If you’re slogging through cold outreach, you know the pain: ignored emails, low reply rates, and that sinking feeling your message is landing in spam. Whether you’re running sales, recruiting, or hustling for partnerships, you want your emails to actually get read—and get results. This guide is for anyone using Maildoso who’s tired of wishful thinking and wants practical, real-world tips to write cold emails people will actually answer.
Let’s skip the fluff and get right into what actually works, what’s a waste of time, and how to set up templates in Maildoso so you can send with confidence.
Step 1: Nail the Basics Before You Start
Before you even touch Maildoso, get your foundations right. Most cold emails fail because the basics get ignored.
- Know who you’re emailing. Seriously—don’t send to a scraped list of randoms. If you can’t explain why the person should care, don’t email them.
- Have a reason to reach out. “Just checking in” or “saw your website” isn’t enough. Give them a reason to open and reply.
Pro tip: If you wouldn’t open your own email, don’t send it.
Step 2: Write Like a Human, Not a Marketer
People can spot a template a mile away. The more “email blast” your message feels, the less likely you’ll get a response.
- Skip the formalities. “Dear Sir or Madam” screams spam. Use their name (Maildoso’s merge tags make this easy).
- Keep it short. Under 125 words is a good rule. If you can say it in fewer, do it.
- Don’t oversell. Your first email isn’t a sales pitch—it’s a door-opener.
What works:
- Clear, specific, and friendly messages.
- Personalized details pulled from LinkedIn, their website, or recent news.
What to ignore:
- Flattery (“I was so impressed with your recent blog post!”) unless it’s genuine.
- Overloaded templates full of links, bold fonts, and graphics. These mostly trigger spam filters.
Step 3: Use Maildoso’s Personalization Features—But Don’t Overdo It
Maildoso lets you add merge tags to drop in names, companies, job titles, and whatever custom fields you’ve got. That’s great—just don’t let automation make you sound like a robot.
- Personalize the first line. Instead of “I’m reaching out because…”, try “Saw you’re hiring for engineers at [Company].”
- Use fallback values. Maildoso lets you set defaults (like “there” if the first name is missing), so you don’t end up with “Hi ,”.
- Don’t fake it. If you don’t know something about the person, don’t pretend you do. People can tell.
Pro tip: Review a few sample emails before sending. Weird formatting or broken merge tags are dead giveaways you’re blasting a list.
Step 4: Craft Subject Lines That Don’t Suck
You can write the world’s best email, but if the subject line stinks, no one’s reading it.
- Avoid clickbait. “Quick question” and “RE: Our call”—unless you actually spoke—feel spammy.
- Be specific. “Question about your open marketing role” beats “Opportunity for you.”
- Test, don’t guess. Try two or three different subject lines in Maildoso and see what gets opened.
What works:
- Mentioning something relevant: “Saw your post on [Event/Topic]”
- Simple, honest subjects: “Intro from [Your Name]”
What to ignore:
- ALL CAPS, excessive punctuation!!!, or “Act now”—these scream spam.
Step 5: Structure the Body for Scannability
Nobody reads long blocks of text. Make your message easy to skim.
- Use line breaks. Separate thoughts into short paragraphs.
- Bullet points work. Especially if you’re listing benefits or options.
- One ask per email. Don’t overwhelm people with choices.
Example structure:
Hi [First Name],
Saw you’re leading [Project/Team] at [Company]. I work with [X] companies to help them [solve problem].
Would you be open to a quick call next week? Happy to send more info if interested.
Thanks, [Your Name]
Notice: Short, clear, and no jargon.
Step 6: Have a Clear, Reasonable Call to Action
The best emails end with a single, low-pressure ask.
- Be specific. “Are you free for a 15-minute call next week?” is better than “Let me know if you’re interested.”
- Give an out. “If now’s not the right time, no worries” makes you more human.
- Don’t attach files or links unless necessary. These can trigger spam filters and lower trust.
What works:
- Direct, polite requests.
- Offering value (a quick tip, resource, or idea) with no strings attached.
What to ignore:
- “Let’s connect!” with no reason.
- Guilt trips (“I haven’t heard back, are you ignoring me?”—please, don’t be this person).
Step 7: Set Up Sending in Maildoso—The Right Way
Once your template’s written, Maildoso does the heavy lifting. But don’t rush here—setup matters.
- Warm up your sending domain. If you’re using a new email, start slow. Maildoso has features to help with this. Ignore this and you’ll land in spam fast.
- Schedule sends during business hours. No one loves a 2 a.m. cold email.
- Throttle your sends. Start with 20-30 a day, then ramp up. Blasting 500 on day one is asking for trouble.
Pro tip: Use Maildoso’s built-in testing to preview emails, check for broken tags, and see how your message looks on desktop and mobile.
Step 8: Track, Test, and Iterate (But Don’t Obsess)
Open rates, reply rates, and positive responses—not just clicks—are what matter. Here’s what to watch:
- Open rate below 30%? Your subject line or sender reputation needs work.
- Replies but no meetings? Your body copy or call to action might be off.
- No responses at all? Double-check your targeting and message relevance.
Test one variable at a time: Subject line, intro sentence, or call to action. Don’t try to change everything at once or you’ll never know what worked.
Ignore the hype:
- Chasing the “perfect” template. It doesn’t exist—what works today might flop tomorrow.
- Fancy tracking tools that promise to “hack” deliverability. Stick with basics: send relevant messages, from a healthy domain, to real people.
Step 9: Follow Up—But Don’t Be Annoying
Most positive replies come after a follow-up or two. But there’s a fine line between persistent and pest.
- Space out follow-ups. 3-5 days is good; daily pings will get you blocked.
- Keep it short. “Just bumping this to the top of your inbox” is fine once, but after that, add value or let it go.
- Know when to quit. Three emails with no response? Move on.
What works:
- A quick, polite nudge.
- New info or a different angle in each follow-up.
What to ignore:
- Threats, ultimatums, or pretending you have a prior relationship when you don’t.
A Few Final Thoughts
Most cold email “hacks” are just noise. If you want high-converting templates in Maildoso, keep it simple: Write like a real person, focus on relevance, and use the tool to personalize—not automate—the human out of your outreach.
Start small. Iterate. Don’t try to be clever—just be clear and respectful of people’s time. That’s what works.