I’m trying to figure out the most effective methods for professional outreach and could use some guidance.
What approaches work best when contacting people in different industries? I’m curious if the tactics should change depending on whether you’re targeting investment banking, consulting, technology companies, or venture capital firms.
Do you typically reach out to people you’ve already met, or is cold outreach still effective? I’m also wondering about the best communication channels - should I stick with LinkedIn messages or try direct email instead? It seems like larger companies might have different preferences compared to smaller organizations.
One major issue I’m facing is making sure my emails actually reach the right person. Many companies use general email addresses that make it hard to confirm if you have the correct contact information. Has anyone found reliable methods or tools to verify email addresses before sending outreach messages?
Thanks for any tips you can share!
Timing and follow-up make a huge difference. Send emails Tuesday-Thursday between 10-11 AM or 3-4 PM - you’ll get way better response rates. Drop mutual connections or recent company wins in your subject line and you’ll see a 30% increase in open rates. Hunter.io and Clearbit Connect are great for email verification, working about 85-90% of the time. Tech professionals typically prefer short, concise messages, while those in finance and consulting appreciate a more formal tone with clear value propositions. Instead of asking for vague “advice,” be specific about what you need and outline the next steps. Follow up once after a week, then move on. Most importantly, personalize each message with recent company news or relevant projects they’ve worked on. This shows you genuinely care rather than just sending mass emails.
Warm introductions destroy cold emails every time. Alumni networks and current contacts get me way better results than going in blind. LinkedIn works better than email - people aren’t as defensive and you can tell if they’re actually using it. Here’s what works: comment on their posts first, then message them a few days later. Creates familiarity without being annoying. Don’t skip industry events or webinars either - I’ve gotten responses from virtual “meetings” that would’ve ignored cold outreach completely. Build some connection first, even a tiny one.
the subject line makes or breaks evrything - people decide whether to open ur email based on that alone. try “quick q about [specific proj they worked on]” instead of generic garbage. don’t sleep on twitter/x for tech people either - they’re often way more active there than linkedin. here’s a trick that’s worked for me: find their company directory online and figure out the email format (usually firstname.lastname@company.com). works about 70% of the time.