If you run a small business and need new leads, you’ve probably heard how cold email is “dead”—but here’s the truth: it’s just harder to do well. Tools like Lemlist promise to make B2B outreach easier, smarter, and less spammy. But does it actually help small teams stand out in 2024, or is it just another SaaS subscription to manage? Here’s a real look at Lemlist, minus the hype.
Who Lemlist Is (Actually) For
Let’s get this straight: Lemlist isn’t for everyone. If you want to blast thousands of emails and don’t care who replies, you’ll probably be disappointed. Lemlist is best for small B2B businesses that:
- Need to reach new decision-makers, not just build a newsletter list
- Want to personalize at least a bit, but don’t have time to hand-write 100 emails a day
- Care about deliverability (landing in inboxes, not spam folders)
- Don’t have a dedicated sales ops person to babysit the process
If you’re a solo founder, a small agency, or a sales team of one to five, this review is for you.
What Lemlist Actually Does (And What It Doesn’t)
The Good Stuff
- Automates Cold Email Campaigns: Schedule, send, and follow up with prospects on autopilot.
- Personalization at Scale: Merge fields, custom images, and dynamic variables—so emails look less like templates.
- Deliverability Tools: Built-in features like warm-up, blacklist checks, and automatic throttling help keep you out of spam.
- Multi-Channel Outreach: You can add LinkedIn steps or calls right inside a campaign (though most small teams stick to email).
- Analytics: Decent tracking of opens, clicks, replies, and campaign stats.
What Lemlist Doesn’t Do
- It Won’t Write Emails for You: There’s some AI, but don’t expect magic. Good copy still matters.
- It’s Not a CRM Replacement: Lemlist can plug into CRMs, but it’s really about the outreach part.
- Won’t Fix Bad Lists: Garbage in, garbage out. If your prospects aren’t a fit, Lemlist can’t help.
Setting Up Lemlist: What to Expect
Let’s walk through setup for a small B2B shop. Plan on spending an afternoon getting started (not five minutes, no matter what the marketing says).
1. Connect Your Email
- You can use Gmail, Outlook, or custom SMTP.
- Lemlist walks you through sender authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC). It’s not rocket science, but if you’ve never done it before, budget extra time.
Pro tip: Use a separate domain for cold outreach (like get.yourcompany.com) to protect your main sender reputation.
2. Warm Up Your Inbox
- Lemlist offers automated “warm-up” to slowly ramp up sending and avoid spam filters.
- This used to be a killer feature, but Gmail/Outlook have cracked down on obvious warm-up traffic. Still, it helps—but don’t expect miracles.
3. Import Leads
- Upload a CSV, or connect Google Sheets/HubSpot.
- Clean your lists first. Lemlist will send to whatever you give it—even if it’s a list of “info@company.com” addresses (which almost never work).
4. Build Your Campaign
- Set up email steps, add follow-ups, and personalize with variables (like {FirstName}, {Company}).
- You can drop in custom images—think personalized screenshots or logos. It’s a nice touch, but don’t overdo it.
What’s worth skipping? Lemlist’s templates are okay, but don’t rely on them to stand out. Write your own, or at least heavily edit.
5. Schedule and Launch
- Control sending windows (avoid weekends and 2AM sends).
- Lemlist staggers sends to mimic real humans, which helps with deliverability.
What’s It Like Day-to-Day?
Pros
- Saves Time: You can set it and forget it for a few days at a time, which is good when you’re wearing a hundred hats.
- Personalization Is Easy: Dynamic fields and images work well and don’t break often.
- Inbox Management: Replies come straight to your inbox, and Lemlist can auto-stop follow-ups when someone replies.
Cons
- Learning Curve: The dashboard is busy. Expect to poke around for a while.
- Support is… Fine: You’ll get answers, but don’t expect deep technical help on tricky deliverability issues.
- Deliverability Isn’t Guaranteed: Lemlist can help you avoid the obvious mistakes, but the real challenge is what you say and who you’re sending to.
What Actually Moves the Needle (and What Doesn’t)
What Works
- Short, Honest Emails: No one wants to read a sales novel. The best-performing Lemlist campaigns are short, direct, and sound like a real human wrote them.
- Follow-Ups Matter: Most replies come from the 2nd or 3rd email. Lemlist’s automated sequences help you stay persistent without being annoying.
- Personalization: Even adding a company name or recent news (“Congrats on your funding round!”) bumps response rates.
What Doesn’t
- Spray and Pray: If you send the same message to everyone, expect crickets (or spam complaints).
- Overly Clever Tricks: There are features for custom images and videos, but if your message is weak, no amount of “cool tech” will save it.
- Ignoring Deliverability: If you skip warmup or send too fast, you’ll get blocked—end of story.
Lemlist Pricing: Worth It for Small Teams?
Lemlist charges per user, starting at around $59/month (as of early 2024). That’s not cheap for a solo founder, but if you’re sending even a few hundred cold emails a month, it pays for itself with one decent deal.
Watch out for:
- Add-ons: Some features (like advanced warm-up or multi-channel) cost extra.
- Annual Discounts: Yearly plans are cheaper, but don’t lock in unless you’re sure it’s the right fit.
Alternatives (And Why Lemlist Stands Out)
There are dozens of cold email tools—Mailshake, Woodpecker, Outreach, and so on. Here’s where Lemlist stands out for small businesses:
- Best for Personalization: The custom images and dynamic fields are more advanced than most.
- Decent Deliverability Features: It tries harder than basic tools to keep you out of spam.
- Not Overkill: Bigger tools (like Outreach or Salesloft) are overkill for small teams—and way more expensive.
But if you just need to send a few hundred emails, don’t care about fancy stuff, and want the cheapest option? There are lighter, cheaper tools out there.
Honest Take: Should You Try Lemlist?
If you’re running real B2B outreach—trying to connect with decision-makers, not just pad your email list—Lemlist is worth a look. It’s not going to write killer emails for you, and it won’t magically generate leads overnight. But it does save time, keeps campaigns organized, and helps you reach more people without trashing your sender reputation.
Just remember: the tool helps, but your results depend on your message and your list. Start simple. Test. Iterate. Don’t overthink it.
Keep it human. That’s what gets replies—no matter what tool you use.