How 4x your cold email results with A/B testing

Read time: 3 minutes

Welcome To The Clever Letter!

Every Saturday, we’ll share an actionable lead generation guide that’ll help get your first (or next) 100 customers so you can take your business to the next level. This newsletter will remain Free forever. We hope you enjoy!

Have you ever wondered why some of your cold emails are successful while others are not?

It's like throwing darts - sometimes you hit the bullseye, and sometimes you miss the board.

But what if there was a way to improve your aim?

That's called A/B testing!

So, What is A/B Testing?

A/B testing is when you compare two different versions of your email and see which one gets more responses.

You could change the subject line in one or the CTA in another.

Then, you send these two versions to different parts of your audience and see which one gets more responses.

Imagine running a shoe store and pondering whether to advertise a "buy one, get one free" deal or a "50% off your second pair" deal via a cold email.

If you're unsure which one will draw in more customers, instead of guessing, you can use A/B testing to send both emails to different groups and see which one gets more engagement.

This way, your decisions are driven by data, not just intuition.

Getting Started with A/B Testing for Cold Emails

A/B testing can seem complex initially, but it's a breeze once you get the hang of it.

Here's a straightforward guide to help you get started:

Step 1: Pick One Aspect to Test 

Select one feature of your email to alter:

• The subject line

• The call-to-action

• The email's timing.

Ensure to test only one element at a time to precisely identify what influenced the performance differences.

Step 2: Write Two Email Versions 

Create two email versions - one with the original feature and another with the changed feature.

Consider these as your two race contestants.

Step 3: Divide Your Audience 

Split your email list into two similar groups.

Then send version A to one group, and version B to the other.

Step 4: Dispatch Your Emails and Gather Data 

After sending out your emails, it's time to sit back and monitor the race!

Keep track of which version gets more opens, clicks, and replies.

Now that we've covered the basics of A/B testing, let's explore the 5 crucial metrics you should pay attention to when reviewing your cold email campaigns:

Cold Email Benchmarking

1. Open Rate - This metric indicates the percentage of recipients who open your emails.

A good target is above 60%.

If you're below 40%, you might need to rethink your subject lines or the quality of your email list.

2. Reply Rate - The reply rate represents the proportion of total sent emails that receive a reply.

Aim for a reply rate of 20% or more.

To improve this, you could test different calls-to-action or improve the quality of your email list.

3. Adjusted Reply Rate - This rate provides a more accurate measure of your email's effectiveness by showing how many replies you receive relative to the number of opened emails.

To boost this metric, consider A/B testing different emails.

4. Positive Reply Rate - This rate compares positive replies to negative ones.

Aim for a positive reply rate of 50% or more.

To enhance this rate, test different call-to-actions and include social proof in your emails.

5. Bounce Rate - The bounce rate indicates the percentage of total sent emails that don’t reach recipients' inboxes.

A good bounce rate is below 3-5%.

To improve this, ensure your email list is verified and accurate.

Final Thoughts

A/B testing is a powerful tool that can help improve the effectiveness of your cold emails.

By testing different aspects of your email and analyzing the results, you can make data-driven decisions and increase your response rates.

Pay attention to your open rate, reply rate, adjusted reply rate, positive reply rate, and bounce rate to accurately assess the effectiveness of your email campaigns.

With these simple tips and tricks in mind, your cold email response rates will go through the roof!

Happy testing!

See you next week!

Whenever you are ready, there are 3 ways we can help you:

1. Cold Email Lead Generation - Get booked sales calls with your ideal clients on a pay-per-lead basis. No monthly fees. You only pay a fixed fee whenever you response from your ideal customer. Click here to learn more.
   

2. LinkedIn Content Service - Want to build an audience of 10,000 engaged prospects? Get attention-grabbing LinkedIn content done-for-you that scales your personal brand and drives interested prospects to message you. Click here to learn more.
   

3. LinkedIn Paid Advertising - Want to get in front of prospects you never thought possible? Our irresistible LinkedIn Ad funnels will help you grow your business rapidly. Click here to learn more.