If you’re on a B2B sales team and tired of sending emails into the void, this guide is for you. I’ll walk you step-by-step through setting up targeted campaigns in Klemail, a tool that promises to help you reach the right people—and actually get replies. I’ll skip the marketing fluff and focus on what actually works, what you can ignore, and how to avoid wasting time.
Step 1: Get Your List Right (Quality Over Quantity)
Let’s be blunt: the best campaign in the world is useless if your list stinks. Klemail’s big perk is email verification, but you still need to start with a solid list.
What works: - Start with a real B2B contact source. Ideally, use leads from LinkedIn, a reputable data provider, or your CRM—avoid scraped, outdated, or “bought” lists. - Segment your contacts. Group by industry, job title, company size, or whatever matters for your pitch. The more specific, the better.
What to skip: - Huge, generic lists. If you’re blasting out to everyone, expect to get ignored (or land in spam). - Contacts that haven’t been updated in over a year.
Pro tip:
Run your list through Klemail’s verification before importing to your campaign. There’s no sense emailing dead addresses—it hurts deliverability.
Step 2: Set Up Klemail and Import Your List
If you haven’t already, sign up and log in. Klemail’s interface isn’t glamorous, but it’s straightforward.
To import your list: 1. Go to the “Lists” or “Contacts” section. 2. Click “Import.” You can usually upload a CSV, paste contacts, or connect with your CRM. 3. Map fields like email, name, company, etc.—it’s worth double-checking column names to avoid a mess later. 4. Let Klemail run its verification. It’ll flag invalid, risky, or duplicate emails. Remove anything it marks as undeliverable.
Pro tip:
Don’t automatically trust the “risky” status—sometimes those can be catch-all or role-based emails (like sales@company.com). Decide case-by-case if they’re worth keeping.
Step 3: Build a Targeted Campaign
Now for the fun part: crafting your campaign.
Campaign Structure
Klemail lets you create sequences (a series of emails with set delays), which is much better than a one-off blast.
Here’s how to set up a new campaign: 1. Click “Campaigns” and then “New campaign.” 2. Name your campaign something specific (“CFOs - SaaS Security - March 2024”) so you can find it later. 3. Choose your recipient list (the one you just cleaned up). 4. Decide if you want a single email or a sequence. For B2B, sequences work better—a polite follow-up or two increases replies.
Writing Emails That Don’t Suck
Here’s where most teams mess up. Nobody wants to read a generic pitch.
What actually works: - Short and clear subject lines. “Quick question about [Company]” or “Idea for your [job title] team.” - Personalization. Use fields like first name, company, or recent news—but don’t fake it if you have nothing real. - One clear ask. What do you want them to do? Reply, book a call, download something? Don’t overload.
What to avoid: - Walls of text. Nobody reads them. - Gimmicky “RE:” or “FWD:” in your subject line—most people see through it. - Too much automation. If your email reads like a robot wrote it, it’s not getting a reply.
Sample cold email:
Subject: Quick question for [First Name] at [Company]
Hi [First Name],
Saw that [Company] is expanding its [department/product]. We help B2B teams like yours [solve specific problem]—happy to share how if you’re open to it.
Interested in a short call next week?
Thanks, [Your Name]
Pro tip:
Write like you talk. Would you say this to someone at a conference? If not, rewrite it.
Step 4: Set Sending Rules and Schedules
Getting timing right can make or break your outreach.
In Klemail: - Set sending hours to match your recipients’ time zones (usually weekday mornings work best). Avoid weekends. - Limit daily send volume. Blasting 1,000 emails at once can get your domain flagged. Start small—maybe 50–100/day if your domain is fresh. - Stagger sends. Klemail can randomize send times so you don’t look like a spammer.
What to pay attention to: - Warm up your domain. If your domain is new or hasn’t sent much email, ramp up volume gradually. - Reply handling. Make sure replies go to a monitored inbox, not a black hole.
Step 5: Monitor, Adjust, and Actually Follow Up
Don’t just “set it and forget it.” The real work starts once emails go out.
Track these basics: - Open rates. If it’s low (<20%), your subject line or domain reputation might be the problem. - Reply rates. If nobody’s responding, your message isn’t resonating—or your list is off. - Bounce rates. High bounces mean your list quality needs work (or you skipped verification).
What to tweak: - Test different subject lines—don’t get fancy, just try clear vs. slightly more specific. - Try adjusting your follow-up timing. Sometimes sending a nudge 2 days later works better than a week. - Edit your copy based on replies (or lack thereof). If everyone ignores you, change your approach.
Pro tip:
Don’t chase vanity metrics. It’s better to have 10 real conversations than 1,000 opens and no replies.
Step 6: Stay Out of Spam—For Real
Here’s what matters (and what’s mostly noise):
What actually helps: - Use a clean, warmed-up sending domain. - Avoid spammy words (“guaranteed,” “free,” “act now,” etc.). - Authenticate your domain (SPF, DKIM, DMARC)—Klemail will usually guide you through this, but you’ll need IT help if you’re not technical. - Keep your list clean by re-verifying every few months.
What doesn’t matter much: - Fancy images or HTML. In B2B, plain text works fine—and feels more personal. - Over-optimizing for “best send times.” There’s no magic hour; just avoid sending at midnight.
Step 7: Keep It Legal (And Not Annoying)
Not legal advice, but: B2B outreach is less regulated than B2C, but you still need to play it safe.
- Include a real address and a way to opt out.
- Don’t pester people who ask to be removed.
- If you’re reaching out in the EU, know the basics of GDPR.
Klemail covers some basics, but it’s on you to use it responsibly.
Step 8: Avoid Shiny Object Syndrome
Klemail has other features—lead enrichment, integrations, analytics dashboards. Some are useful, some are just distractions.
What’s worth trying: - Integrating with your CRM, if it saves you time. - Using built-in analytics to spot obvious problems (like massive bounce rates).
What to ignore (at least at first): - Overly detailed dashboards you won’t look at. - “AI” content suggestions—these rarely sound human.
Stick to the basics until you have a process that works.
Final thoughts:
Don’t overcomplicate it. The best B2B email campaigns are simple: a clean list, a real message, and steady follow-up. Start small, pay attention to replies, and tweak as you go. Forget the hacks—just focus on reaching real people, and you’ll see results.