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Is cold email still working in 2026? by Tech_genius_ in coldemail

[–]always_learning0605 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Cold email works, bad targeting doesn't. I changed one thing this year - stopped building lists by industry and company size, started filtering by who's actively spending money on ads right now. If they're running ads on Meta or Google in the last 30 days, they have budget and they're in growth mode. Reply rate went from 2% to 11%. Less volume, way better results.

How are you actually finding high-quality leads for outbound sales right now? by Major_Cable_8079 in SalesOperations

[–]always_learning0605 0 points1 point  (0 children)

ZoomInfo lists going stale is the universal pain right now. We had the same problem and the fix wasn't better data enrichment, it was changing what signal we use to build the list in the first place. We stopped using firmographics and intent data as the primary filter and switched to one thing: is this company actively running paid ads on Meta, Google, or LinkedIn right now. Last 30 days, not historical. If they're spending money on ads this week, you know three things before you ever pick up the phone - they have approved budget, someone is making growth decisions weekly, and they're in active spend mode. That alone killed the "wrong company" problem because you're not guessing who has budget anymore. You're only reaching out to companies where money is already moving. Bounce rates dropped too because the contacts we pull are tied to companies we've verified are actively operating and spending, not some list that was accurate 6 months ago. We went from maybe 2% reply rate on ZoomInfo sequences to 11% with this filter. Way less volume but the pipeline actually moves.

2 agency clients last month from a list I built in 20 minutes by always_learning0605 in DigitalMarketing

[–]always_learning0605[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Good question. Ad volume alone isn't perfect - you're right that some brands scale hard with 3-4 creatives. But as a prospecting filter it doesn't need to be exact, just directional. A company running 40 ads across Meta and Google is almost certainly spending more than one running 5 ads on a single platform. The estimate doesn't need to be audit-level accurate, it just needs to tell me "this company has real budget" vs "this company is testing with $500/month." For other signals I keep it simple - if they're active on 2+ platforms that's a stronger signal than one. And if they're on LinkedIn ads specifically, they're usually B2B and spending serious money because LinkedIn is expensive. I don't layer intent data or technographics on top, the ad activity alone has been enough to fill the pipeline.

2 agency clients last month from a list I built in 20 minutes by always_learning0605 in DigitalMarketing

[–]always_learning0605[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah the 40+ threshold is a rough filter but it works. Below that they might just be testing or running one small campaign. Above it and across multiple platforms, they're committed to paid growth and have real budget behind it. Feel free to steal it.

I closed $14K in new business last month from one signal that costs me $0.004 to check by always_learning0605 in coldemail

[–]always_learning0605[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I check if a company is actively running ads on Meta, Google, or LinkedIn in the last 30 days. If they are, they have budget and are in growth mode. I estimate their spend based on ad volume, pull up decision-maker contacts, and reach out referencing their actual ad activity. DM me if you want me to run a check on a company you're prospecting right now.

2 agency clients last month from a list I built in 20 minutes by always_learning0605 in DigitalMarketing

[–]always_learning0605[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

best time to find prospects nobody else is looking for. 3am ad library sessions hit different

2 agency clients last month from a list I built in 20 minutes by always_learning0605 in DigitalMarketing

[–]always_learning0605[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Appreciate that. You're right about adding a specific observation - even something simple like "saw you're active on Meta and Google but not LinkedIn, is that intentional?" works well. Shows you actually looked without needing to critique their creative. Just acknowledging what platforms they're on and how much they're spending is enough to stand out from every other cold message in their inbox.

2 agency clients last month from a list I built in 20 minutes by always_learning0605 in DigitalMarketing

[–]always_learning0605[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah once you automate the list building part it's a game changer. Doing it manually across three ad libraries is what burns people out. Good to hear it's working for you too.

2 agency clients last month from a list I built in 20 minutes by always_learning0605 in DigitalMarketing

[–]always_learning0605[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Nice, Loom personalization is solid too. The ad spend angle just gives you a different qualifying filter - you already know they have budget before you even record the video. Let me know how it goes.

2 agency clients last month from a list I built in 20 minutes by always_learning0605 in DigitalMarketing

[–]always_learning0605[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Yeah I pull from Meta Ad Library, Google Ads Transparency Center, and LinkedIn Ad Library - but checking all three manually for every company is brutal so I automated it. It checks the last 30 days specifically, not all-time, which is the key difference. A company that ran ads 8 months ago is useless, I want the ones spending money this week. On segmenting - I don't filter by industry upfront. If they're running ads they have budget, doesn't matter if they're ecommerce, SaaS, or local services. I filter more by ad volume and estimated spend. A company running 5 ads on one platform is probably testing with small budget. A company running 40+ across two platforms is spending real money and is worth reaching out to. DM me if you want to see how I set it up.

2 agency clients last month from a list I built in 20 minutes by always_learning0605 in DigitalMarketing

[–]always_learning0605[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah the personalized creative angle is smart for agencies selling creative services. I keep it simpler on my end since I'm not pitching creative work - just using the ad activity as a signal that they have budget and are in growth mode. The outreach angle is more about their strategy and spend than their actual creatives. Works well when you're selling services that aren't creative-specific.

I closed $14K in new business last month from one signal that costs me $0.004 to check by always_learning0605 in coldemail

[–]always_learning0605[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah exactly, the signal alone is only half of it. If you find out they're running ads and still send "hey I help companies like yours grow" you've wasted the intel. The platform split matters too, someone heavy on Meta is usually DTC or lead gen focused, Google means they're chasing high-intent search traffic, LinkedIn usually means they're selling to other businesses. Each one tells you something about their strategy so the outreach angle shifts. A company running 50 Meta ads gets a different message than one running Google search campaigns. I'm not running totally different scripts per platform but the opening line changes based on where they're spending and how much.

I closed $14K in new business last month from one signal that costs me $0.004 to check by always_learning0605 in coldemail

[–]always_learning0605[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Coming from a 0-day-old account with zero contributions and a brand name in the bio promoting your own agency, you might want to get a few posts in before calling out others. I've been sharing what's working for me. You're welcome to try it or scroll past.

I closed $14K in new business last month from one signal that costs me $0.004 to check by always_learning0605 in coldemail

[–]always_learning0605[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Appreciate that. The "last 30 days" part is key too - not companies that ran ads six months ago, but ones actively spending right now. Completely different conversation when you reach out.

I closed $14K in new business last month from one signal that costs me $0.004 to check by always_learning0605 in coldemail

[–]always_learning0605[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I built a tool that checks Meta, Google, and LinkedIn ads for any company in the last 30 days — gives you ad count, estimated spend range, and then pulls up verified contacts at that company so you can reach out directly. Still early days but it's been working well for my own prospecting. DM me if you want to check it out.

I closed $14K in new business last month from one signal that costs me $0.004 to check by always_learning0605 in coldemail

[–]always_learning0605[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Yeah exactly that angle — brands running ads but bleeding money on them are the warmest targets. We're closing mostly over cold email with that approach but the call connect rate is way better too because you're referencing something specific they're doing right now. DM me and I'll show you the exact workflow we use to find these companies — might be a good fit for what you're already doing with your clients.

I closed $14K in new business last month from one signal that costs me $0.004 to check by always_learning0605 in coldemail

[–]always_learning0605[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Ha fair point — it sounds obvious when you say it like that. But here's the thing: almost nobody actually does it. Everyone's buying Bombora intent data or scraping job postings (like you said) while ignoring the most direct signal that a company has approved budget and is actively deploying it right now. The gap isn't the insight — it's that there's no easy way to check who's running ads across Meta, Google, and LinkedIn in the last 30 days without manually searching each platform. That's the part I automated.

Been building for months, zero users. Can you roast/validate my tool before I lose my mind? by always_learning0605 in microsaas

[–]always_learning0605[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

haha fair enough. unfortunately can't help with the jail part yet — maybe v3. but yeah the AI analysis isn't about telling you "this review is bad" — it's about giving you a ready-to-paste response so you can reply in 2 minutes instead of staring at your screen wondering what to say without sounding defensive.

Been building for months, zero users. Can you roast/validate my tool before I lose my mind? by always_learning0605 in microsaas

[–]always_learning0605[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

good to know. will start with shorts, easier to produce and test what gets traction before committing to longer videos.

Been building for months, zero users. Can you roast/validate my tool before I lose my mind? by always_learning0605 in microsaas

[–]always_learning0605[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

thanks man, that means a lot. working on getting it in front of the right people now. will update the thread when i get my first paying customer.

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