Before You Write That Email

February 18, 2025
Blog, Outbound Sales Development, Podcast Show Notes

Most cold emails don’t fail because of bad writing. They fail before they’re even created. Wrong audience. Weak timing. Poor deliverability.

Before you type a single word, you need to get three things right:

  1. Intent: Why this prospect? Why now?
  2. Deliverability: Will your email even reach their inbox?
  3. Personalization: Does your message feel relevant or just another template?

The good news? AI can help, but only if you use it the right way.

Step 1: Set Up Your Email for Deliverability

You could write the perfect sales email, but if it lands in spam, it won’t matter. Before sending anything, make sure your emails actually reach inboxes.

Authenticate Your Domain

Email providers flag unverified senders. Set up these three authentication protocols to prove you’re legitimate:

  • SPF (Sender Policy Framework): Confirms which servers can send emails on your behalf.
  • DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail): Ensures emails aren’t altered in transit.
  • DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication): Prevents spoofing and phishing attempts.

Warm Up Your Domain

New or inactive email domains need a warm-up period before sending large volumes of emails. Slowly increasing send rates builds sender reputation and reduces the risk of being flagged as spam.

Monitor Your Email Health

Even with proper setup, sending too many emails too quickly or getting too many bounces can hurt deliverability. Regularly check your domain health to stay off blacklists.

Tools to Help

Without proper setup, your emails will not be seen. First, fix deliverability. Then, focus on messaging.

Step 2: Build a Clean, Targeted Prospect List

AI makes it easy to generate massive lead lists, but bigger isn’t better. A broad, low-intent list leads to ignored emails and wasted effort. The key is precision.

Segment Smarter

Instead of blasting a generic list, refine your targeting by:

  • Buying stage: Is the prospect in research mode or actively looking for a solution?
  • Company activity: Hiring trends, funding rounds, product launches, or recent press.
  • Tech stack: Identify companies using complementary or competitor tools.

Quality Over Quantity

A small, high-intent list will consistently outperform a large, unfocused one. To improve response rates, prioritize relevance over volume.

Tools to Help

  • Apollo & ZoomInfo: Pull accurate company and contact data.
  • Clay: Apply advanced filters and dynamically update lists.

The right message to the wrong person is still the wrong email. Before worrying about what to say, start with a high-quality list.

Step 3: Why This Prospect, Why Now?

Most cold emails fail because they lack a clear reason for reaching out. Sending generic outreach to random prospects isn’t just ineffective. It’s a fast track to being ignored.

Before writing, ask yourself:

  • Have they engaged with relevant content? (Liked, commented, or followed industry discussions.)
  • Is there a clear trigger event? (Funding round, job change, product launch, rapid hiring.)
  • Do they fit your ICP and show signs of the problem you solve?

When outreach is based on real buying intent, it feels timely, relevant, and much harder to ignore.

Tools to Help

  • Clay & Apollo: Track company news, job changes, and growth signals.
  • LinkedIn Sales Navigator: Monitor engagement, connections, and activity trends.

A great email starts with a great reason to send it. Don’t send the email if you can’t answer these questions: “Why this prospect? Why now?”

Step 4: Research Before You Personalize

Personalization isn’t just dropping a {{First Name}} tag. It only works when it’s specific and relevant. If your opener could apply to anyone, it’s not personalization.

Before AI writes anything, look for:

  • A recent LinkedIn post, company milestone, or shared interest to reference.
  • A pain point specific to their industry that ties back to your solution.
  • A mutual connection or relevant conversation starter to warm up the outreach.

Taking a minute to find one meaningful detail makes the difference between a cold email and a real conversation.

Tools to Help

  • Lavender & Crystal Knows: AI-driven insights for personalization.
  • Clay: Pulls LinkedIn insights directly into your workflow.
  • HockeyStack: Tracks engagement signals across social and web.

AI can help write emails, but only you can provide the human context that makes them stand out. Do the research first.

Step 5: Define Your Email’s Purpose Before Writing

The best sales emails don’t try to close the deal in one message. They start a conversation. 

Before writing, be clear on:

  • What’s the goal? Are you booking a meeting, sharing an insight, or asking a key question?
  • What’s the lowest-friction ask? A quick reply is easier than committing to a call.
  • How does this email fit into your sequence? Cold outreach isn’t one-and-done. Each email should build momentum.

A well-structured email makes it easier for prospects to say yes, even if it’s just to a small next step.

Tools to Help

  • Apollo & Outreach.io: Automate multi-step outreach and track engagement.
  • HubSpot: Personalize and optimize follow-ups.
  • Lavender: AI-assisted copy suggestions and email scoring.

Clarity wins. Know your goal before you write, and your email will be 10 times more effective.

Next Steps

When you take the time to set up deliverability, target the right prospects, and understand their intent, writing the email becomes the easy part.

Now that you’ve laid the groundwork, it’s time to write!

If you’re still unsure how to implement what you learned here, we can help you and your team.

Lets Chat!