If cold email has ever crossed your mind as a channel to grow your business (or if you've tried it and felt like it wasn't working the way it used to), then this Newsletter is going to be a game-changer for you.

I recently sat down on the Marketing Minds Podcast with my good friend AJ Cassata – one of the top cold email experts in the world. AJ has helped over 400 clients, sends between 500,000 to 1 Million cold emails per month, and runs over 700 active cold email campaigns.

And the results speak for themselves. One of his clients is currently booking 150 calls a month from cold email alone. Imagine what you'd have to spend in ads to get that kind of volume!

As a Reminder, Our Goal with this Newsletter is to Give You the Highest Level of Value Possible. That's my Promise to you & I intend to Over-Deliver!

Here's a Sneak Peek at What's Inside This Email:

• Why the “old way” of cold email is broken (and what's replaced it)

• AJ's “Pentagon of Performance” framework for high-converting cold email campaigns

• The exact cold email funnel numbers you should expect (open rates, reply rates, positive reply rates & more)

• The “Micro Campaign” strategy that's producing outsized results

• A breakdown of the 4-part cold email template that actually gets responses

• And the full podcast episode so you can dive even deeper!

Alright, let's Dive In…

Watch the Full Video on YouTube:

Why Cold Email Got Harder (& Why That's Actually a Good Thing)

Here's what most people don't realize about cold email right now.

Over the last 2 years, the game has completely changed. A perfect storm hit the channel:

1. More people started sending cold emails post-COVID (the volume has literally tripled)

2. Ads got more expensive, pushing businesses to look for alternative channels

3. Instantly.ai launched and made cold email accessible with unlimited email accounts for $100/month

4. Google & Outlook tightened their spam filters dramatically, making deliverability harder than ever

The result? Most people are still running cold email like it's 2020 – loading up a giant list, writing a generic 3-email sequence, hitting send, and hoping for the best.

That approach is dead.

But here's the thing – AJ made a great point that I loved. When channels get harder, that's actually a HUGE opportunity for those willing to level up.

It's like YouTube Ads. It's harder now than it was 5 years ago, but that means the marketers who really understand the strategy get to dominate while everyone else struggles. Same principle applies here.

AJ's “Pentagon of Performance” Framework

One of my favorite things about having experts on the Podcast is getting their frameworks. AJ shared his 5-part framework (in order of importance) for making cold email work:

1. Email Deliverability – The least sexy, but MOST important. If your email lands in spam, nothing else matters.

2. The List / Targeting – You can't sell meat to a vegan. Get in front of the right people and half the battle is won.

3. The Offer – What are you actually offering them? And remember, you can position the same service as different offers to different markets.

4. The Messaging – The copy has to be tight, clear, and specific.

5. Volume – Most people massively underestimate this. AJ typically starts clients at 1,000 to 2,000 emails per day.

The first four determine your response rate. The fifth determines your total pipeline. You need all five to hit.

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The Cold Email Funnel Numbers You Should Expect

This is something I really wanted AJ to break down because most people have no idea what “good” looks like in cold email.

Here are the benchmarks he shared:

• Open Rate: 30-60% (though he recommends turning off open tracking to avoid getting flagged as spam)

• Reply Rate: 1-5%

• Positive Reply Rate: 1 lead per 500 emails sent is a GOOD campaign

• Elite Campaigns: 1 lead per 100-200 emails

• Below 1 in 1,000? Time to go back to the drawing board

• Leads to Booked Calls: 30-50% conversion

• Show Rates & Close Rates: Often higher than you'd expect because of the precision targeting

Knowing these numbers changes everything. It lets you diagnose exactly where your campaign is broken instead of guessing.

The Micro Campaign Strategy (This is the GOLD)

Alright, here's the big shift that AJ has been implementing that's producing crazy results for his clients.

The old way was “Spray & Pray” – one massive list, one generic email, blast it out, hope for the best.

The new way is what AJ calls Micro Campaigns – highly segmented lists with copy that's specifically tailored to each segment.

For example, if you're a digital marketing agency with multiple services, you'd:

• Break out each service into its own campaign

• Then segment by industry within each service

• Then further segment by job title (because the CEO cares about different things than the Marketing Director)

The magic here is that when you get hyper-specific, prospects feel like you truly understand their world. That builds instant credibility.

And when you layer in AI tools like Clay for enrichment & personalization, you can send 20,000 emails where every single email feels like it was written specifically for that person.

That's the difference between 2020 cold email and 2026 cold email.

The 4-Part Cold Email Template That Actually Works

Everyone always wants to know the “magic template.” AJ was generous enough to break down the framework he uses:

Cold emails should be 3-5 sentences MAX and hit these 4 things in order:

1. Why you're reaching out (so it doesn't look like a random blast)

2. The value proposition (how you can specifically help them)

3. Social proof (why they should believe you)

4. A low-friction call to action (like “Can I send you a 2-minute Loom video?” instead of asking for a call right away)

That's it. No fancy copywriting gymnastics. No 500-word sales letters. Just clear, direct, and personalized outreach that respects their time.

Watch the Full Marketing Minds Podcast Episode

This Newsletter only scratches the surface of the gold that AJ dropped in this episode.

We also dove deep into:

• The best tools to use (Instantly, Clay, Apollo & more)

• Email deliverability dos & don'ts

• How AI is transforming cold email (and where it's going)

• How to A/B test your campaigns the RIGHT way

• How often to recycle your lead lists

• The future of cold email with AI agents

If you're running any kind of B2B business, coaching business, agency, or SaaS – this episode is a MUST watch.

👉 Watch the Full Marketing Minds Podcast Episode with AJ Cassata Here

Trust me, take out a notepad, grab a coffee, and take notes. This is one of the most tactical episodes we've done on the Podcast.

Watch The Full Video on YouTube:

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More Value Coming Next Friday!

I hope you found today's Newsletter Valuable! Cold email is one of those channels that a lot of marketers write off because they've been on the receiving end of bad cold email – but when it's done right, it's still one of the highest ROI channels out there.

The strategies AJ shared in this episode are the exact same ones his team is using to book hundreds of calls per month for their clients. Now you have that same playbook in your hands!

Stay Tuned for More Great Value & Content Coming your Way!

Here’s a Sneak Peak at What’s Coming Next:

• More Free Trainings & Resources — In your Inbox!

• Real Case Studies & Examples of the Marketing Funnels that Scaled Coaching Businesses past 7 & 8 Figures

• The REAL on-the-ground insights into what’s going on in the Online Marketing & Coaching/Consulting/High-Ticket Industry (Based on our Insights working with Thousands of Clients)

• The Latest YouTube Ad & Marketing Strategies as we Discover Them – So that you’re Always on the Cutting Edge

• Guest Articles, Videos & Podcasts from the Top Marketing Minds of Today — Stay tuned for some exciting announcements around this 😉

• And a LOT More…

I’m serious when I say I want this to be The Most Valuable Newsletter You’re Subscribed to — Look out for us in your Inbox Every Friday!

I’ll see you in the next one!

To Your Success,

– Aleric Heck | Founder & CEO of AdOutreach

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