Introduction
Cold outreach is the process of contacting prospects who have had no prior or recent interaction with your company. The goal is to get your email opened, read, and responded to, ultimately resulting in a meeting or quote request, but let’s not sugar coat it, cold outreach is hard work and filled with rejection that you need to soak up to reap the rewards from the positive responses.
To help you refine your outreach strategy, here are 9 best practices backed by data to increase open, reply, and booking rates. These tips apply primarily to email outreach but also extend to LinkedIn and cold calling.
1. Personalization
“Emails with personalized subject lines have 26% higher open rates”
HubSpot
Personalized emails are far more effective than generic messages. Prospects are more likely to engage when they feel the message is relevant to their work and not part of a bulk campaign. A well-crafted email that references the recipient’s research, recent publications, or industry events they’ve attended will stand out from generic sales pitches.
Emails that feel like mass-marketing campaigns tend to be ignored. Instead, structure your message like a 1-to-1 email, keeping it plain-text and avoiding unnecessary images or HTML elements that could trigger spam filters.
Ways to personalize your outreach:
- Mention a specific event that led to your outreach (e.g., a conference or research publication).
- Use SciLeads search data to reference their research focus, funding details, or relevant publications.
- Clearly state how your solution directly solves a problem relevant to them.
- Reference mutual connections or shared interests to establish rapport.
Example:
2. Keep It Short and Scannable
“Emails between 50-125 words have the highest response rate, exceeding 50%“
EmailAnalytics
Your prospect’s inbox is likely flooded with emails daily. Keeping your outreach concise ensures it gets read rather than ignored. Research suggests that shorter, to-the-point emails are more effective at prompting responses.
Most recipients skim emails in seconds, often on mobile devices. Follow the “F-shaped” email structure for easy scanning:
- Start with an engaging hook that grabs attention.
- Deliver your value proposition in the first few lines.
- End with a clear CTA to guide the next steps.
Your message should be no more than 3-4 sentences and emphasize value over features. Long-winded emails often get skipped or deleted.
Example:
3. Use a Clear Call-to-Action (CTA)
“Clear, single-option CTAs increase meeting bookings by 21%“
Gong.io
A strong CTA should guide the recipient toward the desired action, whether booking a meeting or responding with interest. Without a clear and direct request, prospects are less likely to take action. Avoid vague statements and instead offer a straightforward next step.
- Specificity matters: “Would you be available for a quick call next Tuesday at 10 AM?” is better than “Does next week work for a call?”
- Avoid offering multiple options, which can create choice paralysis.
- Make it as easy as possible by including a direct scheduling link.
Example:
Source: Gong.io https://www.gong.io/resources/labs/this-surprising-cold-email-cta-will-help-you-book-a-lot-more-meetings/
4. Send Multiple Messages
“Sending follow-up emails increases reply rates by 25%“
Klenty
Rarely does a single cold email lead to an immediate response. A follow-up sequence increases the chances of engagement while keeping the outreach professional and non-intrusive. A single email is rarely enough—sending multiple follow-ups ensures that your message stays top-of-mind.
A single cold email rarely gets a response. Follow up strategically over 10-14 days with 2-3 touchpoints:
- Day 1: Initial outreach introducing your company and value proposition.
- Day 4-5: Follow-up email with additional value, such as a relevant case study or industry insight.
- Day 10-14: Final check-in email offering a last chance to engage before you move on.
Avoid emailing multiple contacts from the same company on the same day, as their system may flag this as spam. Instead, space out messages strategically.
Example:
Source: Klenty https://www.klenty.com/blog/cold-email-statistics/
5. Optimize Your Subject Line
“Personalized subject lines boost open rates by 26%”
HubSpot
Your subject line is the first impression—if it’s weak, your email won’t get opened. A compelling subject line increases the likelihood of engagement and ensures that your message doesn’t get lost in the inbox. Personalization and brevity are key factors in improving open rates.
- Keep it under 6-8 words to ensure mobile-friendly readability.
- Reference personalized details like funding, publications, or conference participation.
- Avoid spammy words like “Free,” “Act now,” or excessive punctuation.
- Pose a question or hint at a benefit to spark curiosity.
6. Improve Content Engagement
Prospects won’t always respond immediately, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t interested. Providing valuable content in follow-ups helps keep them engaged while subtly nudging them toward a response. Informative content builds trust and credibility, making them more likely to consider your offering.
Not every prospect will book a call immediately. Provide additional content in follow-ups to keep them engaged:
- Share a blog post or case study relevant to their research.
- Offer a downloadable PDF with industry insights.
- Use link tracking to see who engages with your content.
- Consider sending short video messages for a more personalized touch.
If tracking isn’t possible, gate your best resources behind a short form-fill to identify high-interest leads.
7. Avoid Spam Filters
Many company email servers have strict spam filters, and your message may never reach the recipient if flagged incorrectly. Understanding best practices can help ensure higher deliverability. Emails that land in spam are wasted efforts, so optimizing for deliverability is crucial.
To avoid being flagged:
- Limit images and links—1-2 links per email is ideal.
- Avoid excessive bold text and all-caps subject lines.
- Warm up your email domain by gradually increasing sending volume.
- Use natural language and avoid salesy phrases like “Act now!”
- Regularly check your sender reputation using tools like Google Postmaster.
8. Utilize Social Networking Platforms
If a prospect doesn’t reply to your email, try connecting on LinkedIn. A well-rounded approach increases your visibility and makes it easier to engage with decision-makers. Prospects are more likely to respond when they recognize your name from multiple touchpoints.
- Send a connection request with a short, non-salesy message.
- Engage with their posts and articles before reaching out.
- Message them with a brief, value-driven follow-up.
- Participate in relevant LinkedIn discussions to increase exposure.
Pro Tip: SciLeads provides LinkedIn profile links for most contacts, making it easy to connect.
9. Use AI-Powered Outreach Tools
AI tools can streamline personalization and improve efficiency. If you have access to useful information and want help shaping that information into well structured, personalized messages, generative AI can help you bridge the gap between information and engaging writing, quickly.
SciLeads recently launched an AI tool that generates personalized outreach messages based on research data. This helps all SciLeads users transfer SciLeads data into email messages without complicated data syncs, exports, or mail merges:
Ask your SciLeads Customer Success Manager for more details.
Conclusion
Cold outreach remains an incredibly valuable tool within a Sales and Marketing toolkit, guaranteeing you direct access to the exact person you are hoping to engage and do business with – but it requires proper preparation and execution to be effective. SciLeads enables cold outreach for scientific lead generation with access to researcher data and scientific activities to help personalize messages target your ideal prospects – so if you’re looking to grow your scientific sales and marketing pipelines, book a demo and get started with SciLeads today!