Episode Summary:
Jon and Alex speak with James about cold email outreach.
James explains Hunter’s analysis of over 11 million emails sent in 2024.
He shows why 61 % of decision makers still prefer email over other channels.
He reveals that 95 % of cold emails land in spam.
They cover why open rates mislead and why reply rates matter more.
They discuss targeting small lists and deep personalization.
James shares how new AI tools can scale unique messages at volume.
Key Topics Discussed:
Hunter’s 2024 cold email data analysis
Decision makers’ channel preferences
Spam rates and deliverability issues
Vanity metrics vs. reply rates
Ideal campaign size and targeting
True personalisation vs. mail merge
Cold outreach as part of a multi-channel strategy
AI writing assistants for personalized scale
Key Takeaways:
61 % of decision makers rank cold email as their top outreach channel
95 % of cold emails are classified as spam
Open rates can be inflated by bots and spam filters
Reply rate drives real conversations and pipeline
Smaller, targeted lists (under 50) yield higher reply rates
Personalisation means relevant research, not just name merges
Cold outreach should join paid ads, events, and social
AI tools can help research and craft unique emails at scale
Memorable Quotes (Sound Bites):
“Cold email was number one.”
“95 % of cold emails that get sent are spam.”
“Open rates are a vanity metric.”
“Less is more.”
“That’s creepy as fuck.”
“It’s a conversation, not a command.”
Chapters:
00:00 – Introduction and Guest Welcome
02:47 – Why Cold Email Still Works
05:23 – Spam Rates and Deliverability
07:33 – Vanity Metrics vs. Reply Rates
11:11 – Targeting Small Lists for Higher Replies
14:27 – True Personalization Defined
19:06 – Cold Outreach in a Multi-Channel Mix
26:52 – AI Writing Assistants for Scale
28:28 – Messaging Madness: What Is It and Why It Matters
29:27 – How We Ran the “Super 16” Cold-Email Tournament
35:51 – Key Lessons from Messaging Madness
42:04 – Cold-Email Quiz: Test Your Hunter 2025 Knowledge
Keywords:
cold email, outreach, decision makers, spam rate, reply rate, personalisation, targeting, AI email assistant, marketing strategy, Hunter report
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