Did you know that email marketing is still one of the most effective, economical and scalable strategies to increase your company’s revenue? The data confirms it: 8 out of 10 potential customers prefer to communicate with sales reps via email rather than any other means.

However, you should keep in mind that not all cold emails are the same. While common cold emails achieve response rates between 5% and 15%, really effective campaigns can reach up to 30% – considered excellent in the industry. You may be surprised to learn that sequences of 4 to 7 emails have a response rate three times higher (27%) than those with only 1 to 3 messages.

Success in your campaigns starts long before you write a single word. Remember that 47% of emails are opened or ignored based on their subject line alone, and a personalized subject line can increase open rates by 50%. On the other hand, shorter messages (between 50 and 125 words) achieve significantly higher response rates.

In this article you will learn step-by-step how to create cold emails that really convert. From defining your ideal customer to writing irresistible subject lines and personalized messages, we’ll show you how. You’ll find proven strategies and updated 2025 templates that you can immediately implement into your B2B cold emailing strategy.

Are you ready to turn your cold emails into warm conversations with potential customers? Let’s get started.

What is cold email and why is it still working in 2025?

A cold email is a message you send to a person who has no previous relationship with you or your company. Its main purpose is to establish a first contact to introduce yourself (or your company) and initiate a possible business relationship. Contrary to what many think, this strategy is still very effective in 2025, although it requires more care and personalization than in previous years.

When we talk about cold email, we are not talking about sending mass messages waiting for a response. It is a direct and strategic communication, a calculated approach to potential customers who, although they do not know your brand, could benefit significantly from your products or services.

The landscape has changed considerably in recent years. In 2015, a CEO received approximately 1 cold email per day, while in 2025 this figure has risen to about 5 emails per day from unknown senders. This does not mean that effectiveness has decreased, but rather that it is now critical to stand out with relevant and well-crafted messages.

Differences between cold email, spam and email marketing

It is very easy to confuse these three concepts, but they have completely different purposes and characteristics:

The cold email is targeted to a specific person with an individual approach and a legitimate intent. It complies with current regulations and offers real value to the recipient. It aims to establish a genuine connection that is beneficial to both parties.

The spamon the other hand, consists of the massive sending of promotional mailings without the consent of the recipient. It is generally automated, impersonal and does not comply with data protection regulations. Unlike cold email, spam does not seek to create a relationship but simply to obtain responses through the volume of mailings.

Email marketing is permission-based. It targets people who have already shown interest in your brand and have agreed to receive your communications. While cold email seeks to break the ice with new contacts, email marketing nurtures existing relationships with people who already know your brand.

The fundamental difference is that cold emailing is designed to initiate new relationships as part of outbound sales strategies, whereas email marketing seeks to foster relationships with an existing audience as part of an inbound sales strategy.

Advantages of cold emailing in B2B

Cold email marketing offers numerous benefits for B2B companies that want to expand their customer base:

1. Qualified lead generation: Allows you to accurately target potential customers and initiate conversations with them. Its targeted and personalized nature increases the likelihood of getting a response.
2. Low cost and high ROI: Compared to paid advertising campaigns or trade shows, cold emailing is a cost-effective strategy that, if managed well, can offer an excellent return on investment. It does not require a significant budget compared to other sales channels.
3. Building professional relationships: A good cold email is not limited to a direct commercial approach. It can also serve to establish relationships with partners, influencers or potential customers.
4. Scalability: Cold emailing allows you to reach a large number of people quickly and effectively. With the right tools, you can contact multiple prospects simultaneously without losing essential personalization.
5. Shorter sales cycle: It allows you to communicate directly with decision makers in an organization. This direct line of communication is often more efficient than general advertising strategies.
6. Accurate measurement: With cold email you can track relevant metrics such as open, click-through and conversion rates, which helps you refine your strategies and increase overall efficiency.

Cold email gives you proactive outreach, as you can actively approach potential customers using verified mailing lists. When permission marketing is combined with cold email outreach, the result is the establishment of a large number of new business contacts in a short time.

Remember that although the digital landscape has evolved, cold email is still a viable and effective strategy in 2025 for B2B companies looking to expand their network of professional contacts and generate new business opportunities. The key is the personalization, relevance and value you offer in each message.

Step 1: Define your ideal customer (ICP)

The success of your cold email marketing strategy begins long before the first message is written. Correctly defining your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) is the first fundamental step that will determine the effectiveness of all your subsequent campaigns.

An Ideal Customer Profile represents in detail the company or individual who would derive the most benefit from your products or services and is therefore most likely to become a loyal, high-value customer. In the B2B context, this tool is essential because of the significant time you will invest in attracting, onboarding and managing each customer.

How to identify your ideal customer profile

To create an effective ICP, you must analyze both quantitative and qualitative data. We recommend that you start with these fundamental steps:

1. Analyze your current best customers: Identify patterns among customers that generate higher profitability and maintain long-term business relationships. Look at characteristics such as industry, company size, annual revenue and geographic location.
2. Research beyond basic data: Don’t just fill in tables with demographic characteristics. Remember that face-to-face conversations with real customers provide much more valuable information about their real needs and problems.
3. Define the purchasing decision process: Identify who sits on the purchasing committee in the target companies. Keep in mind that some members directly influence the decision, while others may have a negative impact during the later stages of the process.
4. Humanize your profile: Assign a name and create an avatar that represents your ideal customer. Include demographic data such as age, gender and location, as this will help you create more effective strategic segmentations.

Did you know that organizations that correctly follow the ICP framework have a success rate of at least 68%? This demonstrates its crucial importance to any effective cold emailing strategy.

If you are just starting out and do not have enough customer data, you can resort to market research, competitor analysis and interviews with potential prospects. In addition, tools like verificaremails can help you find and verify quality contacts within your ICP.

Common mistakes when defining your ICP

Despite its importance, many companies make significant mistakes when defining their ICP, which can compromise their entire marketing strategy:

Define it from the desk: One of the most frequent mistakes is to create the ICP without leaving the office. The profile should be based on real conversations with clients, not on assumptions or personal preferences. As Carolina Samsing points out, “if you don’t go out and talk to people, you end up creating an ideal profile that has nothing to do with reality”.

Confusing early customers with your real ICP: Early customers are often friends, family or investors who supported you from the start, but do not necessarily represent your real market. Basing your ICP exclusively on these early adopters can lead you down the wrong path.

Treat it as static: The ICP is not something you define once and forget. People and companies are constantly changing, as are their needs. Therefore, it is critical to review and update your profile regularly to ensure that it continues to connect with what your customers really need.

Defining a profile that is too broad or too narrow: When your ICP is too broad, you lose focus and resources on unqualified prospects. On the other hand, being overly restrictive can limit your growth opportunities.

Do not involve other departments: Creating an effective ICP requires collaboration across different teams. Sales, customer service and anyone who regularly interacts with customers can provide valuable insights that you might have overlooked.

Finally, remember that the main objective of your ICP is to help you prioritize and focus your cold email marketing efforts on those prospects that are most likely to become valuable customers. Make sure your definition is based on real data and not assumptions, and keep your profile updated as your business and the market evolve.

Step 2: Find and verify the correct e-mails

Once you have defined the profile of your ideal customer, the next step is to find the right email addresses of the decision makers. You should know that, no matter how much time or money you invest, you will never succeed in finding 100% of the addresses of your potential contacts. However, we will show you effective methods to maximize your results.

How to search for leads in LinkedIn and databases

LinkedIn has established itself as an inexhaustible source of B2B professional contacts. To make the most of this platform, you can implement the following strategies:

Step 1: Manual verification in profiles: Many professionals, especially in Growth, Alliances or Sales areas, directly include their email in their profile. To access this information, visit their profile and click on “View contact information”. Also, check the “About” section, where they often share networking information.

Step 2: Use LinkedIn Sales Navigator: This tool allows you to find company emails that match your specific criteria. You can filter by industry, location, revenue or company size, and then search for contacts by hierarchical level or job title. LinkedIn claims that Sales Navigator can increase your effectiveness by up to 80%.

Step 3: Automate the search: Once you have a Sales Navigator account, you can segment your leads by creating lists. These lists can contain up to 2500 people, although we recommend not to exceed 1000 for easier follow-up. If your budget is limited, we recommend that you check the tool to find email addresses as it offers the same functionality but at a lower cost and allows you to find contacts in other social networks.

Prefer to use B2B databases? These offer access to millions of verified contacts. Some tools allow you to filter by industry, company size, location and other relevant criteria to find exactly the people who match your ICP.

Verify your emails with tools like verificaremails

Once you have obtained the email addresses, the next crucial step is to verify them. Remember that incorrect addresses can seriously damage your domain’s reputation and affect the deliverability of future mailings.

Our email verification service performs more than 25 real-time tests to ensure the validity of email addresses. This process includes:

• Duplicate record deletion: We delete all records that contain duplicate email addresses.
• Spam trap identification: We reliably identify spam traps in your emails.
• Verification of MX records: We verify the validity of the mx records of the mail transfer agents.
• Inactive domain detection: We remove all email addresses from inactive, parked or invalid domains.
• Syntactic validation: We detect and eliminate email addresses that do not comply with rfc standards.
• Connection simulation: We simulate a connection with the mail server to verify the dubious email addresses.

Validate an email address process is performed on our servers without sending any email address to your contacts. Accuracy is critical. Our email verification service is 98% accurate, ensuring that your cold email marketing campaigns are as effective as possible.

To validate your emails, you can do it in four different ways:

1. Through CSV or XLSX files for bulk verification
2. Using the web interface for individual verifications
3. Using the REST API to automate the whole process
4. With a widget for validation in web forms

You can access the mail finder or use the API to search for mails for more advanced integrations at.

How long does the verification process take? Normally the processing time of a list ranges from 30 to 120 minutes, depending on the volume. For databases of more than 1 million emails it is recommended to validate them every 2 months, while for smaller ones it is sufficient to validate them once a quarterly/semi-annual basis.

Email verification is not only a best practice, but an absolute necessity for any B2B cold email marketing strategy that seeks to maintain low bounce rates and high deliverability.

Step 3: Write a subject that guarantees openings

The subject line is the deciding factor that determines whether your cold email will be opened or ignored. Did you know that almost 70% of consumers will mark an email as spam based on the subject line alone? On the other hand, 65% will open a message if the subject line piques their interest. What’s surprising is that less than half of marketers test their subject lines despite their crucial importance.

Characteristics of a good business

To create an effective subject line in your cold emails, you should keep it short and concise. Keep in mind that on computers approximately 60 characters are displayed, but on smartphones the amount visible is significantly less. We recommend using between 30 and 50 characters to ensure that your message is fully understood.

Personalization is not optional, it is essential. When you include the recipient’s name or company in the subject line, open rates increase significantly. The data confirms it: emails with personalized subject lines are 26% more likely to be opened. This small detail shows concern, sincerity and respect for the recipient.

Generating curiosity without being vague is also very effective. Imagine receiving a subject line like “Are you maximizing your ROI in digital marketing?”. This type of wording invites you to discover more information without revealing the full content of the message.

Remember that the preheader, that text that appears after the subject line in the preview, is equally important. It should be brief, attractive and perfectly complement the main subject line.

Mistakes to avoid in the matter

Below, I will show you the most common mistakes that can ruin the effectiveness of your business:

1. Words that trigger spam filters: Avoid terms such as “buy”, “offer”, “click”, “act now”, “earn money” or “free money”. These words often trigger spam filters.
2. Excessive use of punctuation marks: Subjects with excessive exclamation points (!!!!) can reduce open rates by as much as 80%. Keep punctuation clean and professional.
3. SUSTAINED CAPITAL LETTERS: The use of full capital letters is perceived as shouting and also triggers spam filters.
4. Spelling and grammatical errors: A shocking fact: 80% of respondents consider spelling errors to be the most unacceptable offense in e-mails. These not only detract from professionalism, but also trigger spam filters.
5. Excessive length: If you’re looking to improve your results, consider this: subjects with only two words can experience a 65% increase in open rates compared to those with five or more words.

If you want to maximize the effectiveness of your subject lines, we recommend A/B testing. The procedure is simple: write several versions, choose three to five and observe how your recipients react. This continuous optimization process will help you to constantly improve your cold email marketing results.

Step 4: Write a clear, brief and personalized message

Once you have gotten your recipient to open the email thanks to a good subject line, the content is what determines whether you will get a response or not. The wording of the message is where you really demonstrate value and generate interest in the recipient.

Ideal structure of a cold email

An effective cold email should be concise and relevant. Did you know that messages between 50 and 125 words get the best response rates? That’s why we recommend avoiding long texts that could overwhelm your recipient.

For your message to be effective, you should include these elements:

• Brief and personalized greeting (no long introductions).
• Context or personal connection that links you to the recipient.
• Accurate identification of the specific pain point
• Your solution and concrete value proposition
• Short social test as reinforcement (optional)
• Clear and direct call to action

Remember not to use complicated language or unnecessary technical jargon. Maintain a conversational tone as if you were talking face-to-face with the person.

How to customize without sounding generic

Personalization is essential to stand out from the hundreds of emails your recipients receive. An analysis of over 5 million cold emails shows that personalized emails can achieve open rates of over 45%.

To customize effectively:

1. Mention something specific about the recipient or your company at the beginning of the message.
2. Make reference to recent achievements, publications or relevant events in your industry.
3. Includes allusions to specific problems faced by your industry
4. Uses customized visual resources when possible and relevant

Personalization is not simply adding the name at the beginning, but demonstrating that you understand their specific situation. If you are going to use templates, be sure to personalize them enough so that they don’t look like automated messages.

Include a clear call to action

The call to action (CTA) is key to increasing your response rates. Your CTA should clearly answer the question the recipient will ask: “What do you want from me?”.

To create an effective CTA:

• Be specific about the next step you want the recipient to take.
• Facilitates response (e.g., includes options for specific days/times)
• Ask a simple question that invites you to answer
• Avoid sounding too commercial (no “Buy now!”).
• Includes only one CTA per mailing

Your primary goal is to start a conversation, not to close a sale immediately. Therefore, your CTA should reflect this, focusing on establishing an initial contact rather than selling directly.

Step 5: Follow up without appearing pushy

Follow-up is a fundamental part of any cold email marketing strategy. The data doesn’t lie: 80% of the probability of closing occurs between the fifth and twelfth contact attempt, while only 2% occurs on the first attempt. Despite this, many marketers abandon after the first email because they are afraid of appearing “annoying” to their recipients.

How many follow-ups to send and how often to send them

Did you know that campaigns with 4-7 emails in a sequence have a response rate of 27%? This is three times higher than those with only 1-3 emails (9%). To maximize your results without overwhelming your recipients, we recommend following these intervals:

• Wait 2-3 days after the first mailing before sending the first follow-up mailing
• Leave a 4-day gap between the second and third mailing.
• Extends the intervals after the fourth mailing to 5+ days.
• Maintain a total duration of 10-25 days for the entire sequence.

Remember not to send follow-ups every day at the same time, as you will appear insistent. After 3-4 emails with no response, it is best to take a break before trying again in a few months.

Examples of effective follow-up messages

A common mistake is to send follow-ups that only say “checking” or, even worse, to blame the recipient for not responding. Instead, here are three more effective strategies:

Step 1: Add value in each follow-up. Share useful resources, success stories or relevant information about your industry that may be of interest to them. This shows that your goal is to help, not just sell.

Step 2: Keep your tone friendly and conversational. For example: “Hi [Name], I wanted to do a quick follow-up regarding my previous message. Did you get a chance to take a look at it? I think [your solution] could really help [benefit]. Feel free to let me know if you’d like to discuss it.”

Step 3: Change the approach if necessary. If the first message does not generate a response, try approaching the follow-up from another angle or propose alternatives for collaboration that may be more attractive.

Finally, we recommend you implement a multi-channel system combining emails, LinkedIn and calls according to each prospect’s preferences. This approach significantly increases your chances of getting a response, as you adapt to each recipient’s preferred channel.

If you have questions about how to structure your tracking sequences, our support team will be happy to help you with customized examples for your specific industry.

Conclusion: Turn your cold emails into real business opportunities

Cold email marketing continues to be a powerful tool for generating new business opportunities in 2025. The results you get will depend directly on the quality and precision with which you implement each step we have shown you.

Where to start? Success begins with the clear definition of your ideal customer, a fundamental step that will guide all your subsequent decisions. Once you have defined your ICP, searching and verifying email addresses will ensure that your messages reach their intended recipients without damaging your digital reputation.

Remember that writing impactful subject lines and personalized messages will make the difference between being ignored or generating real interest. The data speaks for itself: emails between 50-125 words achieve the best response rates, while personalized subject lines increase opens by up to 26%.

Persistence plays a crucial role in your strategy. Sequences of 4-7 emails can triple your response rates compared to sending only 1-3 messages. However, each follow-up should provide additional value, not simply repeat the initial request.

Effective cold emails are not born by chance but from a well-planned and executed strategy. Genuine personalization, the right timing of each email and the real value you offer in each message will determine your ultimate success. Your ability to connect with each prospect’s specific needs will gradually transform your cold emails into productive conversations and, ultimately, into lasting business relationships.

Are you ready to implement this step-by-step guide into your B2B cold emailing strategy? Start today by applying these tips and watch your response and conversion rates improve significantly. If you have any questions along the way, our team will be happy to help you.

FAQs

Q1. What is the ideal length for a B2B cold email?
Optimal length is approximately 120 words, with an effective range between 75 and 125 words. Emails within this range tend to get 5% to 15% higher response rates than longer or shorter ones.

Q2. How can I make my cold email more impactful?
To create an impactful cold email, be concise and varied. The message should be brief for quick reading on mobile devices, but with enough content to demonstrate your expertise and ability to help. Personalize the content and demonstrate how you can provide value to the recipient.

Q3. What are the key steps to do cold emailing effectively?
Key steps include: clearly identifying your target audience, designing a clear, personalized message, using automation tools to improve efficiency, and strategically tracking your mailings.

Q4. Is cold email effective for B2B companies?
Yes, cold email can be very effective for B2B companies. It is an effective way to get noticed and generate leads, especially at the beginning. When implemented correctly, it can break new ground and generate long-lasting relationships with potential customers.

Q5. How many follow-up emails should I send in a cold email campaign?
Campaigns with 4-7 mailings in a sequence have a response rate of 27%, three times higher than those with only 1-3 mailings. It is recommended to space out the follow-ups and add value in each one, maintaining a total duration of 10-25 days for the entire sequence.