7 principles for non-pushy email marketing

Sales folks, take note! Spamming a target company's employees with your services and requests for meetings will result in your company making its way onto a buyer's blocklist. As a buyer in the localization industry, I receive dozens of emails and LinkedIn requests every single day from vendors looking to showcase translation, AI, QA services, and more. It's not humanly possible to give personal replies to every outreach. When vendors can't get through to me, they often reach out to everyone on my team... and sometimes to many others across my company. I'd love for this practice to stop. It wastes valuable company time and makes a vendor appear desperate and non-strategic. Here's what to do instead: 1. Appeal to ego! Invite a target company’s decision-maker to a panel, or start a vlog series and ask buyers to appear and discuss industry topics. It’s also a great opportunity to reposition your company as a thought leader. 2. Offer genuine insight, not just services. Share a case study, white paper, or benchmarking data that’s actually useful to the buyer’s role, and do it without a sales pitch. 3. Build a reputation before you build a pipeline. Comment thoughtfully on posts. Contribute to community conversations. If you consistently show up with value, you’re far more likely to get noticed. 4. Target smarter, not broader. Don’t shotgun your message to an entire company. Learn the org. Understand the buyer’s scope. Then send one well-researched, personalized note that shows you actually did your homework. 5. Focus on mutual value. Can you help solve a known pain point or offer perspective on something changing in the market? Frame your outreach around collaboration, not consumption. 6. Use timing to your advantage. Keep tabs on when companies are hiring for roles associated with your offerings, launching in new markets, or attending conferences. That’s when buyers are more receptive to new solutions. 7. Lead with generosity. Offer a no-strings-attached resource, intro, or suggestion that doesn’t benefit you directly. Reciprocity is a powerful trust builder. And please! Don't ever ever call me on the phone! ;)

Cold emails don’t have to feel cold. When you master tonality, each email becomes a conversation that resonates with your prospect. Here’s how you can strategically shift tone to create emails that build trust, uncover insights, and drive action: 1. Curious Tone: Start your outreach with curiosity. It’s a subtle way to show genuine interest in your prospect’s needs. By asking questions about their challenges or industry, you encourage a reply that opens the door for deeper dialogue. "How are you tackling X challenge?" feels far more engaging than a direct pitch. 2. Challenging Tone: Perfect for prospects who may be hesitant or stuck in decision-making. This tone nudges them to consider the cost of inaction, positioning you as the solution. Use it to highlight what they might be overlooking, but avoid sounding confrontational. A line like, "What happens if X challenge goes unaddressed?" can create a sense of urgency without pushing too hard. 3. Concerned Tone: This tone works wonders when addressing objections or discussing pain points. It conveys empathy and builds rapport, making you sound like a trusted advisor rather than just another salesperson. For example, "I’ve noticed many businesses in your industry are struggling with X; it’s a challenge that shouldn’t be underestimated." 4. Playful Tone: Ideal for sparking connection. A touch of humor or lightness can make your email stand out, especially in a crowded inbox. This tone is best used sparingly and works in less formal industries. A playful P.S. like, "I promise no hard pitch — just seeing if we’re on the same page!" can keep the conversation approachable. 5. Confused Tone: This is a subtle yet powerful approach that encourages prospects to elaborate on their challenges. By “not fully understanding” an aspect of their industry or company, you prompt them to explain — often revealing deeper insights. A line like, "I’m trying to wrap my head around X; am I missing something here?" signals curiosity and shows you’re listening. 6. Multi-Tonal Approach: The real art of tonality comes when you mix these tones across your emails. For instance, start curious, then shift to concerned or challenging based on their reply. It’s all about keeping the conversation natural and engaging — just as you would in person. --- Craft each email with intention, and let your tone drive the conversation toward connection. In cold email outreach, a well-chosen tone makes all the difference between an ignored message and a conversation starter. #ColdEmailTips #SalesStrategy #Tonality

Client touchpoints shouldn’t feel pushy. They should feel like what they really are: Building real relationships. But many client-facing professionals hesitate to follow  up, worried they’ll seem self-serving. But here’s the shift: When your touchpoints come from generosity, following  up feels: ✅ Natural ✅ Helpful ✅ Human Need to follow up with a client soon? Here are 7 of my favorite trust-building touchpoints that  don’t feel like “selling”: 1. Ask for their perspective → “What shifts are you seeing in your market?” → Let their insights guide your next step → People love being asked what they think 2. Make an introduction → Connect them to someone who can help → Be specific about the value on both sides → Follow up later to see how it went 3. Invite them to something meaningful → A small dinner with peers they’ll enjoy → A virtual panel on a topic they care about → No pitch. Just people they’d want to meet 4. Offer a Give-to-Get → “Want to spend 30 minutes tackling that challenge?” → Share helpful ideas, no strings attached → Let value lead to the next conversation 5. Congratulate and recognize them → Repost their big news with a kind comment → Mail a handwritten note (or flowers!) → Celebrate the personal wins too 6. Send a helpful article → Share something outside your company blog → Add a quick note: “Thought of you when I read this.” → Make it clear you’re thinking of them 7. Send a thoughtful “just because” note → “What you said in that meeting stuck with me.” → Mention their new puppy or kid’s graduation → Yes, snail mail is still magic In the end, it’s not about being remembered. It’s about being helpful. When you show up generously, without pressure, you’re  not just keeping in touch. You’re building something real. Pick one. Try it this week. Let me know how it goes. ♻️ Valuable? Repost to help someone in your network. 📌 Follow Mo Bunnell for client-growth strategies that don’t feel like selling. Want the full infographic? Sign up here: https://lnkd.in/e3qRVJRf 

Instantly analyzed 1M+ cold emails. Campaigns getting 20-30% replies had one thing in common that campaigns getting ghosted didn't: Hyperenriched data + micro-targeted lists. Here’s the framework used by the companies that book the most meetings: 1️⃣ STRONG OFFER Your ICP isn't just titles and company size. It's: - The outcome they want - The specific pain keeping them up at night - The language they use to describe their problem Get this wrong, and nothing else matters. 2️⃣ HYPERENRICHED DATA Going beyond name + email is non-negotiable. Job postings. Tech stack. Recent funding. Case studies. LinkedIn activity. The more data points you collect, the more relevant your personalization becomes. 3️⃣ AI PERSONALIZED LINES "Hope you're doing well" → delete "Saw you're hiring 3 AEs after your Series B" → open Make them think you actually researched them. Because you did. 4️⃣ MASTER THE FUNDAMENTALS Stop chasing 100 different angles. Get obsessive about three things: - Who exactly you're targeting (ICP) - What specific outcome you deliver (Offer) - How you communicate value (Copy) Depth > width. 5️⃣ SMALLER, SMARTER LISTS 500 hyper-targeted prospects > 100,000 spray and pray Smaller lists = more specific copy = better deliverability = higher reply rates. 6️⃣ FOLLOW-UP PROTOCOL Most replies don't come from Email #1. 4-touch sequence: Email 1: Personalized opener Email 2: Short bump (3-5 days) Email 3: Different angle (3-5 days) Email 4: Breakup email (3-5 days) Keep them short. Reference the original. Add new value. 7️⃣ VALUE-DRIVEN EMAILS Stop asking for their time immediately. Start offering value first: - "Happy to share what's working best right now" - "Would it make sense to send over a quick example?" - "Can I send you something that could help with [specific pain]?" Build trust. Then earn the conversation. 8️⃣ LONG GAME MINDSET Cold email isn't a magic pill. It's a compounding client acquisition system. Quality > rushing. Presence > pressure. Pipeline > quick wins. 9️⃣ DELIVERABILITY None of this matters if you land in spam. - Multiple domains - Multiple inboxes - 30-50 emails per inbox max - Proper technical setup - 30-day warm-up minimum Master deliverability or waste everything else. The top 1% don't use tricks. They master fundamentals, use better data, personalize at scale, and obsess over deliverability. What's the #1 mistake you see people make with cold email?

7 cold email tips I wish I knew earlier (but now build into every campaign). Cold email works. After sending millions of cold emails across dozens of outbound systems, here’s what consistently improves reply rates: 1. Vague ICP = vague messaging If you don’t know exactly who you’re talking to, you’ll end up writing for no one. Get tight on your ICP first, then write. 2. Subject line ≠ clickbait 3–5 words max. Lowercase. And make it relevant to their world, not yours. If it feels like marketing, it won’t get opened. 3. The preview text is your real subject line The first line sells the open. Start with something relevant, specific, and different from the 20 other emails in their inbox that day. 4. Don’t pitch in paragraph one No one buys from line 3. Start with insight, context, or trigger, not a product feature. 5. Connect personalization to pain Mentioning their dog’s name from LinkedIn doesn’t make your message feel relevant. Always tie personalization back to their goals. 6. CTAs should feel easy, not loaded “Want to explore potential synergies?” = silence. Try: - “Worth a look?” - “Can I send a quick breakdown?” - “Want to see how we did this for [competitor]?” 7. Lead with value, not the ask If the first thing they read is you asking for 30 minutes, they’ll delete it. Don't do this. Instead, start by showing you understand their world and can improve it. That's it. We build this into our outbound systems now, and it's crazy effective. What would you add?

After sending 30,234 cold emails over 5 years… I’ve learned what works (and what gets ignored) 👇🏿 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘀: 1. Subject line = your opener Short. Relevant. Looks like it belongs in their inbox. Examples: • “Hiring problems” • “Team at {{Company}}” • “{{FirstName}}, this causing headaches?” Keep it under 5 words. Make it feel like an internal convo, not a pitch. A/B test what lands. ⸻ 2. Preview line = your first impression Don’t waste this with “Hope you’re well.” Lead with the trigger: “Saw you’re hiring 3+ SDRs” “Noticed you’re expanding to Europe” “Ops usually breaks around this stage… seeing that too?” ⸻ 3. Lead with pain, not product Skip the intro. Don’t pitch too soon. Speak to what they’re already feeling: “Sales teams I work with usually hit these: • low reply rates • inconsistent messaging • reps burning leads with generic copy That sound familiar?” ⸻ 4. Format for mobile Big blocks = ignored. Use white space. 1–2 sentence chunks. Make it skimmable. ⸻ 5. Write like you talk If you wouldn’t say it out loud, don’t type it. No “introductions.” No “trusted partner solutions.” Just a conversation. ⸻ 6. Use soft CTAs Not “Book time here” too aggressive! Instead: • “Open to a exploring this?” • “Want me to send over examples?” • “Is this of interest or am i clutching at straws?” Low pressure. High response rate. ⸻ 7. No links. No images. No fluff. Text only in your first email. Keeps it human. Boosts deliverability. ⸻ 8. Objection? Call them. Got a “Not interested”? Pick up the phone. If they don’t answer, try: “Totally fair what made you go with that one? Always curious what’s working for others.” Or: “No worries… just curious, is that because it’s solved or not a priority right now?” My stack for keeping it all flowing? To stay efficient without sacrificing personalisation, I use Woodpecker.co ✅ A/B test subject lines ✅ Smart follow-up automation ✅ Replies still feel 1:1 P.S. Cold email still works. When it’s real. Human. Relevant. Repost to help a new rep skip the fluff and start booking meetings faster ♻️ ——— Looking to break into tech sales? Shoot me a DM 🫡

7 habits that will make you a better email marketer in 2026 Spoiler: none of them involve sending more emails. 1. You obsess over outcomes, not opens If you’re still celebrating open rates like it’s 2018, we need to talk. Focus on revenue, behaviour, intent, and downstream impact. Vanity metrics are a comfort blanket. Take it off. 2. You write for humans, not frameworks Frameworks are useful. Blindly following them is not. Start with how people actually think, decide, procrastinate, and justify purchases to themselves. Psychology beats templates every time. 3. You test like a scientist, not a gambler One hypothesis. One clear reason. Enough data. Enough time. If your test ends with I liked this one more, that’s not testing. That’s vibes. 4. You stop treating deliverability like a dark art Authentication, engagement, list quality, cadence. None of it is mysterious. The best email marketers bake deliverability into strategy, instead of panicking when Gmail goes quiet. 5. You build fewer campaigns and better systems Campaigns spike. Systems compound. Automations, lifecycle thinking, and joined-up journeys will quietly outperform frantic calendar-based sending every single time. 6. You use AI as a thinking partner, not a shortcut AI shouldn’t replace your brain. It should sharpen it. Use it to explore angles, challenge assumptions, pressure-test ideas, and speed up the boring bits. If it’s doing all the thinking, you’re falling behind. 7. You make peace with saying no No to pointless sends. No to fake urgency. No to copying competitors who don’t know what they’re doing either. Strategy is as much about what you don’t do as what you do. Email marketing in 2026 won’t reward louder. It’ll reward smarter, calmer, and more intentional. Which one do you need to work on this year?

Lately, my inbox has become a revolving door of cold DMs from people I’ve never interacted with. Speakers pitching themselves. A/V companies wanting business. Ghostwriters offering to write my book. Folks who haven’t liked a single post of mine suddenly “circling back” to see if I need anything. And here’s the thing most of them don’t realize: Event planners don’t buy from people who treat them like a transaction. We buy from people who treat us like humans. If you want my attention, and possibly even my business, here are 7 ways to start the relationship: 1. Show you understand the industry before you ask for anything. ↳A personalized perspective goes further than a generic pitch ever will. 2. Engage publicly before you DM privately. ↳Comment thoughtfully. Add value. Be present. Don’t skip steps. 3. Lead with curiosity, not assumptions. ↳Reading my profile before asking a question shows you’re trying to get to know me, not sell to me. 4. Share something useful without expecting immediate payoff. ↳A trend, resource, or insight tells me you’re here to contribute, not extract. 5. Make your intentions clear and mutually beneficial. ↳If the only winner in your message is you, it’s already a no. 6. Build consistency, not convenience. ↳A single “Hey Andrew 👋🏾” is not enough. Relationships take more than one touch. 7. Respect the timing and the process. ↳Experienced planners work from trust, not pressure. If you haven’t earned the relationship, don’t ask for the reward. My DMs and most planners’ DMs are crowded. Standing out isn’t about trying harder to sell. It’s about trying harder to connect. If you can do that, you’ll get our attention every time.

Want more opens, more clicks, and more sales from email? Start with these 7 simple changes. 1) Optimal Sending Time Schedule emails when your audience is most likely to engage. Analyze past open rates to identify peak days and times that have performed well. For example: Tuesday and Thursday mornings PST. Test different timings & refine based on performance data. 2) Reflect Your Brand’s Tone & Value in the Sender’s Name If your brand is playful, use a friendly, informal name like ‘Your buddy Jack at [Company]’. For a more professional tone, opt for ‘Jack, CEO at [Company]’. This alignment enhances brand consistency & recognition. 3) Craft Irresistible Subject Lines Incorporate these elements into your subject line: Numbers/data Specificity Power words Curiosity Emojis Questions This is how you make it impossible to ignore. 4) Leverage the Preview Text Use your preview text to: Tease a benefit Offer an incentive Provide a sneak peek The preview text gives people a second nudge to open your email. Make the most of it. 5) Implement a Call-To-Open Call-to-opens are phrases like: “Open to discover…” “See what’s inside…” “Click here to learn…” Incorporate these in your subject line or preview text. The simplest way to encourage an open is by directly requesting it. 6) Optimize for Mobile Ensure your emails display well on small screens. Shorten subject line/preview text Check the sender’s profile picture Ensure correct character display Most people check their email on a mobile device. Neglecting them means losing a lot of opens. 7) Strategically Resend to Non-Openers Resend with a tweaked subject line or a note like: “In case you missed this…” This approach can recapture attention without seeming repetitive. Bookmark this and follow Chase Dimond for more great tips.

In the dynamic world of digital marketing, an effective email campaign is more than just a message—it's a carefully crafted experience that captivates, resonates, and drives action. Let's dissect the key elements that contribute to the success of an email marketing masterpiece. 🌐📧 1. Subject Lines that Spark Curiosity: 🔍📌 The gateway to your email. Craft subject lines that intrigue, inspire, or pose questions. The goal? To entice recipients to open the email and explore what lies within. 2. Compelling Content: Tell a Story, Solve a Problem: 📖🎯 The heart of your campaign. Your content should be a blend of storytelling and problem-solving. Connect emotionally, provide value, and address the needs or pain points of your audience. 3. Personalization for a Tailored Touch: 🤝🎨 Beyond just using a recipient's name. Leverage data to personalize content, recommendations, or offers based on user behavior and preferences. A personalized touch enhances engagement. 4. Visual Appeal with Eye-Catching Design: 🎨👁️ A picture is worth a thousand words. Incorporate visually appealing graphics, images, and layouts. Design should complement your brand and guide the reader through the content seamlessly. 5. Clear and Compelling Call-to-Action (CTA): 🚀🔗 The purposeful nudges. Your CTA should be crystal clear, compelling, and aligned with the campaign's goal. Make it easy for recipients to take the desired action, whether it's making a purchase, signing up, or downloading. 6. Mobile Optimization for On-the-Go Engagement: 📱💨 In a mobile-centric world, ensure your emails are optimized for various devices. Responsive design is key to delivering a seamless experience, no matter where your audience opens their emails. 7. A/B Testing for Continuous Refinement: 🔄📊 Don't guess; test. A/B testing allows you to experiment with different elements—subject lines, content, visuals—and refine your approach based on real-time performance data. Share your insights and let's continue to elevate our email marketing game together! 💬💌 #EmailMarketing #DigitalCampaigns #EngagementStrategy