📝 inbox-worthy emails

Follow me on Instagram

Starting a new project there - join me!

Emails previewing a great sales experience

Jen Allen-Knuth discusses why generic value props are ignored—and how to write cold emails actually resonating with enterprise execs, hitting their business goals:

✘ Don’t send your emails like this:

"We help companies like yours streamline operations and enhance efficiency."

Everyone says it. It means nothing.

This type of messaging:

➤ Blending towards inbox noises

➤ Signals lazy research approach

➤ Feels like a generic spray-and-pray

If your email could be sent to any company, it’ll be ignored by all of them.

✔ Start with what matters to them

Executives aren’t self-centered—they’re pressure-centered.

They fear being the reason the company misses strategic goals.

That’s your leverage in addressing needs.

Use this ChatGPT prompt in searching focus:

“Who is the CEO of [Account] and what are their most recent interviews on the company’s growth strategy?”

You’ll be uncovering:

• Strategic changes

• Expansion plans

• New market entries

• Product vision

All things your prospect must deliver on.

➤ How to write great emails instead

Let’s break down a before-and-after:

Before:

"Hi Jen, hope your 2025 is going well! Came across your name… we're working with other Supply Chain leaders to streamline operations and increase efficiency."

❌ Empty language

❌ No context given

❌ No subject hook

After:

"Saw the news re: ACME's 12 new stores opening this year in CA.
Seems like this might be part of the new strategy Elizabeth spoke about at RetailCon (shifting to a premium lifestyle brand).

Zeta made a similar move when they scaled from 5 Charleston shops to 23 stores in NYC, LA, and SF.

Open to hear how they kept their 2-day shipping promise and avoided new store fulfillment issues during that growth?"

❖ Connects to a public business goal

❖ Names relevant leadership strategy

❖ Gives a similar-company proof point

❖ Ends with question rooted in challenge

It’s not about perfectly made subject lines.

It’s about writing with care and context.

If your email feels like a trailer for a lazy sales convo, expect no interest.

If it feels like the start of a thoughtful conversation, your chances go up fast.

Your email CTA starting real buyer conversations

Will Aitken breaks down how to write cold emails in 2025 that actually get replies—by ditching old-school tactics and focusing on clarity, relevance, and real human tone:

Make emails worth opening

Your subject line decides if your email gets opened.

✔ Use short, simple subject lines (1–3 words, no punctuation or numbers)

✔ Make it look like an internal email — think: “Quick question” or “Shopify setup”

✔ Preview text description should not give away that it’s demonstrating a pitch

Avoid clever tricks. Instead, remove reasons to delete.

Write for mobile, not desktop

Most cold emails are opened on phones — and most are written on desktops.

That device mismatch kills cold email replies.

➤ Keep your entire message optimized, and under 75 words

➤ Use short paragraphs and plenty of white spaces in between

➤ Don’t try to sound smart — aim for a 3rd to 5th grade reading level

➤ Use a friendly, confident tone — not robotic or overly casual

Lavender’s data shows: shorter, simpler emails = more replies.

Avoid deliverability spam issues

Your deliverability matters more than your creativity.

❖ Don’t include links, images, or gifs in your first email

❖ Avoid spammy phrases like “Act now” or “Free trial”

❖ Space out sends, limiting yourself to 50/day per address

❖ Warm up your domain before launching campaigns

Even a perfect email won’t work if it never lands in the inbox.

Personalize—but only if it connects

Personalization works only when it's relevant.

✘ Don’t say “Saw you went to [school]” if it has nothing to do with your pitch

✔ Do say “Looks like you recently hired 20+ people—many CFOs tell me that’s when Excel stops working for finance”

Tie your personalization to a specific pain point.

Focus on problem, not your product

Most cold emails try selling buyers solution.

But only 5% of the market is actively buying.

⇒ Instead, speak to a primary challenge they might not have fully realized yet

⇒ Use specific language like “Overpaying on fees” or “Struggling to track analytics post-website update”

⇒ Briefly show how others solved it: “Our client Heinz cut missed revenue by acting faster”

Don’t pitch—point to how similar companies have solved the same issue.

Skip the meeting ask, push curiousity

Instead of pushing for 15–30 minutes of time right away, start a conversation.

Try:

• “Would a 2-minute video overview help?”

• “Interested in hearing how [peer company] approached this?”

• “I don’t suppose fees are a concern right now?”

Make the question ask soft and conversational.

Follow up like a pro, try new approach

Most responses come after multiple touches—but lazy follow-ups kill your chances.

✘ Don’t just immediately say “Just bumping this” or “Thoughts?”

✔ Instead, try a new angle, new observations, and new CTAs

Examples:

• “You mentioned audit prep eats 10+ hrs/month. We just rolled out an update that cuts that in half. Want a 5-min look?”

• “Last we spoke, you were looping in security. Did they have concerns I could help address?”

• “You said May was better timing—just saw you hired 3 engineers. Worth syncing on onboarding?”

Don’t always repeat yourself.

Re-earn attention every time.

Fix your email deliverability with a checklist guide

Will Allred outlines seven deliverability checks to keep your emails out of spam—and directly in front of your real prospects: Here’s how to fix it:

1. Start with your DNS

Check your DMARC, SPF, and DKIM settings using email tools.

⇢ If they’re broken or misconfigured, everything fails instantly

⇢ Fix email deliverability issues first before testing anything else

2. Clean up your content

Spam filters don’t just flag what you say—they flag how you say it.

➤ No links provided (even in signatures)

➤ No open tracking pixels attachments

➤ No images or formatting in your email

Use plain text only when sending emails:

(First Name) (Last Name)

(Job Title) (Company Name)

(Tagline)

Even small things like bold text or a logo in your signature can trip filters.

3. Email structure matters

If you’re sending more than three emails per month to the same prospect:

↳ You’re more likely to get your messages as spam instead

↳ Those marks damage your sender reputation long term

Stop following up blindly. More emails = higher risk.

4. Check your inbox volume

Going over 50 emails/day from one inbox?

You’re playing with fire in that case.

↳ Stay under 20 per inbox if your reply rate is high (95%+)

↳ Split volume across domains: 20/day on warm inboxes, 50/day from others

5. Use warmers strategically

Email warmers simulate engagement to keep your inbox healthy.

❖ Add email warmers to both new and active prospect inboxes

❖ Set reply rate high and volume low to offset cold responses

❖ Use email tracking phrase when avoiding skewed analytics

❖ Filter fake warm-up replies so they don’t clutter your inboxes

6. Run inbox placement tests

Don’t just immediately guess.

Run analytics with email tools for verification.

⇢ Shows you where emails are landing (Inbox, Promotions, or Spam)

7. Check your MX records

Get past responders and run an MX lookup using tools.

Then:

✓ Group them by various email provider: Gmail, Outlook, etc.

✓ Don’t assume matching providers boosts deliverability

They built a dynamic protocol adjusting sends based on MX results.

Partnering with these newsletters:

• The Follow Up: We talk about Sales like your friend, not your manager

• Big Desk Energy: Startup stories and lessons

• B2B Whales: Proven B2B sales strategies

• Creator Spotlight: Grow with social media and newsletters

Check them out!

P.S. Get access to all my premium resources and infographics - subscribe to Premium.