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How I Got A 30% Reply Rate On Cold Email

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJ5MU7RKcMU

TLDR AI is rapidly reshaping outbound sales, but effective campaigns still depend on strong offers, consistent messaging, fast lead responses, and expert judgment. Go-to-market agency founder Matau Sector shared practical cold-email tactics, argued that broad outreach and signal-based campaigns can both work, and warned against agencies promising conversions before campaigns are tested. AI SDRs may lower agency fees and reduce demand, but experienced teams will remain valuable for finding what works and guiding the technology.

Key Insights

Start by Choosing Outreach Tools and Infrastructure That Fit the Campaign

Select cold-email and multichannel tools based on the client’s needs rather than relying on one universal setup. Options discussed include HeyReach with Instantly, Salesforge as an all-in-one platform, and alternatives such as Smartlead. Match sending infrastructure to the chosen platform, and keep each sending domain to about three mailboxes, with four as an upper limit. This creates a practical foundation before launching campaigns.

Warm Up Mailboxes Gradually and Set a Manageable Sending Pace

Ramp up mailbox warm-up over roughly two weeks before sending at a steady campaign volume. The guest’s example combines about 10 warm-up emails per mailbox with a 50% reply rate and around 30 outbound emails per day. He aims for at least five replies per mailbox daily, while noting that sending volumes should suit the setup and campaign. Monitor deliverability and replies rather than treating any single volume as a guaranteed benchmark.

Combine Broad Outreach With Relevant, Timely Signals

High-volume outreach and signal-based campaigns can both be effective, so choose based on the objective. Broad campaigns help reach more of the total addressable market, while signals can provide timely reasons to contact ideal customers and create recurring touchpoints. Treat outbound as a long-term effort: prospects may need to encounter a solution several times before a relevant problem prompts them to respond. Focus on useful conversations, not just sending a single campaign.

Keep Messaging Consistent and Make the Offer Matter

Personalization is not automatically an improvement, especially when AI-generated opening lines or videos add little relevance. Stable campaign copy makes it easier to measure what is working and identify whether the offer is compelling. Use prospect context when it genuinely improves the message, but do not let personalization distract from a clear reason to reply. Test changes against results instead of assuming that more AI-generated content will perform better.

Use Call Insights and Fast Follow-Up to Improve Conversion

Reviewing sales calls can reveal what resonates with prospects and help teams improve campaign messaging. When a lead shows interest, respond promptly and consider using AI to help speed up replies, with human oversight where appropriate. Quick follow-up can help turn warm interest into a meeting or sale, but the conversation’s estimated conversion gains should not be treated as guaranteed. Aim to start a useful conversation and learn about the prospect’s needs, rather than focusing only on booking a meeting.

Validate Outbound Before Promising Results

Agencies cannot reliably guarantee conversion rates for a company that has not tested outbound, because results depend on its offer, market, and execution. Use the first few months to assess whether the channel, campaign, and agency are working; the discussion suggests three months is often a reasonable evaluation period, sometimes less when campaigns are ready to launch. Be cautious of promises of specific lead or conversion counts without evidence from the client’s own campaigns. Set expectations around testing, learning, and measurable progress.

Questions & Answers

Who was the guest, and what experience did he bring to the discussion?

Matau Sector (also referred to as Mat Secta), founder of Poland-based go-to-market engineering agency Vunderbuild, ran more than 200 outbound campaigns for mid-market and enterprise companies last year. He grew the agency from one person to eight in a year and placed second in Clay’s 2025 Go-to-Market World Cup.

Which tools and sending setup does Matau use for cold-email campaigns?

He chooses tools to fit each client. Common options include HeyReach with Instantly for multichannel outreach, Salesforge as an all-in-one platform, and Smartlead. For sending infrastructure, he uses Airmail with Instantly, Primeforge with Salesforge, or Zapmail. He generally limits domains to three mailboxes, and never more than four.

How does Matau warm up mailboxes and set sending targets?

He ramps up warm-up over two weeks, then maintains about 10 warm-up emails with a 50% reply rate. He also sends around 30 outbound emails per mailbox daily—about 40 total—and aims for at least five replies per mailbox each day.

Is signal-based outbound better than high-volume outreach?

Neither approach is inherently better or mandatory. High-volume outreach helps reach the total addressable market, while signals can provide relevant, recurring touchpoints with an ideal customer profile. Outbound should be treated as a long-term effort rather than a one-off campaign.

Which outbound tactics did the speakers consider especially effective?

They rated using Claude Code to scrape and score a market, paying a suitable LinkedIn creator to promote a product, and managing outreach across multiple LinkedIn accounts as A-tier, depending on execution and context. Scoring every sales call and having AI respond quickly to interested leads without human review were considered potentially S-tier.

Why did the speakers favor stable campaign copy over AI personalization for its own sake?

Consistent copy makes campaign performance easier to measure, and a strong offer is what prompts prospects to reply. They did not consider AI-generated opening lines based on LinkedIn posts especially effective.

What makes follow-up and lead response effective?

Effective outreach starts a conversation, responds quickly, and learns about the prospect’s company—not just books a meeting. Depending on the prospect’s sentiment, a salesperson can ask for the prospect’s scheduling link or send one. Responding quickly to interested leads can improve conversion, with the speaker suggesting a potential 40–50% lift.

Will AI SDRs eliminate outbound agencies?

Probably not. AI SDRs may reduce the number of agencies and put downward pressure on rates, but experts will still be valuable for testing approaches, validating product or outbound market fit, understanding a company’s fundamentals, and guiding AI effectively.

Can an agency reliably promise conversion rates or leads before a company has tested outbound?

No. Estimates based on other companies may not apply, so promising specific leads or conversions without validation can be misleading. The first few months should establish whether the channel and agency work; three months is often enough to assess this, and sometimes less if campaigns are ready to launch.

What did Matau say about his cold-email practices in the rapid-fire Q&A?

He said he uses AI to iterate but writes emails by hand, sends cold emails on weekends, does not include pricing in the first email, and typically follows up twice by email or four times across multiple channels. He said links can be included when appropriate, and recalled booking a meeting with a one-line email asking whether someone used a tool he followed.

What major industry news did the episode cover?

The episode reported that New York City was investing nearly $30 million in a quantum computing lab in exchange for 15% of revenue from technology developed using city-funded equipment and three advisory-board seats. It also covered Meta’s Muse Spark model, Microsoft AI’s Maya Base 2, Nvidia’s Numatron 3.5 Super VL, and a Ripple-backed public company beginning to trade on NASDAQ under ticker XRPN.

Summary of Timestamps

The episode opens with music and a few brief spoken words before introducing a discussion about AI, go-to-market strategies, and current industry news.

The host previews the episode and introduces Matau Sector of Poland-based go-to-market engineering agency Vunderbuild. His team ran more than 200 outbound campaigns last year, and he grew the agency from one person to more than eight in a year.

The news roundup covers New York City’s planned $30 million investment in a quantum computing lab, Meta’s Muse Spark open-weight model, and Microsoft AI’s large-scale Maya Base 2 model. These announcements frame the episode’s central theme: AI capabilities and the tools built around them are advancing rapidly.

The host discusses a Ripple-backed company beginning to trade on NASDAQ under ticker XRPN, along with Nvidia’s Numatron 3.5 Super VL model for long-running AI agents. The host suggests that most people may encounter new models through products and technology stacks rather than using the models directly.

Matau explains how he chooses cold-email and multichannel outreach tools based on each client’s needs, mentioning options such as HeyReach, Instantly, Salesforge, Smartlead, and several email infrastructure providers. His typical setup uses three mailboxes per domain, a two-week warm-up period, and carefully limited daily sending.

The conversation compares signal-based outbound with high-volume campaigns. Neither approach is automatically better: broad outreach can cover a market, while relevant signals can create timely touchpoints. The key is treating outbound as a sustained effort, since prospects often need repeated exposure before they are ready to respond.

The speakers rank common outbound tactics, including AI-written CEO posts, AI-generated videos, low-cost contact lists, market scraping with Claude Code, creator promotions, gift boxes, and managing multiple LinkedIn accounts. Their ratings depend on execution, audience fit, data quality, and whether the tactic supports a clear campaign.

They favor stable campaign copy over AI personalization for its own sake, since consistent messaging makes results easier to measure and a strong offer is what earns replies. They also highlight call scoring as a powerful way to learn from successful sales conversations and improve future campaigns.

The discussion turns to AI visibility and lead response. The speakers are skeptical of expensive promises to get a company recommended in AI search, emphasizing the importance of SEO, useful content, and positioning. They consider identifying website visitors valuable and say AI responding quickly to interested leads can improve conversion.

Matau says effective outreach is about starting conversations, responding promptly, and learning about a prospect’s business—not merely booking meetings. He expects AI SDRs to put pressure on agencies and rates, but believes experts will still be needed to test strategies, understand businesses, and guide AI effectively.

The speakers challenge agencies’ promises of guaranteed conversions, especially for companies that have never run outbound. They recommend using the first few months to validate the channel and agency before making firm performance claims.

In a rapid-fire Q&A, Matau shares practical preferences: he uses AI to iterate but writes emails by hand, sends cold emails on weekends, avoids putting pricing in the first email, and typically follows up twice by email or four times across channels. He also discusses tool choices, links, and budget priorities.

Matau talks about Poland, his favorite travel destination, and where viewers can find him online. The host closes by recapping the conversation about campaign setup, reply rates, agency claims, and AI’s impact on outbound, then announces the show’s return on Monday at 12 p.m. Eastern.