Getting people to open and reply to cold emails is tough—especially in B2B. Most of your messages get deleted, ignored, or buried under a pile of “just following up” noise. If you’re reading this, you probably know that already. The good news? A/B testing your subject lines and email content is the closest thing to a cheat code for better results. This guide is for sales pros, founders, or anyone who’s tired of guesswork and wants a real shot at improving their cold outreach using Mailstand.
Why A/B Test Cold Emails (and Why Most People Get It Wrong)
Let’s cut to it: most cold email “advice” is recycled fluff. You’ll hear things like “personalize more!” or “use urgency!” but nobody talks about how to actually figure out what works for your audience. That’s where A/B testing comes in. Instead of following generic tips, you run experiments—just like a scientist, but with fewer lab coats.
But here’s the catch: A/B testing isn’t magic. If you’re only sending 30 emails a week, or if your tests are messy, you won’t learn much. You need a way to run clean, simple tests that don’t eat up your whole day. That’s where Mailstand comes in.
What Mailstand Actually Does (and Doesn’t)
Mailstand is a tool for automating cold email outreach—think scheduling, sending, and tracking. But its real strength is in making A/B testing painless. You can set up multiple versions of your subject line or email content, send them out automatically, and see which one wins based on open and reply rates.
Here’s what Mailstand does well: - Lets you test subject lines, body copy, or whole sequences. - Randomly splits your audience (so your data isn’t skewed). - Tracks opens, clicks, and replies in a way that’s easy to understand. - Stops you from sending too many follow-ups to the same person (a common mistake).
Here’s what Mailstand won’t do: - It won’t write great emails for you. AI suggestions are a starting point, not a solution. - It won’t magically make people care about your offer if it’s bad, irrelevant, or spammy. - It can’t fix deliverability issues if your domain is on a blacklist.
If you’re clear-eyed about what you want to test, Mailstand will save you a ton of time.
Step 1: Decide What You’re Testing (Don’t Get Greedy)
Before you even touch Mailstand, decide what you want to test. Most people get this wrong by testing too many things at once—“Let’s try three subject lines, two intros, and a new CTA!” That’s chaos. You won’t know what’s driving results.
Rule of thumb: Test one thing at a time. Start with subject lines (since opens are the first hurdle), then move to email body content.
Subject line ideas to test: - Short vs. long - Question vs. statement - Using the recipient’s name vs. not - Specific offer vs. curiosity
Body content ideas to test: - Short and direct vs. longer, story-driven - Different value props - Different CTAs (ask for a call vs. share a resource)
Pro tip: If you’re new to this, start with two variations—no need to go wild.
Step 2: Set Up Your Variations in Mailstand
Once you know what you’re testing, it’s time to get your hands dirty.
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Create a new campaign.
- In Mailstand, set up a new campaign for your outreach. Give it a name you’ll recognize later (e.g., “May 2024 Subject Line Test”).
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Add your variations.
- For subject lines: Enter your two (or more) subject lines in the A/B testing section.
- For email content: If you’re testing body copy, set up your different versions here. Mailstand lets you assign percentages, or just split them 50/50.
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Upload your list.
- Import your leads. Make sure your list is clean (no duplicates, no old/bounced emails). Dirty lists kill your tests.
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Set sending rules.
- Decide how fast you want emails to go out. Don’t blast 500 at once—spread them out to avoid spam filters. Mailstand has throttling options for this.
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Double-check everything.
- Send yourself test emails from each variation. Make sure links work, personalization fields aren’t broken, and nothing looks off.
Reality check: Mailstand’s UI is straightforward, but if you’re stuck, their support docs are actually decent. Don’t overthink it—getting started is the hard part.
Step 3: Run Your Test (and Don’t Touch It)
Now for the hardest part: waiting. Once you launch the campaign, don’t change anything mid-test. No “just one tweak,” no adding new leads, no switching up the copy. If you mess with the test, you mess with the results.
How long should you run a test? - Minimum: Wait until each variation has at least 100 sends. More is better, but 100 per version is a good starting point. - Don’t obsess over statistical significance calculators unless you’re sending thousands of emails. For B2B, you’re usually working with small lists—directional results are good enough.
What to watch for: - Open rates tell you which subject line grabs attention. - Reply rates tell you which email actually works. - Positive replies matter more than “any” reply. If you’re getting more “unsubscribe me” messages, that’s not a win.
Step 4: Analyze Results (and Ignore Fake Wins)
After your test runs, Mailstand gives you a breakdown of open, click, and reply rates for each variation. Here’s how to make sense of it:
- Big gaps (like one subject line getting 40% opens and another at 20%) are worth caring about.
- Tiny differences (e.g., 21% vs. 23% open rates) are probably noise, not a breakthrough. Don’t chase decimal points.
- Positive replies are the real prize. A subject line that gets more opens but fewer positive replies isn’t actually better.
Common mistakes: - Declaring a “winner” after 20 sends. That’s not enough data. - Ignoring spam complaints. If one version triggers more bounces or spam, stop using it. - Chasing vanity metrics (opens, clicks) when what you really need is meetings booked.
If in doubt: Stick with the version that gets you more real replies from the right people. That’s the only metric that matters.
Step 5: Roll Out the Winner (and Keep Testing)
Once you’ve got a clear winner, make it your new default. But don’t stop there—every few weeks, run a new test. Audiences change, inboxes get noisier, and what works now might flop later.
What to do next: - Use your best performer as your new baseline. - Test something new: another subject line, a fresh call-to-action, or a tweak to your opening sentence. - Don’t test just to test—have a reason for each experiment.
Pro tip: If you see a version tanking (way worse than the rest), kill it early. There’s no prize for letting a dud run its course.
What to Ignore (and What to Watch Out For)
There’s a lot of hype in the cold email world. Here’s what you can safely skip: - Obsessing over perfect deliverability tools. Use a warmed-up domain and don’t spam—most other “hacks” are snake oil. - Overpersonalization. Yes, first names help. But spending 10 minutes per prospect writing custom intros? Not worth it for most B2B outreach. - Chasing every new AI tool. AI can help brainstorm, but the best copy still comes from someone who understands the buyer.
What does matter: - Clean lists (no bounces, up-to-date contacts) - Clear, direct offers - Following up (but not endlessly—2-3 times is plenty) - Actually learning from your tests, not just running them for the sake of it
Wrapping Up: Keep It Simple, Keep Going
A/B testing with Mailstand isn’t complicated, and it doesn’t need to be fancy. Test one thing at a time, look for real improvements, and don’t get distracted by shiny objects or “growth hacks.” Most people quit before they see results. If you stick with it—test, learn, repeat—you’ll already be ahead of 90% of your competitors. Keep it simple. Keep going. Your future, less-ignored inbox will thank you.