Is Cold Email Spam?

As business owners we are all trying to get the word out.

One technique is to send "cold emails" to a list of prospects you think might be interested.

But is it spam?

By definition yes, if they are unsolicited, commercial, and sent out in bulk, it's spam. Doesn't matter how much you, your boss, or your marketing consultant rationalizes it, it's still spam.

Sure, it might be less annoying than door-to-door sales, or cold calls, but it's still annoying.

Even still, spam is not going to stop any time soon, it's a cheap way to get the word out. Some folks (maybe most) are probably okay with it. If they get a cold email and they're not interested, they just delete it.

However, there is a small percentage that will instantly mark it as spam, then delete it... Which throws a red flag to your email provider, and sends every other email from you straight to the spam folder.

That's exactly why some people who send cold emails resort to gaming the system by flipping different email addresses, warming their new emails, and sending a gradual increase of bulk email through SMTP servers.

Is that nuts or what?

Well, apparently it still works. It all depends on what you offer and who you offer it to.

Personally, I don't mark cold emails as spam unless it is really bad. For example:

• They don't research what we do, and try to sell us a competitive product

• They don't include a phone number and/or physical address

• They don't offer a way to unsubscribe

• They don't identify their company name, first name, and last name

• They include any kind of link

Anyhow, if I haven't talked you out of the idea, good luck with your outreach.

Just consider the possibility that a better alternative exists, you just have to be more creative, and less annoying.