| More recently I've been thinking about the marketing channels that are most likely to stick around in the future. A good rule of thumb is to look backward and observe which ones have been around the longest — which ones are "Lindy." The longer a channel has been around, the more likely it is to continue sticking around. My friend Jakob from Sales.co put together some thoughts on one of these Lindy channels: cold email. Cold email is far from dead. In fact, it's one of the most resilient marketing channels out there — no matter how many new platforms pop up, email remains a constant. But here's the catch: just because it's still effective doesn't mean it hasn't changed. The old tactics that worked a few years ago are quickly losing steam, and the future of cold email looks very different from what we're used to. So, what's changing, and how can you future-proof your email outreach strategy? Let's dive into the key trends shaping the next era of cold email. Personalized first lines were once the gold standard of cold email. A quick glance at someone's LinkedIn page, and you could whip up a line like, "Congrats on your recent promotion!" — and boom, you'd catch their attention. But here's the reality: people are onto it. Generic personalization isn't cutting it anymore. In the future, the game is going to be about real personalization — and not just at the top of the email. We're talking about deeply personalized emails from start to finish, driven by AI. Think of it like this: AI tools will research prospects far beyond just their LinkedIn profiles, gathering deeper insights and weaving them into the entire email. These won't be cookie-cutter emails with a few variables swapped out — they'll feel 100% manual, even though they're automated. In short, AI is going to allow you to scale the kind of quality that used to require hours of manual effort. The key? Making sure every line feels like it was written specifically for that prospect. The days of building email lists based on broad filters—like industry or location — are fading. Instead, the future of list-building will focus on a "lookalike" approach, powered by AI. Here's how it works: You start with your existing customers — the ones who are your absolute best fits. Then, AI tools will generate a list of companies or prospects that are most similar to them. Rather than sifting through endless databases or setting vague filters, this lookalike method delivers a hyper-targeted list of high-quality leads. This is much more accurate than the current methods and will lead to better results with fewer irrelevant contacts. It's all about finding the prospects who are most likely to convert, and AI is making that process smarter and faster than ever. Cold email alone isn't going to be enough. While it's still a critical tool, the future will require a more integrated, omnichannel approach. Think of cold emails as a private ad network. You're reaching out to key decision-makers, and once you spot signs of engagement — like opening the email or clicking a link — you move them into a more targeted campaign. That's where other channels, like LinkedIn, SMS, or even retargeted ads, come into play. Follow-ups, traditionally a hallmark of cold email, are becoming less effective. Everyone knows how easy it is to set up automated follow-ups, and they're more likely to annoy than convert. Instead, focusing on multiple touchpoints across different channels will be the key to nurturing leads and building relationships. Right now, most cold email outreach leaves behind a digital footprint, making it easier for email providers to flag and filter. In the future, expect zero-footprint email sending to become the norm. This means your emails will look indistinguishable from those sent manually via Gmail, making them far less likely to land in promotions or spam. AI will play a big role here too. Instead of using bulk email tools that leave behind clues, AI will help you send personalized emails that look like they're coming directly from you — without raising any red flags with email providers. Cold email isn't going anywhere, but it's evolving fast. So don't get left behind.
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