Module 3: Cold Outreach That Works

Master the art of cold email and LinkedIn outreach. Learn frameworks, templates, and tactics that get responses from busy decision-makers.

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Outreach Tasks

Build your cold outreach system with these essential activities.

Create cold email templates

Develop 3-5 email templates for different prospect types and scenarios, optimized for response rates.

3 hoursEmail template frameworksSubject line testerEmail template library

Build LinkedIn outreach strategy

Create connection request messages and follow-up sequences for LinkedIn prospecting.

2 hoursLinkedIn Sales NavigatorLinkedIn message templates

Develop personalization system

Create a process for efficiently personalizing outreach at scale without sacrificing quality.

2 hoursResearch checklistPersonalization snippetsPersonalization playbook

Design follow-up cadence

Build a multi-touch sequence that persists without being annoying. Most deals close after 5+ touches.

2 hoursSequence builderCalendarFollow-up sequence plan

Set up A/B testing framework

Create a system to test subject lines, messaging, and timing to continuously improve response rates.

1 hourSpreadsheet trackerEmail tool analyticsA/B testing tracker

Cold Email Frameworks

Problem-Agitate-Solve (PAS)

Lead with a problem they likely have, make it feel urgent, then offer your solution.

Problem:"Most sales teams waste 10+ hours/week on manual data entry..."

Agitate:"That's 500+ hours per year per rep that could be spent closing deals..."

Solve:"We help teams like [similar company] automate this entirely..."

Best for: When you have a clear, painful problem to address

Before-After-Bridge (BAB)

Paint the painful present, show the better future, then bridge to how you help.

Before:"Right now, you're probably juggling spreadsheets and manual updates..."

After:"Imagine having real-time visibility across all your accounts..."

Bridge:"That's exactly what we built. Would love to show you how [Company] did it..."

Best for: When transformation is the key value proposition

AIDA (Attention-Interest-Desire-Action)

Grab attention, build interest, create desire, prompt action.

Attention:"Just saw your team is hiring 5 new SDRs..."

Interest:"Most teams at this stage hit a wall with their current tooling..."

Desire:"We helped [similar company] 3x their pipeline with half the reps..."

Action:"Worth a 15-min call this week?"

Best for: When you have a strong hook or trigger event

Subject Line Formulas

Your subject line determines whether your email gets opened. Test these formulas.

[Trigger event] + question

"Congrats on the Series A - scaling sales ops?"

35-45%

Mutual connection name

"Sarah Chen suggested I reach out"

40-50%

Specific result + company

"[Company] - 3x pipeline in 90 days"

25-35%

Curiosity gap

"Quick question about [their initiative]"

30-40%

Direct and simple

"15 mins this week?"

20-30%

LinkedIn Outreach Strategy

Connection Request

Best Practices:

• Keep it under 300 characters (or don't add a note at all)
• Reference something specific from their profile
• Don't pitch in the connection request
• Mention mutual connections if you have them

Example:

"Hi [Name] - saw your post on [topic]. We're working on something similar at [Company]. Would love to connect."

First Message After Connect

Best Practices:

• Wait 1-2 days after they accept
• Thank them for connecting
• Provide value before asking for anything
• Keep it conversational, not salesy

Example:

"Thanks for connecting! I noticed you're working on [initiative]. We just published some research on this - thought it might be useful: [link]"

Follow-up Messages

Best Practices:

• Space out 5-7 days between messages
• Try different angles (content, question, case study)
• 3-4 messages max before moving on
• Engage with their content between messages

Example:

"Just saw [similar company] announced [result]. We helped them get there - happy to share the playbook if useful."

Multi-Channel Follow-up Cadence

Persistence pays off - 80% of sales require 5+ touches. Here's a proven sequence.

Timing	Channel	Action	Note
Day 1	Email	Initial outreach email	Send between 8-10 AM their time
Day 2	LinkedIn	Send connection request	Reference your email
Day 4	Email	Follow-up #1 - add value	Share relevant content or insight
Day 7	LinkedIn	First message if connected	Or engage with their content
Day 10	Email	Follow-up #2 - case study	Share relevant customer story
Day 14	Email	Follow-up #3 - breakup	Last touch, leave door open
Day 30	Email	Re-engage with new angle	Only if there's new news/trigger

Personalization Levels

Level 1: Basic

Effort: 30 seconds

Elements:

• First name
• Company name
• Job title

10-15% response rate

When to use: Tier 3 accounts, bulk outreach

Level 2: Contextual

Effort: 2-3 minutes

Elements:

• Industry-specific pain point
• Company news/trigger
• Tech stack reference

20-30% response rate

When to use: Tier 2 accounts, good ICP fit

Level 3: Deep Research

Effort: 10-15 minutes

Elements:

• Personal content they've created
• Specific initiative they're working on
• Mutual connection reference
• Recent achievement

35-50% response rate

When to use: Tier 1 accounts, high-value targets

Common Outreach Mistakes

Too long emails

Why it fails: Busy executives scan emails in seconds. Long emails get deleted.

Fix: Keep emails under 100 words. One idea, one CTA.

Talking about yourself

Why it fails: Recipients care about their problems, not your features.

Fix: Lead with their pain point or a question about their situation.

Generic subject lines

Why it fails: 'Touching base' and 'Quick question' are spam triggers.

Fix: Be specific, reference triggers, or use curiosity.

Giving up too early

Why it fails: 80% of deals require 5+ touches. Most reps stop at 2.

Fix: Build a 5-7 touch sequence across multiple channels.

No clear CTA

Why it fails: Vague asks get vague responses. 'Let me know' doesn't work.

Fix: One specific ask: '15 mins Thursday or Friday?'

Key Takeaways

1.Keep emails short (under 100 words), lead with their problem, end with one clear CTA.
2.Subject lines make or break your email - test different formulas and track open rates.
3.Multi-channel outreach (email + LinkedIn) increases response rates significantly.
4.Follow up 5-7 times before giving up - persistence beats perfection.
5.Invest more time personalizing high-value accounts - 15 minutes of research can 3x your response rate.

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