A cold email campaign succeeds or fails on three things: the quality of the list, the health of your sending setup and the relevance of the message. Here is how to approach each one.
1. Prepare your sending setup
Authenticate your sending domain with SPF, DKIM and DMARC so mailbox providers can trust your messages. Many senders use a separate domain for outreach to protect the reputation of their main business domain. Start with low sending volume and increase it gradually rather than sending a large batch from a new mailbox.
2. Start with a clean, targeted list
The most common reason campaigns fail is a poor list. Target a specific role in a specific type of company, and verify the email addresses first. High bounce rates harm your sender reputation. See our guide to finding verified decision-maker emails.
3. Write a short, relevant first email
- Open with something specific to the recipient’s role or company, not a generic introduction.
- Describe one problem you solve and, if you have it, one relevant result.
- Finish with one clear, low-effort question.
- Keep it brief and in plain text. Avoid attachments and heavy formatting in the first message.
4. Plan the follow-ups
Most replies come after a follow-up. A typical sequence has an initial email and two or three follow-ups spaced a few days apart. Each follow-up should add something new, such as a short example, a useful resource or a different angle, rather than repeating “just checking in”.
5. Follow the rules
Be honest about who you are, use a truthful subject line and include a simple way to opt out. Honour opt-out requests promptly. Anti-spam rules differ depending on where your recipients are, so check the requirements for your target regions with a qualified adviser.
6. Measure and improve
Track reply rate, positive reply rate, bounce rate and spam complaints. Change one element at a time, such as the subject line, the opening line or the offer, so you know what made the difference.
Common mistakes
- Sending one generic message to a large, unsegmented list
- Skipping email verification
- Writing about your company instead of the prospect’s problem
- Giving up after a single email
Two ways to run your campaign with Lead Nexra
Once you have a verified list, you can send in two ways.
- Paid campaign platform: we set up a paid sending tool, load your list, write the sequence, monitor replies and report results. See email campaign management.
- Manual sending: you give us access to up to three mailboxes on your company domain and we send manually from them, one prospect at a time, with personalised messages.
Deliverability basics before you send
- Use a separate domain for cold email, such as a close variation of your brand name, so your main business domain is protected.
- Set up SPF, DKIM and DMARC records on the sending domain.
- Warm up new mailboxes for a few weeks before sending at normal volume.
- Keep daily volume per mailbox low. Many senders use a conservative ceiling of roughly 30 to 50 emails per mailbox per day.
- Send only to verified addresses. Our email list cleaning guide explains how.
- Include a clear way to opt out and honour every request.