What constitutes a good email sequence?
It sparks curiosity, builds trust, and generates new leads for your business. That’s why your emails need to be both informative and persuasive.
But where do you start? Creating an email sequence that engages your audience and convinces them to take action is often overwhelming, especially with so many available strategies.
That’s why this article focuses on outbound sales sequences that will help you master lead generation.
Let’s get started!
What is an email sequence?
An email sequence is a chain of emails sent based on pre-set time intervals or trigger-based automations (or both).
In simpler terms, you get to send X number of emails to your prospect on autopilot without having to do it manually.
There are 2 major categories in which we can divide them:
- sales email sequences – cold email campaigns to generate leads and sales calls
- marketing email sequences – sent to nurture leads with some content involved
Obviously, we’ll focus on sales email sequences in this article…
So, without further ado, let’s talk examples now.
Sequence 1
Lucas, at lemlist, created this campaign to sell SEO services. He went for a multichannel approach, combining email and LinkedIn outreach.
In this case, Lucas used liquid syntax to adapt his email depending on the time of day and month.
And check out the results this campaign achieved:
This campaign uses several images to increase engagement rates by making the first emails more attractive and professional and then shifting to a humorous approach.
Additionally, each email offers a clear action for your leads.
While this template is designed for SEO agencies, you can make it your own to fit you and your business.
Subject title: SEO & lead gen
Good morning {{firstName}},
We have chosen {{website}} as the website to analyze for SEO this month.
As an agency specializing in SEO, each month, we choose a website and review all the things we could do to help you improve your SEO.
We usually do this with a brainstorming session with 2-3 members of our team (I am attaching a photo of our meeting this morning).
I am currently preparing a presentation on all the ideas we came up with; so if you’re free next week, I’d love to present it to you via a video call!
Let me know a few available time slots, and I’ll adapt to your schedule.
Have a great day!
PS: The goal of this initiative is to raise awareness at {{companyName}} about SEO with no obligation behind it. If your company is not interested in the analysis, you can click on this link.
After sending his first email, Lucas included an automatic step to visit prospects’ LinkedIn profiles. As LinkedIn users can see (and get notifications) who visits their profiles, this step allows you to show interest without being too intrusive and sending an email every day.
To continue with the rest of the sequence, Lucas used the same subject line as his previous email to ensure cohesion and easy recognition.
Good morning {{firstName}},
The SEO analysis for {{website}} is ready!
It will allow us to discuss the SEO strengths and weaknesses of your website, but more importantly, it will give you the opportunity to ask your SEO questions to an expert.
You can choose the time slot that suits you best directly from my calendar:
SEO Consultant Calendar
Have a great day! {{signature}} PS: The goal of this initiative is to raise awareness at {{companyName}} about SEO with no obligation behind it. If your company is not interested in the analysis, you can click on this link.
After reaching out twice and not receiving a response, this examples offers the possibility that perhaps you’re reaching out to the wrong person.
With this third step, Lucas uses humor to find who the decision-maker is in this case and includes a unsubscribe link, in case they are the right person, but they’re simply not interested.
Good morning {{firstName}},
As I haven’t heard back from you, I wanted to check if you are indeed the person in charge of {{companyName}}’s website and specifically responsible for SEO matters.
If it’s not you, could you kindly put me in touch with the person who handles this topic at your company?
Have a great day,
{{signature}}
PS: The goal of this initiative is to raise awareness at {{companyName}} about SEO with no obligation behind it. If your company is not interested in the analysis, you can click on this link.
After sending the third email, this multichannel sequence includes a LinkedIn profile visit step. These steps allow you to stay on top of your leads and show your interest without being intrusive.
After that, this example continues with another humorous email to find the decision-maker.
Good morning {{firstName}},
I still haven’t been able to get a response from you regarding the person in charge of SEO at {{companyName}}.
Now, for the million-dollar question:
A: It’s you, but you have other priorities at the moment. When would be a good time for me to check back with you?
B: You’re not in charge of SEO. Could you kindly put me in touch with the person responsible for this topic? (phone a friend)
C: You haven’t had the time to reply because managing your website is taking up a lot of your time. Maybe it’s time to see how I can help?
D: {{companyName}} doesn’t do SEO 😲
What’s your final answer, {{firstName}}?
Have a great day,
Jean-Pierre Foucault of SEO
PS: The goal of this initiative is to raise awareness at {{companyName}} about SEO with no obligation behind it. If your company is not interested in the analysis, you can click on this link.
For the fifth step, this example switches back to LinkedIn with an automated connection request and ends with a funny “break-up” email.
Good morning {{firstName}}, I’m giving it one last try to get a response from you with my secret weapon:
Have a great day,
Puss in Boots
Why does this sequence work?
It begins with a very exclusive email, where your leads understand they will find true value as you put together a team to asses their website, combined with an image which will add a human touch to your approach.
Bear in mind that this sequence should only be used when you have a value proposition.
Sequence 2
This sequence includes 14 multichannel steps that include email, LinkedIn, and cold calling.
The key if you choose a long sequence, such as this one, is to go for short and sweet messages. If all your messages are way too long, it doesn’t matter how much value you’ve provided, you’re making your lead work too hard.
This sequence only includes one longer email at the start, and with it, Mihaela managed to book 68 meetings.
This campaign is tailored to a specific ICP: Heads of Sales who are hiring SDRs.
The first email points out a major issue: leads’ careers pages have too many SDR roles.
Mihaela continues to introduce another pain point that she relates to and ends with a clear CTA.
Subject line: Career page – SDR position
{{firstName}} – Reading your careers page & I found a few things interesting in your SDR job posting.
Won’t lie. I am prospecting you but sending an email to expand.
Wish me luck getting a reply.
Your careers page is drowning in SDR roles,
{{firstName}}, my psychic skills are probably way off, but maybe there’s a push or struggle with generating good opps.
Booking consistent meetings is difficult (trust me, I was an SDR for four years, haha), but what makes it more complicated is that most sales teams don’t know what the best approach or structure to use for reaching out to their prospects is.
Not even sure if creating more opps is a challenge for you, but if you’re willing, would you be open to a 10-minute chat to learn more?
Best, {{signature}}
After the first email, the sequence continues with a first cold call.
It continues with a short email that contains a personalized video to add value and a warning that another call is forthcoming.
I sent a personalized email/video after finding your SDR job posting interesting…
[VIDEO PERSONALIZED]
I’ve been wondering if anyone even uses InMail these days, as I’m sure it’s just spammed with annoying sales reps trying to book time with you..Oh, wait…Anyway, no need to reply. I’ll give you a ring today.
After the second email, comes the second cold call, followed by a very short 2-word email to push your leads to reply.
Any thoughts?
The next step is a LinkedIn profile visit, followed by a 4th email that includes a proposed KPI your leads may be tracking and that could appeal to them.
If booking more meetings is a focus, then here’s a post that 30MPC shared on an email structure that gets 12% reply rates.
We get an excellent reply rate from using it (although I used it in my first email to you, and it didn’t work).
I hope this helps you generate more quality pipeline this quarter.
After that, go in for the LinkedIn connection request.
The next email continues to prove interest and offer more solutions to the lead’s problem.
Reading the SDR roles on your careers page, {{firstName}}.
Usually, hiring more SDRs = a push on the more consistent pipeline. But the “consistent” part is usually the struggle for companies.
They typically have 1 or 2 reps crushing it while the rest are just doing ok.
As a result, you heavily rely on those top performers to reach the target. If this sounds familiar, then {{companyName2}} could help.
Open to learning more?
Either way, best of luck with the hiring. It looks like exciting times are ahead for {{companyName1}}.
The next 2 steps include a cold call and a LinkedIn visit.
After that comes another email that introduces a slight sense of urgency by addressing a recent conversation with an SDR.
Hey {{firstName}} – my SDR {{sdrName}} was talking to me about {{companyName1}} and your recent hiring splurge.
You’re only in step 11 in her outreach but wondering, with your growing team, if they can easily follow up as consistently with prospects as {{sdrName}} is with you?
Worth a quick chat to learn more?
And finally, the breakup email.
14 multichannel steps later, I STILL couldn’t get a reply from you.
Did I miss the mark with my outreach? Or my prospecting skills are just awful, haha.
Any feedback to help me improve is appreciated!
Either way, I’ve enjoyed researching {{companyName1}}.
{{signature}}
This campaign is effective because it has a clear ICP. Therefore, every step of the sequence is targeted and tailored to a specific person (head of sales hiring SDRs) at a specific time, which will increase your positive reply rate.
The sequence includes email, LinkedIn, and cold calling steps, so no stone is left unturned.
The campaign also incorporates role play, as the SDR mentions being at “step 11” in their outreach, subtly highlighting the tool’s capability to manage complex, multi-step campaigns.
Sequence 3
This is a short and sweet three-email sequence that focuses on a highly relevant offer: A playbook to increase reply rates.
With this campaign, Nico shares actual performance metrics to add an extra layer of credibility, as it is clear that is has been thoroughly tested and does offer these results.
This campaign is best suited for marketing teams targeting sales professionals or sales consultants.
The first email begins building a connection with your lead by stating that you are both in the same boat and then introduces a common pain point: personalization at scale.
This email immediately offers value by adding a link to the playbook and its results.
Subject line: SQLs
Sales person to sales person, it’s super hard to do personalization at scale – even if you know it gets more replies.
This is the playbook we use to make it work (19% positive reply rates) with intents – I think you’ll love it: {{playbook_link}}
Take care, {{signature}}
The second email offers even more value that wasn’t included in the original playbook, which gives it a sense of exclusivity.
Didn’t include it in the playbook but you can also add video personalization like this:
This is the template a hiring agency is using:
Another video thumbnail a SaaS I know is using (most relevant for you)
They both book meetings with about 13% of their prospects with it.
I can free up some time to show you how to set up a picture like this to match the SaaS you sell.
Down to try?
Take care, {{signature}}
Finally, the third email continues to offer exclusive value by sending a short tutorial of how another company achieved positive results by using the same proposed method.
PS: Made this 2-minute video to show you how {{companyindustry}} personalized their outreach campaign to get {{result}}!
This campaign is successful because it appeals directly to its target audience by using the same language and mentioning a pain point.
Additionally, you are not selling air with this sequence, as you’re offering a proven playbook and positive metrics. This is a compelling way to get the recipient’s attention and encourage them to engage.
This campaign can be used to reach out to sales professionals for the first time or to re-engage lost leads.
Create your email sequence step by step
Now it’s time to create your own campaign!
To help you create your cold email sequence both efficiently and effectively, we’ve prepared this quick checklist to guide you through the process… should you need it of course.
Step 1: Prepare your email account
In order to avoid SPAM, you need to lay out the groundwork. This means setting up these:
Step 2: Identify your target audience and their emails
Now we need to find people you’d reach out to:
- Find your buyer persona
- Find anyone’s email
- Connect with LinkedIn prospects via cold email
- Verify email addresses to avoid bounce rate
Step 3: Start creating your outbound sales sequence
- Create a custom domain for your outreach tool
- Write perfect cold emails
- Prepare cool subject line and intro sentences
- Personalize your emails with text, images, and videos
And if you need inspiration, you will enjoy these cold email templates.
And for a last tip: When following a template, don’t limit yourself. Make them your own.
Adapt your emails to your ICP, proposal, and your own tone. Authenticity is the only thing nobody can ever take away from you!
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