Episode Summary:

* Jon and Alex speak with James about cold email outreach.

* James explains Hunter’s analysis of over 11 million emails sent in 2024.

* He shows why 61 % of decision makers still prefer email over other channels.

* He reveals that 95 % of cold emails land in spam.

* They cover why open rates mislead and why reply rates matter more.

* They discuss targeting small lists and deep personalization.

* James shares how new AI tools can scale unique messages at volume.

Key Topics Discussed:

* Hunter’s 2024 cold email data analysis

* Decision makers’ channel preferences

* Spam rates and deliverability issues

* Vanity metrics vs. reply rates

* Ideal campaign size and targeting

* True personalisation vs. mail merge

* Cold outreach as part of a multi-channel strategy

* AI writing assistants for personalized scale

Key Takeaways:

* 61 % of decision makers rank cold email as their top outreach channel

* 95 % of cold emails are classified as spam

* Open rates can be inflated by bots and spam filters

* Reply rate drives real conversations and pipeline

* Smaller, targeted lists (under 50) yield higher reply rates

* Personalisation means relevant research, not just name merges

* Cold outreach should join paid ads, events, and social

* AI tools can help research and craft unique emails at scale

Memorable Quotes (Sound Bites):

* “Cold email was number one.”

* “95 % of cold emails that get sent are spam.”

* “Open rates are a vanity metric.”

* “Less is more.”

* “That’s creepy as f**k.”

* “It’s a conversation, not a command.”

Chapters:

00:00 – Introduction and Guest Welcome

02:47 – Why Cold Email Still Works

05:23 – Spam Rates and Deliverability

07:33 – Vanity Metrics vs. Reply Rates

11:11 – Targeting Small Lists for Higher Replies

14:27 – True Personalization Defined

19:06 – Cold Outreach in a Multi-Channel Mix

26:52 – AI Writing Assistants for Scale

28:28 – Messaging Madness: What Is It and Why It Matters

29:27 – How We Ran the “Super 16” Cold-Email Tournament

35:51 – Key Lessons from Messaging Madness

42:04 – Cold-Email Quiz: Test Your Hunter 2025 Knowledge

Keywords:

cold email, outreach, decision makers, spam rate, reply rate, personalisation, targeting, AI email assistant, marketing strategy, Hunter report