Here's our findings after 10k+ hours of sending cold emails

If you’ve ever felt like cold email is more art than science, you’re not alone.

After spending over 10,000 hours testing, sending, and optimizing cold outreach, we’ve boiled it all down into key takeaways that actually move the needle.

Here’s your crash course on building a cold email engine that books meetings - not lands in spam.

And if you’d like a full-length course, head over to Salesforge Academy to get a more comprehensive training entirely for free!

🎯 Start with a real ICP (not a guess)

Too many teams still rely on vague definitions of their Ideal Customer Profile. Before writing a single line, nail this down:

• What industry are they in?

• What size is the company?

• What tech are they using?

• What pain are they feeling that you solve?

Your cold email strategy is only as good as your targeting.

Tip: Use our free ICP Generator to help get you started!

💬 Subject lines are the entry point

Short. Sharp. Human. That’s the formula.

Avoid gimmicks and clickbait. The goal is to sound like a real person. Try:

• “Quick question, [First Name]”

• “Curious if this is on your radar?”

• “Noticed [something specific] at [Company]”

You’re starting a conversation, not writing ad copy. If you’re running low on ideas, head over to our AI Subject Line Generator to get AI-generated subject lines based on your email copy.

✍️ Body copy = clarity > cleverness

Keep your message under 100 words. The structure:

1. Personal hook (reference something real)

2. Value prop (how you can help, in plain language)

3. Soft CTA (no hard sells - ask if they’re open to learning more)

Make it feel like it was written just for them. AI can help you scale this personalization, you can see how our AI SDR Agent Frank personalizes each message by getting one yourself here.

🔁 Follow ups win deals

Most replies come from follow ups, not the first email.

Spacing matters:

• 1st follow-up: 2 days later

• 2nd: 4–5 days later

• 3rd: 7+ days later

Each follow-up should offer new context or value. Don’t just resend the same message.

🛠 Deliverability is make or break

No one can reply if they never see your email. Key deliverability rules:

• Use a custom domain, not your main one

• Warm up mailboxes before sending

• Rotate sending across multiple domains and mailboxes

• Don’t blast - throttle volume based on reputation

If you're not investing in your infrastructure (we're talking tools like Mailforge, Infraforge, Primeforge, Warmforge), you're playing with fire.

📊 What to measure

Open rates are a vanity metric. Instead, track:

• Positive reply rate (real interest)

• Meeting booked rate

• Inbox placement and bounce rate

Optimize based on outcomes - not opens.

Want help building the cold email engine behind 500+ meetings/month?

Reply to this email or book a call and we’ll show you how to scale it.