Companies spend thousands of dollars on email marketing and social media posting to increase their sales and keep existing customers coming back.
However, when it comes to the acquisition of new customers, cold emailing is still out there among the top best acquisition channels for both retail and tech companies.
An efficient cold emailing campaign can drive growth and have an amazing ROI.
So, What is Cold Emailing?
Cold emailing is an unsolicited email sent to a receiver without prior contact. Usually, companies use it to get in touch with people who could be potentially interested in their products or services.
Cold emails are not necessarily considered spam. Companies who are doing it right target specific audiences that are genuinely interested in what they have to offer. The key to cold emailing is to target the right audience and truly provide value with your email content.
When a company or an individual decides to bombard an audience with irrelevant and unwanted content, this practice is called spamming.
Essentially, cold emailing works as an advertisement that the receiver can opt-out from at any time so they don’t receive similar emails in the future. Cold emailing can be repetitive work as marketers will have to do endless copying and pasting. That’s where cold email software will come in handy.
The 8 Best Cold Email Software
1. SmartReach
If you are an advanced user and are looking for a feature-rich solution for cold emailing, SmartReach is exactly what you need. Your emails would have a better chance of getting a response thanks to their advanced hyper-personalization and advanced scheduling; where you can send emails in your prospect’s timezone.
SmartReach.io supports all popular email clients including GSuite, Office365, Outlook, Mailgun, and SendGrid.
It puts an extensive focus on email deliverability and provides a suite of built-in tools like list-cleaning (Email validation), Warm-Ups, and Spam Tests.
It is ideal for bigger teams and agencies owing to their team-centric features like Role-based permissions, Team level settings, Agency dashboard to view and manage multiple clients, etc.
Pros:
– Custom Send Time for Emails
– Personalized Emails
– Supports Numerous Email Clients
– Easy-to-use Interface
– If-this-then-that, like Workflow Automations
– Account-based Sales
– Dedicated Plan for Agencies
Cons:
– None (that we could find at least)
Pricing:
Standard Plan: $24 per month/user
Ultimate Plan: $59 per month/user
Website: smartreach.io
2. Woodpecker
Woodpecker is the best tool for B2B companies who contact prospective clients via automated personalized emails. Woodpecker is specially designed for cold emails and follow-ups. You can send your cold emails directly from Gmail, Office 365, or Exchange accounts.
It integrates with Zapier, Salesforce, and a wide range of other business tools.
They claim to be one of the most secure software for automated campaigns. Further, it is a great choice for teams who need to collaborate, share lists of contacts, and/or blacklist domains.
Woodpecker offers sophisticated functions that include A/B testing, if-campaigns to move prospects to alternate streams, manual tasks to include non-email actions in the campaign and snippet-based conditions for easy customization and personalization.
One of the benefits of using Woodpecker is that they’re continually improving and updating their software. You can check their roadmap here to see their major updates.
Woodpecker has also developed a new pricing structure, which allows you to pay the basic price per slot and only pay for the add-on features you actually use.
Add-on features can be turned on and off whenever you want, which means you’re only paying for exactly what you need, when you need it, and no more.
Pros:
-User-friendly interface is easy to use and understand
-Set up and contact list integration is fast and convenient
-A/B testing is fully automated and gives meaningful insights
-Reporting for daily/weekly/monthly metrics
-Customer support is always available
-Snippet-based Conditions
– Warm-up feature to maintain sender reputation
-Manual tasks can be included in the campaign for non-email actions
-Strong security measures
-If-campaigns allow for prospects to be directed to a different stream
-Unlimited team members/multiple team members per slot
-Customizable pricing so you only pay for features you use, when you’re using them
Cons:
-Can be costly for small businesses if multiple slots and add-on are required
-Limited to 7 follow-ups
Pricing:
-Free Trial: 14 Days (includes all add-on functions)
-50 Contact Emails Per Day: $40 – $59 per slot/monthly depending on add-ons selected
-200 Contact Emails Per Day: $44 – $64 per slot/monthly depending on add-ons selected
-Unlimited Contact Emails Per Day: $49 – $69 per slot/monthly depending on add-ons selected
Website: woodpecker.co
3. Snov
With an easy-to-use interface and powerful features, Snovis another popular software designed for cold emailing. Snov allows you to automate your email campaigns and save time. You can also download the Snov extension for Google Chrome that lets you find someone’s email address on a website.
You can set triggers that will notify you when a person opens your email. Another automated action that you can set is a follow-up email if a user opens your email, but does not reply.
Finally, with the Domain Search Tool, you can find an email address that is attached to a certain domain name.
Pros:
– Email Finder
– Easy-to-Use Interface
– Drip Campaigns
– Email Verifier that Validates all Email Addresses
Cons:
– Does not Feature an “Unsubscribe” Link
– Does not Show the Most Used Email from Each Contact When Given Multiple Email Accounts
Pricing:
– Small Plan: $29 month/user
– Medium Plan: $49 month/user
– Large Plan: $79 month/user
– Extra-Large Plan: $139 month/user
Website: snov.io
4.SalesHandy
Saleshandy is one of the best cold email software to send personalized cold email sequences with high email deliverability. The software follows a human-like sending approach, to prevent the spam inbox and safely deliver your emails to the primary inbox.
In the Saleshandy dashboard, you can easily create a personalized email sequence, add up to 49 follow-up steps, schedule your email, and get a detailed analysis of each sequence. This complete cycle helps to turn your prospects into customers.
Saleshandy takes utmost care of your email deliverability by sending emails one by one to make them appear as if you were sending them manually. Also, the software auto pauses a sequence if they’re chances of your emails getting bounced.
Pros:
– Completely automate your cold email sequence
– Get AI writing assistant to improve the open rate
– A/B test different formats to know what works the best
– Find hot leads using Saleshandy connect (A LinkedIn email finding tool)
Cons:
The notification experience can be improved
Pricing:
Pro – $25/month/user
Website: saleshandy.com
5. Hunter.io
Hunter.io is a web-based email research and verification tool that helps businesses collect and verify professional email addresses.
The cold email campaign feature of Hunter.io is probably not its strongest suit as it was only recently added to the platform.
However, if you are looking for an all in one solution for your cold outreach efforts, Hunter.io is your best bet.
With Hunter.io you can find emails of your target audience within seconds, verify them, and even discover hard-to-find contact data of your prospects so that you could truly personalize your campaigns and improve the results on your outreach campaigns.
If you’re operating in the B2B space, Hunter.io is a must-have tool for your next cold outreach campaign.
If you do not require any sophisticated email automation features and are using Gmail, you can also use their campaigns feature, this way you get an all-in-one solution. From finding emails to converting them to customers.
TIP: Whether or not you decide to use Hunter.io, you must check out their chrome extension, as it can do wonders for your business!
Pros:
– The emails it provides are 90% of the time accurate.
– Integrates easily with the browser providing simplicity of use.
– No additional costs for team subscription.
– All in one solution for cold outreach
Cons:
– Any Mobile App/Functionality is Not Available As Yet.
– Cold Outreach Capabilities are Limited (and you can enjoy it only if you used Gmail so you might need additional tools to enjoy the full email outreach experience)
Pricing:
Free Version: Yes
Starter: $49/Month
Growth: $99/Month
Pro: $199/Month
Enterprise: $399/Month
Website: https://hunter.io/
Bonus: Hubspot’s 25 Cold Email Templates: Free & Ready-to-use
Hidden Content
6. Reply
Take your sales outreach to a whole new level with Reply. With this dashboard, you can set up an email campaign with follow-ups, and then do split tests to improve your conversion rate.
One of the best things about Reply is its powerful reporting system. This system shows you all the data and indicators for your email campaigns, including delivery, open rates, link clicks, bounced emails, and more.
You can filter certain users from your queue of automated emails depending on their actions. Additionally, it lets you setup personalized email campaigns.
Pros:
– A Lot of Features
– Easy Setup and User Friendly
– Powerful Automation Feature
– You can Set a Campaign and Forget About It
– Collaboration Tool for Email Marketing Teams
Cons:
– High Pricing per Number of Contacts
– It’s Difficult to Organize Lists in the App
– Targeted Toward Advanced Users Who Want to Dive Into the Email Marketing World
Pricing:
User to Contact 1,000 people per month: $55
User to Contact 3,000 people per month: $70
User to Contact 30,000 people per month: $90
Website:reply.io
7. UpLead
If you’ve been looking for a powerful and reliable B2B sales intelligence platform, only to be disappointed with leads that go nowhere, you need to try UpLead.
UpLead’s database includes over 54 million B2B contacts for you to browse through, allowing you to quickly connect with highly qualified leads. You can also use the data to update and enrich an existing lead database, find leads according to the CRM they use, and verify their contact information in real-time. That way, you can spend more time selling to prospects, and less time looking for them.
And, unlike multiple other lead generation tools, UpLead gives you a 95% data accuracy guarantee, so you know you’re not contacting leads with old information that will get you nowhere.
Pros:
-Lighting-fast
-Very easy to use
-95% data accuracy guarantee
-Bulk searching capabilities
-Intuitive and vibrant customer profiles
-Email verification
Cons:
-Not ideal for just one or two emails per month
-Doesn’t have a mobile app
Pricing:
Free Trial: $0 (5 credits)
Essentials: $99/month (170 credits)
Plus: $199/month (400 credits)
Professional: $399/month (1000 credits)
Website: uplead.com
8. AutoKlose
With AutoKlose, you can find, target, and nurture your prospects hassle free because it automates all of your email tasks. AutoKlose comes with some amazing features, such as drip email campaigns, lead generation, and CRM integration. You can also send a large number of emails at once.
Further, you can turn your cold emails into warm communications using their follow-up option. Based on your interactions with emails, the tool sorts your contacts into warm and cold folders. You can integrate AutoKlose with different email platforms and Salesforce.
Pros:
– Contact Import and Export
– Lead Database Integration
– Contact Discovery
– Minimalist Interface
Cons:
– Not User-Friendly
Pricing:
Starter: $49.99 user/month
Small Business: $49.99 month/user
Enterprise: Custom Pricing
Website: https://autoklose.com/
9. Outreach
Outreach is an all-in-one platform that makes your sales team’s work more efficient. It is one of the most useful softwarefor salesmen since it allows you to not only send cold emails, but to also make calls to other regions and countries.
Additionally, they have an SMS integration feature that lets you reach your potential customers via phone. It also provides you some additional info about your prospects that allows you to send more personalized emails. While Outreach offers you a wide range of features, they also have the highest cost.
Pros:
– Great Chat Support
– Many Different Integrations
– Many Useful Features, Including Calls to Different Countries
Cons:
– Long Wait Time for Bulk Emails
– The Integration with Gmail and Salesforce Could be Better
Pricing:
You can request pricing on their Website
Website: Outreach.io
Cold Emailing Best Practices
Before you decide what software to use for your next campaign, we highly recommend you watch this video by Patrick Dang.
Conclusion
Email marketing is one of the most important channels for lead generation.
Combine your experience with useful cold email softwarelisted above and you’ll achieve success in your campaigns.
These softwareallow you to make your work easier and faster. Evaluate and select the tool that suits your needs and available resources.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is cold emailing?
Cold emailing is the act of emailing a recipient without prior contact or permission from the recipient. This is similar to cold calling, but is much less intrusive. Cold emailing is considered a powerful marketing tool- using personalized emails to contact your customers. Read further to find out which are the best cold emailing software available to you, to maximize your marketing efforts.
How to personalize your cold emails?
Make sure that the email software you use includes dynamic email content, where you can automatically add the first name of the recipient, the company name and other details. The more personalized the email looks to a recipient the better! A worthwhile trick: identifying a mutual connection or point of interest with the recipient and mentioning it in the email. See the article to learn more about cold emailing best practices.
What to look for when evaluating cold emails tools?
When searching for cold emailing software, make sure to find software that includes a range of personalization features, as well as customized images and links. It is also ideal if it includes email tracking and analytical functions to help you manage your customers effectively. Check the article for the full list of top email tools we reviewed.
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FAQs
What is the success rate of cold emails? ›
Since the average response rate for cold emails is around 1%, good cold email response rates can vary greatly from around 5% for some sales emails to 20% or even over 40%. The higher, the better, of course! For instance, if your response rate is around half of your open rate, then it can be considered good.
Do cold email campaigns work? ›The short answer is yes. Cold email marketing, when done effectively, can be a great way for businesses to reach prospects. Users spend a great deal of time sifting through their inbox. This alone is reason enough why business owners should prioritize cold emails.
Is Mailchimp good for cold emails? ›Can You Send Cold Emails with Mailchimp? In a nutshell, no. You can't use Mailchimp to send out cold emails. It's not a platform made for outbound sales.
What is cold email example? ›Cold email is any email sent to a potential client that doesn't have an existing connection to you. Here's a simple way to think about it: If you send someone you've never met an email you found through a publicly available email address, it's cold email. Or …
How many cold emails should you send a day? ›The rule is to start small (10 - 20 emails per day) and gradually increase your sending volume while keeping an eye on your deliverability and reputation.
How can I improve my cold email response rate? ›- Craft a great subject line that represents the content of your email. ...
- Keep the email brief. ...
- Include personalized content about the prospect. ...
- Focus on the prospect's needs early on. ...
- Share relevant, eye-catching data. ...
- Leverage personalized videos in your email.
- Make sure you're emailing the right people. I know, this sounds painfully obvious. ...
- Avoid the spam filters. ...
- Nail that subject line. ...
- Send it from the right person. ...
- Provide clear value. ...
- Check your spelling and grammar.
Cold email marketing is a way of communicating with a list of prospects, by using email as the main way of communication. A successful cold email strategy is one where your email is not only read by your prospects, but you also receive some replies as part of your campaign.
Is cold email legal? ›To dispel your doubts: cold emailing is totally legal provided you stick to the rules set out by applicable regulations. One of the pioneer regulations of this type is the CAN-SPAM act, which set standards for sending commercial emails in the USA.
Does Mailchimp use your email address? ›We'll use either the send.mailchimpapp.com or mail.mailchimpapp.com subdomains as the From domain for your email address when you send. When receiving servers look at your campaign, the From email address will match the domain the email is being sent from, so it should pass the DMARC check.
Why do cold email clients actually work? ›
Ultimately, a stellar cold email is based on creating a connection, and that usually means that a hard sell approach isn't the way to go. People get bombarded by sales emails, so being too blatant isn't going to get their attention. Instead, focus on what you can offer them, not what they can do for you.
Can you use HubSpot for cold emails? ›If you ever wonder if you can use the Hubspot CRM for cold emailing, the answer is NO. It is against HubSpot's policy and therefore doesn't allow any HubSpot tools to be used to email cold contacts. From a deliverability standpoint, cold outreach should be avoided to prevent damage to your sending reputation.
Is Gmass a good tool? ›Gmass is without a doubt one of the best mass email tools out there. It's very easy to use and integrates seamlessly with Gmail. Unlike most other email platforms, you can verify each contact before sending your emails, which helps reduce bounces significantly. It's definitely worth the price.
How many emails is too many? ›If your list is less than 2,000, sending out 4 to 8 emails a month would be the maximum recommended. If you are an eCommerce company with 10,000 or more subscribers sending out daily emails might be a good strategy. Remember that you can expect attrition of your list every time you send out an email.
How many emails can I send each day? ›...
Gmail sending limits.
| Limit type | Limit |
|---|---|
| Messages auto-forwarded Messages automatically forwarded to another account, not included in the daily sending limit | 10,000 |
"If you're cold-emailing, an average of three sales emails sent over the course of a couple of weeks is usually enough to get a good idea whether a prospect is ever going to be interested in what you're offering.
How many emails do you need for a response? ›The same study found that sending 1 to 3 emails in sequence got a reply rate of 9 percent, while sending 4 to 7 got an average reply rate of 27 percent. It's a major indication that persistence and consistency can be very rewarding in sales emails.
What is a good response rate for an email campaign? ›On average, some people may say a good response rate to aim for is 10%. This number could be higher or lower by 5-10%, depending on how experienced you are and how much work you've put into your campaign.
What is the average open rate of cold sales emails Zoominfo? ›It's not hard to see why — only 21% of emails from email campaigns are opened . Fine-tuning your cold email strategy might not make your open rates skyrocket, but it can make a major difference. The right email approach is critical to cutting through the noise — and getting your foot in the door with your next buyer.
Is cold emailing sales or marketing? ›Like cold calling, door knocking, or sales letters, cold emailing is a communication method or 'touch point' used in sales prospecting and outreach. It's in the category of outbound sales/marketing — where you try to reach your customers directly.
How do cold emails sell products? ›
- The email should come from a specific salesperson, rather than a company. ...
- The email needs a subject line that catches the eye. ...
- On the inside of the email, you should include very short body copy—essentially your elevator pitch.
- Don't purchase contact lists.
- Avoid using 'No-Reply' in the sender's email address.
- Stick to fewer than three typefaces.
- Optimize the email's preview text.
- Include an email signature.
- Clean your mailing list regularly.
- Keep the main message and call-to-action above the fold.
- Choose a relevant email list. To ensure your emails have maximum impact, you need to send them to the right people. ...
- Design your email. ...
- Personalize your email subject line and content. ...
- Be conversational. ...
- Create follow-ups. ...
- Send emails from a real person. ...
- A/B test your emails.
So, there are three purposes in the marketing continuum that emails serves best: Communicating with a qualified audience with the intent to buy. Communicating through the customer acquisition period. Ongoing customer relations and value nurturing.
Is B2B cold emailing legal? ›This often surprises people. So to reiterate: It is legal in the U.S. to send an unsolicited commercial email. You do, however, have to comply with certain rules when sending those unsolicited emails, and if you don't, the penalties can be very serious.
Is cold emailing illegal in Europe? ›The short answer is no; cold emailing isn't illegal. However, based on where you are, you'll need to comply with anti-spam laws like the CAN-SPAM Act or the GDPR to ensure you don't land in legal hot waters.
What is the difference between spam email and cold email? ›When it comes to cold email vs spam, the main difference is that cold emails aim to provide value to the potential client while spam emails don't. And while most types of spamming are dishonest and illegal, cold emailing is perfectly legal when done correctly.
Does Mailchimp sell your information? ›Mailchimp does not sell the personal information of our members, our members' distribution lists, or our members' contacts.
Should marketing emails come from a person? ›Marketing emails, monthly newsletters, product announcements and more should always come from these branded email addresses. It's not usually best practice to send your marketing emails from a specific person in the company, except if you're a nonprofit organization with a well-known or highly visible President/CEO.
Why are some people not getting my Mailchimp emails? ›Typically, when subscribers don't see your email campaign in their inboxes, it's because of spam filters. If your recipients have looked in their spam or junk folders and still don't see your campaign, there are a few other things to investigate.
Can I use Sendinblue for cold emails? ›
Sendinblue is not suitable for sending cold email campaigns. If you want a tool to manage cold email prospecting, it's best to use a dedicated email outreach solution such as Waalaxy or similar.
What is cold email marketing? ›Cold email marketing is a way of communicating with a list of prospects, by using email as the main way of communication. A successful cold email strategy is one where your email is not only read by your prospects, but you also receive some replies as part of your campaign.
How do you do a cold email outreach? ›- Keep it short and sweet. Prospects receive scores of emails a day. ...
- Use catchy subject lines. ...
- Focus on the intro. ...
- Keep the language simple. ...
- Use emojis. ...
- State the purpose of reaching out. ...
- Personalize. ...
- Address the pain points of prospects.
...
Add any details to the email template you need, such as:
- First name.
- Company name.
- Job titles.
- A personalized opening line.
- A custom P.S. note.
TL;DR: We don't recommend using SMTP platforms like
The rule is no more than 200 cold emails per day should be sent if you want to avoid getting your email account shut down. Even less, if it's a newer account that doesn't get much inbound email. Remember, you have to account for follow-ups.
Is cold email legal? ›To dispel your doubts: cold emailing is totally legal provided you stick to the rules set out by applicable regulations. One of the pioneer regulations of this type is the CAN-SPAM act, which set standards for sending commercial emails in the USA.
Why is cold emailing important? ›Cold emails help build brand awareness because of the nature of the email. They are generally targeted to prospects who have never interacted with your brand before. But might find value using your product/services. Using cold email, you can introduce your product to them and improve brand awareness.
How long should a cold call email be? ›How long should a cold email be? It should be short, 2-5 sentences of no more than 200 words in total. Data suggests that 50-125 words is the optimal number. That's all you need to spark someone's interest and start a conversation.
What is a good email campaign conversion rate? ›What is a Good Conversion Rate? According to MailChimp, the average open-rate of all industries is around 21.8%. Generally, 2% to 5% is seen as a good email conversion rate, but again it depends on the industry you are involved in.
How do you reach out to cold leads? ›
Use different sales channels.
If cold leads have given their consent, you can try approaching them by sending emails, text messages, leaflets and direct mail, as well as using social media. But remember that business is about establishing relationships, usually best done face-to-face and second best over the telephone.
- The First Primary Cold Email.
- The Follow-Up Email.
- The “Can you redirect me to the right person?” Email (only if the first two emails have no response)
- Sharing success stories to convince them one last time.
- The Break-Up Email.