Is Cold Emailing Worth It?

"Should I do cold outreach besides my content marketing?"

I think yes. There are 3 reasons why:

1️⃣ Direct response

Unlike content, cold outreach has very short feedback loops.

You can do 5 cold calls in 20 minutes and get immediate feedback:
- people hanging up on you (which probably means your pitch is bad)
- people engaging with you in a conversation

They might still decline your offer but give you information on
- why your service doesn't work for them
- why it's not interesting for them
- what they are doing instead
- etc.

I have never made cold calls. But a lot of my content came from responses to my cold emails.

The questions that prospects ask and the direct feedback I get are great sources of inspiration.

2️⃣ Lindy effect

Sales channels are constantly shifting: platforms come, and go.

Today, LinkedIn cold messages might be your most important channel. But LinkedIn, too, will change over time, potentially giving place to other platforms.

Email is an old channel that has been around for a long time.

If you’ve read Nassim Taleb and his “Lindy effect," it means that it will probably also still be around for a long time, making it a fundamental meta-skill in sales.

3️⃣ Ramping effect

With content, you can't take a 2-week break and then post 5 videos a day, expecting to build a reputation.

It's all about consistency and momentum.

With cold outreach I can ramp my activity up and down daily.

When the pipeline is full, I can stop my outreach and 2 weeks later pick it up exactly where I dropped it off.

➡️ Summary:

I don't think that one channel is better than the other.

Cold outreach has its downsides:
1. Cold outreach never scales or compounds - content does.
2. Cold outreach doesn't generate a network or “build a moat” - content does.
3. Cold outreach doesn't build a brand reputation - content does.

There even are misconceptions that cold outreach is illegal (which it isn't, when done right).

I'm still learning and making mistakes.

But I think a combination of both approaches is the best solution: short term direct response through cold outreach, and the long-term brand building through content.