You’ve built an email campaign that looks good on PowerPoint, but shockingly, after launching the campaign, you realise that you have barely converted any leads. 

While it’s easy to blame it on needing “better automation,” know that automation alone isn’t magic. In fact, without a solid strategy, automation can worsen things.

As Instantly’s Co-Founder puts it, “Automation is, by definition, a multiplier. If your strategy is sound, it helps you scale smart. But if your targeting is sloppy, your message is off, or your cadence is broken, all automation does is help you annoy prospects faster and louder.”

In reality, your email outreach campaigns may be failing due to several reasons, which this article will outline. 

Here, you’ll discover how Instantly, one of the best email marketing tools, provides you with all the infrastructure you need to set up successful campaigns from start to finish. 

You’ll also learn how to strategize better to create email outreach campaigns that will have your potential customers begging you to take their money.

Why Do Email Outreach Campaigns Fail?

Most email outreach campaigns fail due to avoidable mistakes like:

• Poor List Quality: Mass-sending emails to unfiltered contacts might seem like a numbers game, but it leads to low engagement and poor deliverability. You miss the people who actually care.
  
  

• Non-Personalized Messaging: If your message tries to speak to everyone, it speaks to no one. Write your content to resonate with a specific audience, so that it feels relevant and personal.
  
  

• Weak Calls to Action: Without a clear CTA, recipients won’t know what to do next. Should they sign up, book a call, or make a purchase? Spell it out.
  
  

• No Follow-Ups: Many leads need more than one nudge. Sending 1-3 follow-up emails (without spamming) can dramatically improve conversion rates.
  
  

• Poor Sender Reputation: High bounce rates or spam complaints can harm your domain's credibility, reducing deliverability and killing your chances of reaching inboxes.

6 Ways to Create Email Outreach Campaigns That Convert

Now that we know why email campaigns fail, let’s explore how to set yours up for success:

 1. Always Segment Your Email List 

Mailing the same offer to an entire list means that many recipients may find your message irrelevant. Of course, when the message doesn’t resonate, the CTA will likely be ignored.

For example, if your list comprises people from different industries, offering a 50% discount on a coding course might be irrelevant to videographers on your list. Hence, they won’t convert.

Here’s how to segment your list for better email conversions:

• Avoid generic, bulk lists.

• Go niche. Filter your contacts by metrics such as Industry, Job role/title, Company size, or Location. 

• Leverage customer data on behavior to create precise buyer personas.

• Personalize your emails.

Lastly, list hygiene is just as important. Outdated or disengaged contacts can negatively impact your deliverability. So, always remove inactive email addresses to keep your list clean and improve conversions.

 2. Craft Personalized and Mobile-Optimized Email Copy 

Source: Unsplash

Before sending out your email, ensure you do your due diligence to gather relevant data on your readers. Making your emails feel more personal and tailored encourages readers to engage with them more effectively.

Thankfully, Instantly offers lead enrichment services. This means you can upload your email list, and Instantly will enrich the contacts with detailed insights, such as job titles, company names, and demographics. You can then use this information to create more personalized emails.

Additionally, a significant portion of your audience will likely read your emails on their phones, so ensure your emails are mobile-friendly. To ensure the best mobile experience:

• Use shorter sentences for easy scanning

• Keep subject lines under 50 characters to grab attention.

• Ensure CTAs are always clear.

3. Create a Sense of Urgency in Your Email

One thing you need to understand when marketing your product or service is that people tend to procrastinate, and as a result, they might not take up your offer in time. Even if your email contains valuable offers, without urgency, your audience might procrastinate taking action, leading to low conversion rates.

To beat this, introduce a time-sensitive element in your offer to create urgency. Consider offering a free product or a special discount to early birds to make your tactics more effective. 

Here are some examples: 

• “Only 3 spots left!”

• “The offer expires in 2 days!”

• “Exclusive access for early adopters!”

• “Special 15% discount for the first 100 subscribers!”

A little caveat here: never create a false sense of urgency; it could backfire. Ensure that whenever you say your offer ends, it ends. 

 4. Pick The Perfect Time to Send Your Emails

Knowing the best time to send out your emails can be super helpful. With inboxes overflowing, if you send your emails at a time when your recipients are busy, your message could easily get buried. 

The result? Low open and click-through rates. Both of which are indicators of poor lead conversion. 

So, how do you determine the best time to send your emails?

Well, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer. The perfect time depends on factors such as your industry, the audience's time zone, and niche. You need to experiment with different times and even days to discover when your conversions are peak.

 5. Find the Right Email Cadence 

It’s unlikely that leads will convert after receiving just one email. That’s why sending multiple follow-up emails is necessary.

However, the frequency (cadence) of these follow-ups can be tricky. Spam leads with frequent emails, and they could get irritated and unsubscribe. Send follow-ups once in a blue moon, and your audience may forget about your brand altogether.

Your best bet is to find a perfect frequency that keeps you top of mind without annoying your readers. 

But don’t wing it. Test multiple email cadences and stick to one that works best for your audience.

6. Regularly Analyze and Optimize Your Campaign

Source: Unsplash

Creating a successful email outreach campaign isn’t a one-time event. For long-term success, regularly monitor your results and adjust them as needed to achieve the best results.

To do this effectively, focus on key conversion metrics such as open rates, click-through rates, response rates, and conversion rates. 

By closely monitoring these metrics, you can identify areas that require adjustments. For instance, with Instantly, you can perform A/B tests on subject lines, email copy, CTAs, and sending times, through an AI-optimized analytics dashboard, to see what resonates best with your audience. 

Maximize Your Email Outreach Efforts 

Creating a high-converting email outreach campaign relies on well-thought-out strategies. From curating a targeted list and crafting personalized, mobile-optimized copy to perfecting your send time, follow-up cadences, and campaign analysis, every detail plays a critical role in turning leads into conversions.

To streamline these strategies and processes, Instantly is your sure bet. With its AI-powered tools, you can craft tailored emails at scale, automate thoughtful follow-ups, and perform analysis and optimization when you need to all with less effort.