What Actually Matters in Cold Email (And What Doesn’t)

Inbox signals you should not ignore

This episode begins with a discussion about out of office replies. Josh shares a real story about a client who received 85 out of office replies in one day. While the client was worried, it turned out to be a positive signal. These replies only happen when your message lands in the inbox, not in spam or promotions. That makes them a reliable sign that your emails are getting through.

Unlike testing platforms with artificial environments, these replies reflect how real mailboxes behave. They are not counted in reply rates, but they still tell you you are getting seen.

How platforms handle out of office replies

George explains that platforms like Emailchaser allow users to control how follow-ups are managed after an out of office reply. You can pause follow-ups for 7 to 14 days or configure it manually. Josh notes this kind of logic is helpful, but it is not something to obsess over.

The important thing is to avoid overwhelming someone who is clearly not available. Use automation to help, but do not overthink every setting.

Most people focus on the wrong details

Josh and George both emphasize that many cold emailers focus on things that do not matter much. Instead of tweaking the number of days between follow-ups, you should be asking:

• Is my lead list high quality
• Is what I am offering relevant and valuable
• Am I sending to the right people at the right time

You can send a perfectly written sequence to the wrong list and get nothing. Meanwhile, a rough message to the right person can get a reply.

What is worth testing

If you are testing your outreach system, do it methodically. Josh recommends:

• Start with subject lines. They are easy to test and can make a big difference
• Then test your CTA or content format
• Only change one thing at a time so you know what caused the result

Trying to change everything at once gives you no useful insight. Keep your tests simple and structured.

Offer fit still drives everything

Cold email will not save a bad offer. Josh explains how some services are simply hard to sell through email. Coaching, generalized marketing, or commodity services often do not generate interest unless they are packaged in a very specific way.

The clearer your value and the more unique your offer, the better your results will be. Trying to sell something nobody wants will not work, no matter how optimized your subject line is.

Stop trying to sell

Josh makes it clear that the goal of cold email is not to sell. It is to start a conversation. When you send a link or ask someone to book a meeting, you are creating friction. Some people will hesitate to click, especially if they are unfamiliar with you.

Instead, ask simple questions. Would you be open to chatting. Can I send more info. Let them respond without needing to do anything else.

Why links reduce replies

Even trusted contacts have told Josh they avoid links because of past security issues. This is especially true in industries with older decision makers or stricter security protocols.

Every step you ask someone to take is a chance to lose them. Josh recommends skipping links and letting interested leads respond directly.

Make your message about them

George explains that educational content like articles or videos often gets fewer replies than a clear benefit-driven message. People are busy. If you are not showing immediate value, they will not engage.

The better approach is to make your offer direct and useful. What does the recipient gain. Why should they care. Keep it short and focused on results.

Some offers do not belong in cold outreach

Josh shares that some products are simply not built for cold email. If your offer is complex, hard to explain, or disruptive to someone’s workflow, you are going to struggle. Selling a new CRM to a large company through email is nearly impossible, even if the product is great.

A better strategy is to focus on offers that solve a clear problem in a straightforward way. Then build a list of people who are actively feeling that problem.

Focus on targeting before volume

Both Josh and George agree that the best campaigns are tightly focused. Build a list of 500 high-quality leads, not 50000 random ones. Refine your ICP. Look at your past wins and reverse-engineer what made them work.

Josh calls this reverse ICP thinking. Start with what worked, and double down on that segment.

Cold email is not always the answer

If your total market is small, cold email might not be the best approach. George offers creative alternatives like sending pizza boxes to offices or combining direct mail with follow-up emails. It costs more but can have higher conversion rates.

The lesson is to meet your target where they are. Cold email is a channel, not a solution by itself.

Do more of what works

Marketing often comes down to finding one or two things that work and leaning in. When you find that channel or tactic, go all in. Trying to be everywhere at once only dilutes your efforts.

Josh shares that he eventually stopped trying to run every marketing channel and chose to specialize in outreach. That clarity made everything easier.

Build your system with patience

You cannot rush a successful cold email system. Josh shares why trying to send too fast with new domains or mailboxes is a mistake. It takes time to warm up, gain trust, and scale.

The right way is to prepare your infrastructure and scale slowly. Let domains warm. Let accounts build history. Then layer on volume with care.

Rushing causes more problems than it solves

Google and Microsoft have protections in place to detect abnormal sending. If you push too hard too fast, you will get blocked, throttled, or suspended. New domains and new tenants are especially vulnerable.

Josh recommends waiting 30 to 45 days before sending live emails from new mailboxes. First, warm up at very low volume. Then add outbound gradually.

Final thoughts

Josh and George wrap with a reminder to prioritize understanding over shortcuts. If you are a client hiring help, it is valuable to learn the basics of cold email yourself. And if you are building your own system, focus on the fundamentals, offer, target, message, and timing. Do not try to brute force your way to results. Build it right and scale with confidence.