Cold Email Is Dead—Here’s What’s Replacing It

Cold email used to be predictable. Send X messages, land Y meetings. Easy, right? Not anymore.

Here’s the reality: Open rates are plunging. Spam filters are ruthless. AI-driven automation makes things worse by flooding inboxes with mass-produced, inauthentic personalization. If you’re still relying on the old cold email playbook, you’re not just behind—you’re actively burning leads.

According to the B2B Cold Outreach Benchmarks 2024 report:

• C-level email open rates dropped from 34.7% in 2022–2023 to 28.1% in 2023–2024.
• Reply rates among that same C-level audience fell from 6.2% to 4.2%.

Still think you can outsmart the system? Think again. The “spray and pray” approach is over.

What’s the fix? Account-Based Marketing.

The agencies and consultants still landing meetings aren’t relying on cold emails alone. They’re warming up leads before outreach through brand awareness campaigns and demand generation, and reaching out through email only to prospects that demonstrate intent signals.

Imagine emailing a prospect who’s already liked your LinkedIn post, clicked your newsletter content, or attended your webinar. That’s not a cold email—it’s a logical next step in relationship building. The numbers prove it: In a review of our client data, meeting booking rates jump by 300% when prospects have prior exposure to your brand.

So, is cold email completely dead? No—but using it without an account-based approach is. Stop relying on outdated tactics. Start targeting the right people at the right time—when they already know who you are.

Ready to land 6- and 7-figure opportunities for your agency or consultancy predictably? Book a call with us today to explore whether account-based marketing can unlock growth for your firm.