It wasn't just an open rate boost — it was actual replies. Real, thoughtful replies. Every response I received was positive, and it led to genuine conversations, which was exactly what I aimed for.
Let me walk you through how I crafted the message and why it worked, with insights you can apply.
Why I Needed a Cold Outreach Campaign
When we were getting started with Donnager AI, one of the important first steps was to define the ideal customer profile.
We needed to learn from real-world experts — people who actively send cold emails and manage outreach campaigns.
Our goal wasn’t to sell. It was to listen, learn, and understand their approaches, motivations, and workflows around cold emailing and follow-ups.
How I Found the Right People to Reach Out To
Since I wasn’t selling anything, I needed people experienced in the cold outreach space who would be open to sharing insights.
I started by exploring discussions on Quora related to cold emailing. I checked out individuals who provided thoughtful answers. Then I found blogs and articles on the topic and noted down the authors.
By doing this, I built a small, carefully curated list of people — along with their email addresses, links to their content, and brief notes on why their insights stood out.
How I Approached Writing the Email
First, I researched every prospect thoroughly.
Understanding who they were made it easier to keep the email personal and relatable.
Second, I had just completed a deep dive into cold email best practices while putting together a guide on outreach strategies.
Armed with fresh insights and examples, I was ready to apply what I had learned in a real-world scenario.
The Structure of My Email
From Line: [My Name] from Donnager AI
Subject Line:
Option 1: Your insights on cold emailing from Quora & a quick question
Option 2: Your blog post at [Company Blog] & a quick question
Why This Email Resonated
Each part of the email followed a framework that made it personal, relevant, and easy to respond to.
Here’s why it worked so well:
- From Line: Including both my first name and my company helped build credibility immediately. Businesspeople expect to hear from professionals — seeing the company name gave additional context without being salesy.
- Subject Line: It referred to their own content — something specific they had written. It wasn’t generic. It was highly personalized and made it clear this wasn’t mass outreach.
- Opening Paragraph: I mentioned exactly what I liked about their article or Quora post. Not a vague compliment — but a genuine, detailed reason why their perspective caught my attention.
- Value Proposition: I naturally transitioned from their writing to inviting them into a conversation. I framed them as an expert whose opinion was genuinely valued, appealing to their expertise rather than offering something for sale.
- Call to Action: I proposed a short chat, suggesting a time frame and method (like Skype) to make it easy for them to agree.
- Signature: I included my full name, along with links to my LinkedIn, Twitter, and our company website to establish credibility and provide easy ways to verify who I was.
Why Personalization Beats Volume
You might wonder whether it's scalable to send such personalized messages.
Sure, it took time — building the list, reading through content, crafting unique emails.
But here's the trade-off: focusing on quality over quantity led to real, valuable replies.
Sending out a huge volume of generic emails may seem efficient, but the actual engagement is often much lower.
In the end, personalizing outreach meant I achieved genuine conversations without overwhelming my list.
The Power of Targeted Prospects
Another important note: my messaging felt natural because I carefully selected my audience.
Writing an email to someone who’s already interested in a topic you care about makes everything easier — and much more likely to succeed.
This is why spending time identifying the right people matters so much before writing even a single line.
What I Would Improve Today
Looking back, there are two clear areas where I could have done even better:
- Warming Up the Leads First: Asking for a call immediately may have been too much for some prospects. A few friendly back-and-forth emails first — or connecting on LinkedIn — could have made the ask feel even more natural.
- Adding Follow-Ups: I sent just one email.
No gentle reminders, no additional touchpoints.
If I had followed up thoughtfully with the non-responders, I’m confident even more conversations could have happened.
Today, tools like Donnager AI make it easy to automate personalized follow-ups that feel human, not robotic.
If I had that at the time, the campaign could have been even stronger.
Lessons Learned
This experience showed that even when things go well, there’s always room to improve.
Personalization, patience, and consistent, respectful outreach form the foundation of a successful cold email campaign.
Take the time to research, personalize your approach, and stay flexible. The results are worth it.
