How many times should you cold email someone?

8.  

If you want an answer. 8 is the answer:

1. email  - wait 24 hours
2. LinkedIn profile visit - wait 24 hours
3. email - 24 hours
4. LinkedIn connection + message - 48 hours
5. email - 48 hours
6. email - 48 hours
7. email / twitter - 24 hours
8. email - 48 hours

You'll be surprised at how many times someone replies to email #6. This is a total of 8 touch points over 12 days. That's about 2-3 different work weeks depending on when you start the sequence.

Think about it. If you just send 3 or 4 emails, what are the chances your message in that email is just right for that person at that exact moment in time? It's low! BUT if you can get on their radar across at least two channels (email + LinkedIn) people are 60% more likely to not only open your email but also reply.

Our cold email agency has run over 100 campaigns for startups, and we've seen this play out time and time again. Easiest way to get more responses is to send the right kind of email more frequently. I should also note here we sometimes go up to 12 touches per candidate over an even longer time horizon (a full month). Play the long game. Writing a crappy email and asking for a meeting isn't going to work.

I know it's daunting but this is what it takes to cut through. The problem then becomes how to add value in each of these emails, which I'll save for another time.

In the mean time, perhaps it's not your copy or your email subject, but instead, you're just not giving yourself enough opportunities for them to respond when the timing is right.

The temptation in those later emails is to get lazy. Don't! It's a trap! It's okay to repeat yourself (assume they didn't read your other messages), but don't give them a task (i.e. can you please respond? Can you please read my last message?). You need to give them something. Educate them, entertain them, anything other than ask them to do something for you.

Don't Do:

• "Did you get my last email"
• "Did you read my last message"
• "Can you please read my last email"

Do:

• Add Value
• Be Helpful
• Share a resource, teach them something.

Careful:

• Asking for a meeting too soon.