The Right Volume for Results

A measure of moderation is necessary for a successful email practice.

Remember, cold email is the means, not the end. Your goals should dictate the number and type of email you send, never the other way around.

Volume as Needed

Sometimes, you have to send a lot of emails.

When I was researching Writing for Software Developers, I sent about a hundred cold emails over the course of two months requesting interviews to get the dozen that I published with the book. This took a long time, as I had to research each person I reached out to, find their contact information, and send them a personal message. But it was necessary to each my goal.

No matter what, don't sacrifice quality for volume. Remember, you have a specific goal in mind, not just some quota of emails to send. And sending more, lower-quality emails will tank your response rate, slowing your progress toward your goal.

Cold Email in Context

Cold email is just one tool in a system for reaching your goals. You just need to send enough individual messages so there’s no bottleneck in your system. Let’s take a look at the constraints that limit how many great cold emails you can create:

1. How many recipients can you find and research?
2. How quickly can you write a great email?
3. How well can you follow through on your email if the recipient says yes?

Finding that balance is situational. Here's how I did it as a freelance technical writer.

To overcome the first constraint, I created a list of publications that worked with freelance writers, which I later shared at whopaystechnicalwriters.com.

And for the second constraint, pitching articles is a fairly standard format from one to the next. With experience, I figured out what makes a successful pitch email and how to write one quickly.

The third constraint is the most important. With my system in place, I could pitch ten articles on any given Tuesday morning. But I can only write one or two high-quality articles per week.

Sometimes, grinding through a ton of cold email is necessary. But usually, the right system and a high-value message means that you'll need to send fewer emails than you might imagine to see the results you're looking for. Promises take longer to keep than they do to make. Cold email is a high-leverage tool, but any stock trader will tell you that leverage can be dangerous. So use your new skill carefully!

Best,

Philip