What distinguishes a targeted cold email from a weird or spammy request?

A targeted cold email is highly personalized, demonstrating specific research into the recipient's needs or interests. It offers relevant value and has a clear, low-commitment call to action. In contrast, a weird or spammy request is often generic, includes irrelevant offers, or makes unprofessional demands, like asking for backlinks to unrelated content or sending unsolicited meeting invites. The primary difference lies in genuine relevance and respect for the recipient's time and inbox.

How do weird cold outreach requests impact email deliverability?

Poorly executed cold emails can significantly harm your sender reputation, leading to lower deliverability rates. ISPs and email clients are more likely to filter your emails into spam folders or block them entirely if they detect patterns associated with unsolicited bulk mail. This can result in your domain being placed on an email blocklist (or blacklist), making it difficult to reach any recipient's inbox effectively.

What steps can I take to ensure my cold emails reach the inbox and not the spam folder?

To improve your cold email deliverability, focus on building highly targeted lists, always personalize your messages, and offer value upfront. Implement a domain warm-up strategy for new sending domains and ensure your SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records are correctly configured. Regularly monitor your sender reputation and engagement rates to make adjustments as needed.

Are there alternatives to cold email for reaching new prospects?

While cold email can be an effective outreach tool, it's not the only option. Alternatives include networking events, referrals, content marketing (SEO, blogging), social selling on platforms like LinkedIn, and building an organic email list through opt-ins on your website. These methods often lead to warmer leads and less risk to your email deliverability.

What are examples of targeted cold emails and weird cold outreach requests? - Compliance - Email deliverability - Knowledge base

Cold email outreach is often a necessary part of business development, but it exists on a spectrum. On one end, you have highly targeted, personalized messages that genuinely seek to provide value or initiate a meaningful conversation. On the other end, there are requests that miss the mark entirely, often coming across as unprofessional, irrelevant, or even bizarre.

The challenge lies not only in crafting compelling outreach but also in ensuring that your efforts don't negatively impact your sender reputation and email deliverability. Poorly executed cold emails can quickly land your domain on a blocklist (or blacklist), making it difficult to reach anyone's inbox, regardless of your message's intent.

The essence of targeted cold emails

Truly targeted cold emails are rooted in deep research and a clear understanding of the recipient's needs or interests. They avoid generic greetings and demonstrate that the sender has invested time in understanding the prospect's background, recent activities, or company goals. The goal is to make the email feel like a warm introduction, even if it's the first point of contact.

A good example might begin by referencing a specific article the recipient published, a recent company announcement, or a shared connection. This personal touch immediately establishes relevance and shows that the email isn't part of a mass-send campaign. For instance, an email could say, "I saw your recent post on LinkedIn about scaling SaaS businesses, and your point on customer churn really resonated with me. I have a solution that directly addresses that challenge."

The best cold emails offer value upfront without demanding anything in return. This could be a relevant insight, a piece of content, or a genuine compliment that sets the stage for a potential future conversation. Building trust is paramount. You can explore more about effective cold email strategies in various resources, such as Proposify's guide on effective cold emails. Remember, the objective is to initiate a dialogue, not to close a sale in the first email.

Elements of a highly targeted cold email

Personalization: Always address the recipient by name and reference something specific to them or their company.
Relevance: Clearly explain why you're reaching out and how your message is relevant to their work or challenges.
Value Proposition: Offer something of value, whether it's an insight, a resource, or a solution to a known pain point.
Clear Call to Action: Keep it simple, a low-commitment request for a brief chat or to provide more information.

Decoding weird cold outreach requests

On the flip side, many cold outreach requests fall into the "weird" category because they lack genuine personalization, are overly generic, or make completely irrelevant requests. These often feel like automated spam, even if they're not technically breaking laws. I've personally seen a surge of these in my inbox, making it harder to discern legitimate outreach from unsolicited junk.

A common example I encounter involves a sender praising a random, obscure blog post of mine, only to pivot to a completely unrelated request for a backlink to their article on a broad topic like "cell phone plans" or even, strangely enough, "autism." These attempts are easily spotted as insincere, as the connection between the praised content and the requested link is non-existent. My immediate thought is, "You clearly haven't read my website at all."

Another pervasive type of weird outreach is the unsolicited offer for SEO services. These emails often start by listing a website's supposed "flaws", such as "Your website does not rank well for major competitive keywords" or "Social Media efforts are lame ducks." While potentially true, the delivery is often aggressive and impersonal, making the recipient question the sender's credibility. It's a fine line between cold email and spam, as discussed in CXL's article Cold Emails: Can They Work, Or Are They Just Spam?.

I've also received meeting invites from unknown individuals without prior conversation, expecting me to just show up. These types of requests demonstrate a fundamental misunderstanding of professional boundaries and effective communication, leading to immediate declines or, as some jokingly suggest, accepting without showing up. It also creates challenges for those who work with cold email senders.

Targeted outreach characteristics

Demonstrates specific research into the recipient or their organization. Focuses on a clear, mutual benefit or relevant insight.

Language is professional, respectful, and aims to build rapport. Values the recipient's time by being concise and clear.

Goal: Start a conversation and explore shared interests.
Effect: Builds positive sender reputation with Gmail and other ISPs.

Weird outreach characteristics

Generic, templated messages with thinly veiled personalization attempts. Often pivots abruptly to an unrelated ask, like link insertions or SEO services.

Language can be overly salesy, aggressive, or includes factual errors. Discounts common courtesies, like sending meeting invites without consent.

Goal: Obtain something quickly, often backlinks or a sale.
Effect: Risks being marked as spam, harming sender reputation with Outlook and others.

Deliverability implications of cold outreach

The distinction between targeted and weird cold emails is crucial for deliverability. Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and email clients use sophisticated algorithms to identify unwanted emails. When recipients consistently mark your emails as spam, or if your sending patterns resemble those of spammers, your sender reputation takes a hit. This can lead to your emails being directed to the spam folder, or even worse, being blocked entirely.

Being placed on an email blocklist (or blacklist) is a significant risk of poor cold outreach. These lists are maintained by various organizations and ISPs to identify and block mail from senders associated with spam or malicious activity. Recovering your domain reputation from a blocklist can be a lengthy and challenging process, affecting all your email communications, not just cold outreach. Understanding how email blacklists work is key to avoiding them.

To mitigate these risks, ensure your email authentication protocols like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are correctly configured. These technical standards help verify your sender identity and build trust with email providers. Without them, even well-intentioned emails might struggle to reach the inbox. We have a simple guide to DMARC, SPF, and DKIM that can help.

Example SPF recordDNS

v=spf1 include:_spf.example.com ~all

Strategies for effective and compliant cold outreach

The key to successful cold outreach without jeopardizing deliverability lies in a strategic and ethical approach. First, focus on building highly segmented lists of prospects who genuinely fit your target audience. Avoid purchasing email lists or using automated harvesting tools that often collect outdated or spam trap-laden addresses, as this can severely impact your deliverability. If you're wondering why your cold emails go to spam, list quality is often a major factor.

Second, implement a proper domain warm-up strategy before sending large volumes of cold emails. This gradually builds your domain's reputation with ISPs, signaling that you are a legitimate sender. Neglecting this step can trigger spam filters, regardless of your content quality. You can find out more about domain warm-up strategies for cold outreach to avoid spam filters.

Lastly, always prioritize personalization and value. A well-crafted, relevant message to a smaller, highly targeted list will always outperform generic, high-volume blasts. Focus on establishing a connection and providing genuine utility, rather than resorting to tactics that might be perceived as spammy or unprofessional email marketing tactics. It's about quality over quantity for long-term success.

Views from the trenches

Best practices

Always research your recipients thoroughly to ensure your message is relevant and personalized.

Focus on providing immediate value or insight in your initial email, rather than just asking for a meeting.

Use a dedicated sending domain for cold outreach to protect your primary domain's reputation.

Start with small sending volumes and gradually increase, mimicking natural email behavior.

Regularly clean your prospect lists to remove invalid or unengaged email addresses.

Common pitfalls

Sending generic, templated emails without any specific personalization for the recipient.

Buying or scraping large email lists, which often contain spam traps and invalid addresses.

Making immediate, high-commitment requests like asking for a demo in the first email.

Ignoring email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) or having misconfigured records.

Not warming up a new sending domain, leading to immediate spam folder placement.

Expert tips

Test different subject lines and opening hooks to see what resonates best with your audience.

Keep your emails concise and easy to read, especially on mobile devices.

Include a clear, low-friction call to action that makes it easy for recipients to respond.

Segment your audience based on specific criteria to tailor your messaging even further.

Monitor your deliverability rates and sender reputation actively to identify issues early.

Marketer view

Marketer from Email Geeks says they often receive emails from senders attempting to add backlinks to unrelated articles, which is a clear sign the sender has not genuinely engaged with their content.

2023-11-20 - Email Geeks

Marketer view

Marketer from Email Geeks shared an example of a strange cold email offering SEO help that included the line, 'Social Media efforts are lame ducks,' highlighting how unprofessional and ineffective such messages can be.

2023-10-15 - Email Geeks

The path to responsible outreach

Navigating the world of cold email outreach requires a nuanced approach. While highly targeted emails can open doors and build valuable connections, weird or irrelevant requests can quickly damage your sender reputation and land you on a blocklist. The key differentiator lies in genuine personalization, relevance, and a commitment to providing value without resorting to spammy tactics.

By focusing on quality over quantity, understanding email deliverability best practices, and respecting the recipient's inbox, you can ensure your cold emails are not just sent, but actually seen and responded to. This approach transforms cold outreach from a dreaded chore into a powerful tool for growth.