Notes from running outbound
How agencies run cold outbound: deliverability, LinkedIn, calling, data and turning replies into meetings.
LinkedIn outreach that gets accepted: warm up, then ask
LinkedIn outreach that gets accepted: fix your profile, warm the lead first with a view, follow and like, then ask. Notes, first messages and pacing.
Read
Clay pricing: is Clay overkill for you?
Clay pricing explained from Clay's own page, dated October 2026: actions vs data credits, what the plans include, and who it's overkill for.
Buying signals: are they worth it for outbound?
Buying signals help with timing and relevance in outbound, but not with a weak ICP or offer. Which signals are reliable, which are noisy, and the signal theatre trap.
GTM strategy for outbound: what matters and what's noise
A practitioner's GTM strategy for outbound: the six things that decide results, and the tool stacking, vanity metrics and tactic-chasing that mostly don't.
The curiosity gap: what it is and how to use it in cold email
The curiosity gap, explained: where the idea comes from, how it works in cold email subject lines and openers, the line between a gap and clickbait.
Cold email mistakes: what to never say (and the spam-word myth)
The cold email mistakes worth fixing first: phrases to cut and why, plus an honest take on spam trigger words and what filters actually weigh.
How to write a cold email that sounds human, in under 100 words
How to write a cold email that sounds human without writing an essay: a three-part structure, how to cut, a read-aloud test, and a before and after rewrite.
Cold email subject lines that get opened without tricks
Cold email subject lines that earn an open without tricks: what the line is for, patterns that work, what to avoid, and why open rates mislead you.
How many cold emails to send before you know if it works
How many cold emails to send to test an offer: one audience, one offer, enough sends that a few replies aren't noise, and what counts as working.
How many cold emails per day: work out the volume you need
How many cold emails per day do you need? Work backwards from a meeting goal, then turn it into per-inbox caps and a count of inboxes and domains.
Cold email infrastructure: how to build it in house
Cold email infrastructure explained: sending domains, inboxes, DNS, warmup, list verification, reply handling and monitoring, and when an agency makes more sense.
Email spam test: how to tell if your cold emails land in spam
Run an email spam test on your cold email domain: seed tests, header reading, Postmaster Tools and reply patterns, plus where each one misleads you.
Email deliverability for cold outbound: the whole picture
Email deliverability for cold outbound explained: delivered vs inboxed, the four levers that decide placement, and how to measure each one.
Email deliverability tools: what each kind actually checks
Email deliverability tools fall into six kinds: DNS checkers, block-list checks, placement tests, provider dashboards, warmup and list verification. What each shows.
Hard bounce vs soft bounce: which one to worry about
Hard bounce vs soft bounce: 5xx means permanent, 4xx means try again. See real codes, what to do with each, and when a soft bounce is really a block.
Domain reputation: how mailbox providers judge your domain
Domain reputation decides whether your cold email lands in the inbox. What feeds it, how to see it in Google Postmaster Tools, and how to protect or recover it.
Email warmup: what it does, what it can't, and how long it takes
Email warmup builds a sending history for a new inbox or domain. Here is what it does, what it can't fix, how to ramp, and the signs an inbox is ready.
SPF, DKIM and DMARC explained for cold email
SPF, DKIM and DMARC explained for cold email: what each record does, how alignment ties them together, what Gmail and Yahoo require, and the usual mistakes.
How to stop emails going to spam (and find out why they are)
Why your emails are going to spam, how to check, and how to fix it: authentication, domain reputation, sending volume, list quality and content.
Cold email follow up: how many, how far apart, what to say
How many cold email follow-ups to send, how far apart to space them, and what to say in each one, without repeating yourself or hurting your domain.
Power dialer: what it is, and when it beats a predictive dialer
A power dialer calls your list one number at a time, so reps spend the hour talking, not dialing. How it works and when it beats a predictive dialer.
High email bounce rate? Burned domain or bad list
A high email bounce rate means a bad list or a burned domain, and the fixes are opposites. Read the codes, where they cluster and when they start.