Ep 24: Cold emails that actually work with James Milsom from Hunter.io

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 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit saasyasfuck.substack.com

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Ep 24: Cold emails that actually work with James Milsom from Hunter.io is an episode from SaaSy as F**k by Jon McGreevy & Alex Radford.

This episode is 50:07 long.

This episode was published on Jul 8, 2025.

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