What are effective rebuttals against the argument that 'everyone does cold email'?
Matthew Whittaker
Co-founder & CTO, Suped
Published 8 May 2025
Updated 17 Aug 2025
7 min read
The argument that "everyone does cold email" is a common refrain heard in many business development circles. It suggests that because a practice is widespread, it must inherently be effective, acceptable, or even necessary. However, relying on this claim is a logical fallacy, specifically an appeal to popularity.
The reality is that while many companies engage in cold emailing, it doesn't automatically validate it as a sound strategy for deliverability, sender reputation, or long-term business growth. In fact, for many, it leads to significant deliverability challenges, tarnished brand image, and diminishing returns.
The true cost to sender reputation
One of the most immediate and damaging consequences of mass cold emailing is the severe impact on your sender reputation. Internet Service Providers (ISPs) like Google and Yahoo closely monitor sending behavior. High complaint rates, low engagement (opens and clicks), and hitting spam traps directly degrade your domain's reputation. This decline can affect all your email, not just your cold outreach.
When your sender reputation plummets, your domain or IP address can end up on an email blacklist (or blocklist). These blacklists are databases used by mail servers to identify and block known sources of spam. If your domain is listed, it means your legitimate emails, including transactional notifications, customer support responses, and opt-in marketing campaigns, may never reach the inbox. We’ve seen instances where entire corporate communication systems are paralyzed because their primary domain was blacklisted due to aggressive cold email tactics.
The long-term damage of a poor sender reputation far outweighs any short-term gains from cold emailing. Recovering a damaged reputation is a complex and time-consuming process, requiring significant effort and often a complete overhaul of your sending practices. It means losing the trust of mailbox providers and potentially alienating your audience, making future deliverability an uphill battle.
The very real threat of blocklists
Sending unsolicited emails is a primary driver for ending up on an email blacklist. When your domain is listed on a major blocklist (or blacklist), all your email communications—including transactional and marketing emails—can be affected. This means your sales, customer support, and internal communications may not reach their intended recipients. It’s a complete business disruption, as one client experienced when their corporate domain was blacklisted by Spamhaus after sending marketing campaigns to a purchased list. This shows how email blacklists actually work and their severe consequences.
If you are concerned your domain may have been blacklisted, use a blocklist checker to find out.
Why your cold emails miss the mark
Even if your domain isn't outright blacklisted (or blocklisted), the vast majority of bulk cold emails are filtered directly into the spam folder. Mailbox providers have sophisticated algorithms designed to identify and quarantine unsolicited messages. This means that while you might be sending a high volume of emails, very few are actually reaching the recipient's primary inbox, rendering the effort largely ineffective. You can also monitor your DMARC reports to get insights into why your emails are failing or landing in the spam folder.
The reason many cold emails land in spam is multifaceted. Low engagement rates signal to ISPs that your content isn't relevant to recipients. High complaint rates—when recipients mark your email as spam—are a strong negative signal that can quickly trigger filters. Furthermore, if you're using purchased or scraped lists, you're likely hitting spam traps, which are emails set up by ISPs specifically to catch spammers, leading to immediate negative consequences for your deliverability.
The idea that everyone does cold email often stems from a misconception of what constitutes successful email outreach. It's not about the volume of emails sent, but the quality of engagement and the ultimate goal of conversion. If your emails aren't reaching the inbox, they're not contributing to your business development in any meaningful way.
The common perception
Many believe cold emails are an efficient way to directly reach prospects and generate new leads quickly. The focus is often on high send volumes and initial open rates, with the expectation that a certain percentage will convert into sales opportunities. This approach relies on the idea that quantity can compensate for the lack of prior relationship or explicit consent.
The deliverability reality
The vast majority of unsolicited bulk cold emails, especially those sent without proper segmentation or personalization, land directly in spam folders or are blocked entirely. This significantly reduces their effectiveness and can severely harm your sender reputation. Mailbox providers prioritize user experience, and unwanted emails are filtered aggressively. Therefore, focusing on deliverability is key to avoiding emails going to spam.
Legal implications and ethical dilemmas
Beyond technical deliverability issues, cold emailing operates in a complex legal and ethical landscape. Regulations like GDPR (Europe), CAN-SPAM (US), and CASL (Canada) dictate rules around commercial email, particularly regarding consent. While some jurisdictions may have specific carve-outs for B2B cold email, the trend is towards greater recipient control and explicit consent.
Ignoring these regulations or engaging in overly aggressive tactics not only risks legal penalties but also severely harms your brand's reputation. Recipients are increasingly aware of their rights and less tolerant of unwanted messages. A brand that is perceived as spammy or intrusive can quickly lose trust, making it harder to build genuine connections or conduct future legitimate outreach.
The ethical dilemma of cold emailing often centers on permission. Respecting an individual's inbox is paramount. When you send unsolicited emails, you are, in essence, intruding on their digital space. This approach can create a negative first impression, leading to immediate deletions, spam complaints, and a general aversion to your brand.
Understanding these legal and ethical boundaries is crucial for any business engaged in email marketing. Prioritizing consent and respectful engagement not only ensures compliance but also lays the foundation for more meaningful and effective communication that fosters trust and positive relationships with prospects and customers. You can learn more about if cold outreach is illegal spam.
Aspect
Cold email
Consent-based outreach
Consent
Assumed or non-existent, often violating regulations
Explicitly given by the recipient
Legality
Often operates in a gray area, subject to regional laws
Generally compliant with global privacy regulations
Reputation impact
High risk of damaging sender reputation and landing on blacklists
Builds positive sender reputation and trust
Building a sustainable outreach strategy
Instead of relying on outdated and risky cold email strategies, businesses can implement more effective and sustainable approaches for business development. This starts with a shift towards permission-based marketing and genuine relationship building. Inbound marketing, for example, focuses on attracting customers by creating valuable content and experiences tailored to them.
Exploring alternatives to cold email can lead to better outcomes. These include leveraging professional networking platforms, participating in industry events, engaging in content marketing, and building robust referral programs. When email is used, it should be for nurturing leads who have expressed interest, or for highly personalized 1:1 outreach to a genuinely relevant contact, not bulk sends. This minimizes the risks that cause cold emails to fail.
The goal should always be to provide value and build trust, rather than simply pushing a sale. By focusing on creating engaging content, fostering community, and responding to genuine interest, you can cultivate a pipeline of qualified leads who are receptive to your message. This approach not only improves your email deliverability but also builds a stronger, more resilient business. Ultimately, this results in better domain reputation.
Cultivating genuine connections
Focus on inbound marketing: Attract interested prospects with valuable content, SEO, and social media, allowing them to find you.
Personalize your outreach: If you must reach out, ensure it’s highly relevant and tailored to individual needs or publicly stated interests, rather than a generic template.
Build opt-in lists: Encourage sign-ups for newsletters, webinars, or content downloads by offering clear value. This builds a receptive audience.
Nurture relationships: Engage with prospects over time, providing helpful resources and demonstrating expertise before making a direct sales pitch.
Rethinking your outreach for long-term success
The argument that "everyone does cold email" is a weak justification for a practice that often carries significant risks. While cold outreach persists, its effectiveness is often overstated, and its potential to harm your sender reputation, violate legal compliance, and alienate potential customers is very real. Businesses must understand that the landscape of email deliverability has changed significantly, with ISPs and recipients increasingly prioritizing consent and relevance.
Focusing on building a strong, positive sender reputation through permission-based strategies, genuine engagement, and adherence to best practices will yield far greater returns in the long run. These methods ensure your messages reach their intended audience, foster trust, and ultimately drive sustainable business growth without jeopardizing your most critical communication channels. Ignoring these realities will invariably lead to deliverability problems.
Views from the trenches
Best practices
Focus on building genuine relationships and providing value rather than mass outreach.
Prioritize explicit consent for email communication to ensure compliance and high deliverability.
Regularly monitor your domain and IP reputation to preempt deliverability issues.
Segment your audience and personalize messages, even for initial outreach, to increase relevance.
Common pitfalls
Assuming that because others send cold emails, it is an effective or safe strategy for your business.
Using purchased or scraped email lists which often contain spam traps and lead to low engagement.
Sending high volumes of unsolicited emails from your primary domain, risking its blacklisting.
Ignoring deliverability metrics and focusing solely on send volume or initial open rates.
Expert tips
Separate cold email activities onto different domains and IPs to protect your primary sender reputation.
If clients insist on cold email, clearly define what deliverability support can be provided, if any.
Educate sales teams on the long-term damage of aggressive cold email tactics.
Understand that one-to-one highly targeted emails are different from bulk cold outreach.
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks says that many struggle with the idea that cold email is ineffective and often don't listen to advice.
2023-12-07 - Email Geeks
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks says that cold email significantly increases the risk of getting your domain blacklisted (or blocklisted).
Google and 
Yahoo closely monitor sending behavior. High complaint rates, low engagement (opens and clicks), and hitting spam traps directly degrade your domain's reputation. This decline can affect all your email, not just your cold outreach.
