Wtf?

A few months ago I saw the best cold job application email someone’s ever received.

And I broke down exactly why most people fail at cold outreach...

But more importantly, I’ll show you the framework that actually works.

So I figured I'd share.

It's kind of one of those things that's subtle…

… So subtle that you might not really grasp the implications at first.

But once you do get it...

...it actually turns out to be the most powerful approach to breaking through someone's cold wall.

One that very few people know about or use correctly.

But I have no solution for any person and/or "freelancers" who think they can save time by using generic templates and AI-generated spam instead of doing actual research and personalization. 

This guy found an old clip where Neil (the recipient) mentioned using Mark Roberge's high school subject line trick.

Then actually used it as their subject line.

This proved to the prospect that they'd been following Neil's content for years.

Not some generic "I came across your profile" phony baloney.

This is real personalization that made Neil think "How did they know that?"

Could this email have been sent to 100 other people with just the name changed?

Answer: NO.

That's why the recipient trust guard came DOWN instead of UP.

They mentioned specific connections to Neil personally.

They showed 150% quota attainment and relevant experience.

They referenced UC Berkeley (where Neil attended).

They made it easy to say yes with "quick chat"

The death cycle everyone else fell into is: "Quick question" (which used to convert relatively well)

BUT marketing gurus taught it in courses.

Thousands started using it. And gmail's spam filters caught on.

Recipients' brains caught on faster. Pavlovian response = "This is a sales pitch.”

When a tactic becomes popular, it becomes predictable. When it becomes predictable, it becomes ineffective. When it becomes ineffective, it becomes spam.

I can only imagine how frustrating this is now during the so-called AI cold email gold rush.

Whatever the case:

True personalization is the only thing that works.

Stop saying "I hope you're doing well" when you don't know who they are. Stop using subject lines that have been taught in marketing courses.

Anyway, you get the picture

Spend 80% of your time on the subject line.

Because the subject line is the gatekeeper. Nailing the first line determines if your email gets opened at all.

Must stand out from dozens of other messages they receive daily.

(If you can't find 3-5 talking points about someone, you haven't researched enough.)

In a world where everyone's faking authenticity, actual authenticity becomes your biggest competitive advantage.

How did this feel?

Feel good?

Feel bad?

or worse - feel nothing?

Hit reply and let me know

P.S. Know anyone who’d benefit from this email? Please do forward the email. Anyone new can subscribe to this email list here :)