If you're tired of the manual grind of outbound campaigns—scraping leads, cobbling together lists, and sending emails one by one—this guide is for you. I'll walk you through using Storeleads and some solid email tools to automate the heavy lifting. Whether you're a founder, SDR, or just someone who wants more responses with less hassle, read on.
Why Automate Outbound in the First Place?
Manual outbound is a slog. Hours spent finding leads, copying data, and sending emails that rarely get replies. Automation, done right, means: - Way less copy-paste. - Consistent follow-ups (not just when you remember). - Time back for actual conversations, not busywork.
But let's not kid ourselves—automation doesn't magically get you replies. It just lets you scale what already works. If your message stinks, automating it won't save you.
Step 1: Build a Quality Target List with Storeleads
First up, you need good leads. Automating spam to thousands of random stores is a waste of everyone’s time. Focus on the right targets.
What Storeleads Actually Does
Storeleads is basically a database of ecommerce stores—mostly Shopify, but also other platforms. You can search, filter, and export lists based on things like: - Store size (traffic, revenue estimates) - Location - Tech stack (what apps/plugins they use) - Niche or category
Pro tip: Don’t just grab the top 10,000 stores by revenue. They’re already drowning in cold emails. Niche down—think, “Pet stores using Klaviyo in Canada.”
How to Get the Data
- Sign up and pick a plan. Free gets you a taste; paid plans unlock decent export limits.
- Use filters to narrow your list. Decide what kinds of stores are likely to care about your offer.
- Export your leads. Usually as a CSV. Clean up your columns—name, site, email, maybe tech stack.
What to ignore: - The “email” column is often generic (info@, support@). Accept it—real owner emails are rare. - Don’t obsess over getting phone numbers or social profiles unless you actually plan to use them.
Step 2: Clean and Prep Your Lead List
Don’t dump your CSV straight into your email tool. Take a few minutes to tidy up—it’s worth it.
- Remove obvious junk. Empty rows, weird symbols, duplicates. Excel’s “Remove Duplicates” is your friend.
- Validate emails. Run the list through a tool like NeverBounce, ZeroBounce, or Hunter. This step cuts bounces and keeps your sender reputation healthy.
- Personalize if you can. If you’ve got first names or something unique (like the store category), keep those columns. They’re handy for later.
Pro tip: Don’t trust “verified” emails blindly—always test with a small send.
Step 3: Choose an Email Automation Tool
Here’s where most people overcomplicate things. You don’t need a nuclear-powered sales engagement platform unless you’re sending thousands of emails a week. Don’t buy into hype—pick something you’ll actually use.
Popular options: - Mailshake: Simple, built for cold outreach, good deliverability. - GMass: Runs inside Gmail, surprisingly powerful, cheap. - Lemlist: Lots of personalization tricks, but can get expensive. - Instantly: Newer, good value, easy to start.
What matters most: - Can you upload a CSV easily? - Does it handle basic mail-merge (e.g., “Hi {{FirstName}}”)? - Can you set up follow-up sequences? - Does it throttle sends to avoid spam filters?
What to ignore: - Fancy analytics you’ll never look at. - AI “personalization” that just spits out nonsense.
Pro tip: Start with a free trial and send to 10-20 leads before committing.
Step 4: Write (Actually) Good Cold Emails
No tool will save you if your email screams “template.” Automation is about scale, not turning off your brain.
What Works
- Short, direct, human-sounding.
- Reference something from your Storeleads data (e.g., “I saw you use Klaviyo…”).
- One call to action—keep it simple (“Worth a chat?”).
Template example (tweak to fit your offer):
Subject: Quick question about [Store Name]
Hey [First Name],
I noticed [something specific about their store, like “you’re using Shopify and Klaviyo”].
I help stores like yours [solve a specific problem]. Thought it might be worth a quick chat.
If not, no worries!
– [Your Name]
What to avoid: - Gimmicky subject lines (“Quick question” is fine; “Let’s partner up!” isn’t). - Huge paragraphs. - Attachments or images (these tank deliverability).
Sequencing
Don’t just send one email and hope. Set up 2-3 polite follow-ups, spaced out by a few days. Remind, don’t nag.
Pro tip: If nobody replies after 2-3 touches, let it go. More emails just annoy people.
Step 5: Set Up Sending and Monitor Deliverability
Email automation can backfire if you get flagged as spam. Protect your sender reputation.
- Warm up your sending domain. Don’t blast 500 emails on day one. Start slow (20-30/day) and ramp up.
- Use a custom domain if possible. Don’t risk your main company email.
- Check your SPF/DKIM records. This helps your emails look legit (your email tool should have guides).
- Watch your open/reply rates. If you see lots of bounces or drops in opens, pause and troubleshoot.
What matters: Hitting the inbox, not just sending.
What to ignore: Inbox placement “hacks” or tools that promise guaranteed deliverability. There’s no magic bullet—good data, clean lists, and sane sending volume are what count.
Step 6: Track Replies and Keep It Human
Automation gets your first foot in the door, but don’t automate conversations. When someone replies, jump in personally.
- Reply fast. First mover gets the meeting.
- Take notes. Even a spreadsheet is fine.
- Don’t argue with unsubscribes. If someone says “not interested,” move on.
Pro tip: Set up a simple CRM or even just a Gmail label to track who replied and who needs follow-up.
Step 7: Measure and Tweak
Outbound isn’t “set it and forget it.” Review what’s working—and what’s not—every couple of weeks.
- Are you getting replies from the right people?
- Are certain segments or templates working better?
- Is your bounce rate creeping up?
Don’t get lost in metrics. Focus on actual replies and booked calls, not just open rates.
Common Pitfalls (and How to Dodge Them)
- Buying huge lists and blasting them. Quality > quantity, every single time.
- Ignoring bounces and complaints. That’s how you end up in email jail.
- Over-automating. Don’t try to automate replies or book meetings with bots. People see right through it.
- Chasing the “perfect” tool. The best stack is the one you’ll actually use.
Wrapping Up: Keep It Simple, Iterate Fast
Automation is a force multiplier, not a replacement for common sense. Start with a focused list from Storeleads, clean your data, pick a no-nonsense email tool, and send real, human messages. Don’t wait for perfect—run a small campaign, see what happens, and adjust.
Most importantly: don’t believe anyone who says you can “set it and forget it.” Outbound takes work, but smart automation lets you spend less time on grunt work and more on real conversations. Keep it simple, keep it honest, and you’ll see results.