect with me:

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/finnthormeier/

- Website: https://www.project33.io/

- Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/03CXzsZp7wdqIRVDcqPTFH

Chapters

00:00 Intro: What Taylor’s Building

02:00 Cold Email in 2025: What Still Works

05:12 The “Carpet Bomb” Playbook (PLG at Scale)

07:40 Why the Old Multi-Touch Sequences Are Dead

09:30 How Offers Shape Everything in Cold Email

12:40 Blending High-Volume and Targeted Sales

15:45 Garrett from Directive’s Copy Beat the AI

18:30 When Cold Email Can Replace Ads (and Why)

21:10 Why One Email Every 60 Days Is the Sweet Spot

23:40 Copy That Converts: Taylor’s Full Framework

27:15 Subject Lines, Hooks, and Real Personalization

30:20 AI vs Human-Written Cold Emails

32:00 How to A/B Test Messaging the Right Way

36:00 $100M Offers and Irresistible Cold Hooks

39:10 Cold Email as a GTM Testing Tool

41:00 The Rule of 1,000: Why You’re Not Sending Enough

Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/03CXzsZp7wdqIRVDcqPTFH

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/finnthormeier/

Website: https://www.project33.io/

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