You want your emails to actually get read—not land in spam or the trash. But sending out a thousand “Hi [First Name], I love your work!” messages isn’t fooling anyone. If you’re running campaigns that rely on reaching lots of people (influencers, creators, or any niche audience), you know personalization is the difference between getting a reply and getting ignored. This guide is for folks who need to send real, personalized emails at scale—without spending hours doing detective work.
Below, I’ll walk you through how to use Influencers Club’s contact enrichment features to turn bland lists into outreach that feels like you actually did your homework. I’ll also be honest about what’s worth your time and what’s just marketing fluff. Let’s dig in.
Step 1: Start with a Clean, Targeted Contact List
Before you even think about personalizing, your base list matters. If you’re emailing randoms, no amount of enrichment can save you.
What works: - Sourcing a list that’s actually relevant to your campaign. If you’re promoting a SaaS tool for YouTubers, don’t pull in random TikTok food bloggers. - Using Influencers Club to filter by niche, follower count, platform, or location. The more targeted, the easier it is to tailor your message later.
What doesn’t: - Buying generic “influencer” lists. These are usually stale, full of spam traps, and a waste of your time. - Assuming more contacts = better results. Quality always beats quantity here.
Pro tip:
Run your raw list through a basic email verification tool before uploading anywhere. Bounces kill your sender reputation.
Step 2: Use Contact Enrichment to Pull Out Real, Useful Data
Here’s where the magic happens. Influencers Club contact enrichment lets you append extra info to your contact list—beyond just name and email. This is the fuel for your personalization.
Enrichment data you’ll actually use: - Full name and preferred name: No more “Dear Sir/Madam.” - Social handles: Helps you reference their actual content. - Bio/description: Quick insight into their interests or niche. - Recent posts or topics: Instant conversation starters. - Location: Useful for time zones, local references, or events. - Brand affinity/collaborations: Lets you reference work they’ve done (if relevant).
How to enrich your list: 1. Upload your base contact list (email or social handle) into Influencers Club. 2. Select the enrichment fields you want—don’t go nuts; only pull what you’ll actually use. 3. Download the enriched data as a CSV.
What to ignore: - Overly granular data like device type, unless you have a concrete use for it. Most outreach doesn’t get more effective just because you know someone uses an iPhone. - “Personality scores” or vague psychographics—these sound fancy but usually aren’t actionable.
Honest take:
More data isn’t always better. Focus on info that lets you write one or two lines that feel like you paid attention.
Step 3: Segment and Prioritize—Don’t Treat Everyone the Same
Now you’ve got a richer list. But mass outreach that’s “personalized” the same way for 1,000 people still feels fake. Segmenting lets you group contacts by things that actually matter to them.
Ways to segment: - By platform: Instagrammers care about different things than newsletter writers. - By niche: Fitness creators vs. beauty creators. - By audience size: Micro-influencers vs. big names need different pitches. - By location/time zone: Useful for timely or local references.
How much effort? - For your most valuable prospects (the top 5-10%), go deeper with research—maybe even manual notes. - For the rest, basic segmentation + a couple of personalized fields is enough.
What doesn’t work:
Sending everyone the same “personalized” email. If it reads like a mail merge, you’ll get ignored.
Step 4: Build Email Templates That Don’t Suck
This is where most outreach falls apart. If your template looks like a Mad Libs game (“Hey [Name], I loved your recent post about [Topic]!”), people will smell the automation.
How to write better templates: - Use enrichment fields where it actually adds value. Example: “Saw your recent post about marathon training—your take on injury prevention is spot on.” - Reference something real from their bio, recent post, or collaborations. - Cut the flattery. Instead, be specific: “I noticed you’ve partnered with [Brand] recently—curious how that went?” - Be brief. No one needs your life story.
Template example:
Subject: Quick question about your [Platform] content
Hey [Preferred Name],
I saw your recent [Topic/Content] and thought your perspective on [Specific Detail] was refreshing (seriously, most people just repeat the same advice).
I’m working with [Your Brand] on [Relevant Project]. Would love to hear your thoughts or see if there’s a fit.
If you’re interested, just let me know—happy to keep this super low-key.
Cheers, [Your Name]
What to skip: - “I love your content!” — Just don’t. Be specific or say nothing. - Generic “collaboration” pitches with zero detail.
Step 5: Set Up Mail Merge and Test Your Emails
Using your enriched CSV, plug the fields into your email outreach tool (Mailshake, Lemlist, or even Gmail with add-ons). Always send a few test emails to yourself and a colleague before launching.
Checklist before hitting send: - Every variable populates correctly (no “Hi [First Name]” fails). - Emails don’t look like a robot wrote them. - You’ve double-checked for weird formatting or missing data.
What to avoid: - Over-personalizing to the point of being creepy. If you found it in a private group or DM, don’t mention it. - “Did you get my last email?” follow-ups after two days. Give people room.
Pro tip:
Track replies and tweak your templates every 100 sends. If no one bites, something’s off—don’t just blast the whole list.
Step 6: Follow Up Thoughtfully (and Sparingly)
A good follow-up can double your reply rate—but bad follow-ups just get you marked as spam.
Tips: - Reference your last email specifically—don’t send a generic “Just checking in.” - Space them out: at least 3-5 days between messages. - Stop after 2-3 attempts. Pushing further gets you blocked.
What works:
A quick, friendly nudge with a clear option to say no. Example: “Just wanted to check if this was on your radar. If it’s not a fit, no worries at all.”
What’s Worth Your Time (and What’s Not)
Worth it: - Personalizing the first 1-2 sentences of your email using real data. - Segmenting by niche or platform for targeted offers. - Using enrichment for context, not just to fill in blanks.
Not worth it: - Chasing after “AI-powered” personalization that just spits out generic compliments. - Pulling in 20+ data points per contact—nobody uses them all. - Over-promising results. Even great personalization won’t get you to 80% reply rates.
Keep It Simple and Iterate
Don’t get paralyzed by all the data you could use. The best personalized outreach feels like you took five minutes to actually look someone up—not like you ran their name through a marketing blender. Start with one or two real, relevant details pulled from Influencers Club enrichment, segment your list, and focus on writing like a human.
Send, learn, tweak, and repeat. That’s how you stop being “just another email” and start getting real responses.