Do cold outreach emails actually work?

Everyone who has a mailbox is probably familiar with people cold emailing them. But do these cold outreach emails ever work?

It’s something that’s been on my mind for a couple of years already, and since Hey’s newest addition of the ‘Fuck No!’ button I’ve been thinking about this again.

You see, a lot of beautiful things can start with a first email to someone you’ve never spoken to before. Maybe you get to know your new business partner, maybe you finally decided to send that email that created a new job opportunity, or maybe it’s a gateway to that awesome collaboration you always wanted.

But thinking of it, let’s make a difference here. Let’s call these warm emails. The biggest differentiator compared to cold emails being that they are genuine. You, a human, wrote this email and put real thought and emotion into it. Unless you are an AI bot reading this, then just stop here.

Let’s take this as a rule of thumb: If you can send the same email, on which you are expecting a human response, to at least 20 people then you are sending a cold email. And they are definitely less and less effective.

So what’s the alternative?

Instead of sending 100 impersonal cold emails in bulk, try spending that time trying to connect with 3 people in a genuine way.

Relationships, both personal and professional, take time. If you’re not willing to make that time investment, then it’s probably time to question your motives.

But if you are willing to make the time investment, I promise you that beautiful things will happen and you will find new relationships that will last for years.