Cold Emailing is Dead

9/9/2025

Over the last six months I’ve sent more than 600 cold emails for my business. In my role at Thomson Reuters, I also send dozens or hundreds of messages every month. The difference in response is night and day.

When I’m reaching out on behalf of Thomson Reuters, DM’ing people directly works very well. Almost everyone in the legal industry knows who we are, so there’s already brand recognition and a layer of trust built in. People are much more willing to reply because they understand the context.

But when I’ve tried the same approach for my own business, it falls flat. Nobody knows who I am yet, and cold outreach without that trust rarely goes anywhere. A few conversations here and there, one proposal sent, but mostly silence.

That has taught me something important: outreach only works if the context is right. If there’s already awareness and trust, a message can land. If there isn’t, it almost never will.

So what does work for my own business?

Meeting people in person at industry events. Those connections stick better.

Building a body of content on LinkedIn and elsewhere so people start to recognize me.

Following up with people I’ve already crossed paths with instead of randomly messaging people.

Cold emailing isn’t literally dead, but it’s close. Context and trust make all the difference. If you have that, even a short DM can work. If you don’t, you’re better off putting your energy into showing up in person and building recognition over time.