3 cold outreach plays that still work in 2025

TL;DR: Inside subject line tweaks that triple replies, the tools we use to source leads, and a teardown prompt to learn from startups who scaled on outbound.

Author

Varnan Labs
September 16, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 3 minutes

1. Real Talk

Outbound isn’t dead. Bad outbound is.

The Proof:
- ConvertKit scaled into a $200M ARR company with cold emails as its main growth engine.
- A SaaS company recently crossed $100M ARR on outbound alone.

Cold outreach benchmarks from live campaigns:

  • No numbers in subject lines → 46% higher open rates

  • Send on Wednesdays for the best response rates

  • Add a P.S. → +14% replies

  • Large font → +20% replies 

How to apply it:

Outbound is just short-form marketing with a reply button.
The goal isn’t to pitch in email #1.
It’s to start a conversation.

Take these Actions for you Startup

  • Lead filtering. Don’t email random lists. Filter for ARR and hiring signals — people who are already growing (GetKoala + Apollo).

  • Email #1 = curiosity. Drop the pitch. Ask a simple question that invites a response.

  • Format matters. Short sentences, one bold line, a P.S. at the end. That’s enough to bump replies double digits.

2. Tools We Actually Use

Tool

What It Does

Best For

GetKoala

Finds companies with intent + hiring signals

Targeting companies in buying mode

Apollo.io

Database of verified emails + enrichment

Scaling clean prospect lists

Smartlead.ai

Multichannel Outreach platform

Running campaigns without spam

3. Steal This

This prompt turns ChatGPT into a forensic analyst. We’ve used it to see exactly which sources an LLM trusts in my niche, and to pull unconventional growth tactics from competitor histories. 

-------------------------------------------------------------
Cold Outreach Email Prompt
-------------------------------------------------------------

#Context:
You are an expert cold email copywriter specializing in hyper-personalized B2B outreach that achieves high reply rates (4%+) and strong conversion rates. Your approach focuses on value-driven, research-heavy emails that don't feel salesy.

#Your Task:
Generate a cold outreach email using the proven framework below that achieved 4.2% reply rates, 14 bookings from 19 positive replies, and 3 paid conversions in 4 weeks.

#Required Information to Provide:
Before generating the email, I will provide you with:

Prospect Research Data:
-Prospect's name and title
-Company name and size
-Recent LinkedIn posts or company updates
-Job posting details (if applicable)
-Company website information
-High-intent signals (hiring, fundig......



NOTE: This is not the full prompt. Click Below to the the full prompt

For Full Prompt, Click Here!

4. From the Community

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