Overcoming cold email fatigue and inbox overload

Cold email isn’t dead. But tell me honestly, when was the last time you replied to one? Back in 2020, I generated $556,000 in revenue through cold outreach. Cold emails. Cold DMs. Cold calls. It worked, because the world wasn’t so noisy. Fast forward to 2025? Those same inboxes are flooded. Spam filters are smarter. Buyers? They’ve stopped caring. Now we’re seeing this: 556,000 cold messages being received. Zero traction. Zero trust. Zero pipeline. So what changed? The buyer. 1. They don’t want to be interrupted. 2. They want to discover you. On their terms. In their world. Here’s how to flip the script: ✅ Create content that attracts your ICP ✅ Post where your buyers already hang out (hint: LinkedIn) ✅ Use buying signals to start conversations that don’t feel cold This isn’t about less outreach. It’s about better timing and warmer intent. Because when your name keeps showing up on LinkedIn? That cold DM doesn’t feel cold anymore. It feels familiar. Buyers want to make the first move. You just have to make it easy. Adapt or die isn’t just a slogan. It’s the new sales playbook. _______________________________ I am James Farnfield, I am building Shake Content, a LinkedIn content agency that creates posts, videos, webinars, and podcasts. All wrapped in a beautiful marketing strategy perfect for time-poor, resource-strained B2B high-growth leaders and their teams.

I’m not saying cold email is dead, but if it’s your only channel you are in trouble. Even if you hit the “primary inbox,” many execs are filtering you out. All that time researching and perfecting a timely, relevant, personalized message and you’ll get left unread. Obviously this isn’t only an email problem. Some execs will never answer their phone. Some never check LinkedIn. You don’t know their communication preferences when you reach out. My advice is to follow these rules: 1) Multi-channel every prospect (email, LinkedIn, call) Use all channels, but do more with LinkedIn and calls than email. Most sellers have a ratio of 10 emails / 2 calls / 1 LinkedIn messages across their sequences. I recommend 2 emails / 8 calls / 3 LinkedIn messages. Don’t go crazy getting the ratio exact. But, if you are doing way more emails than anything else, you are not playing the odds. 2) No wasted touches (e.g., automated generic emails, calls with no VM left) It’s easy to feel busy loading prospects into automated, multi-touch sequences. It’s easy to rip through a bunch of dials to a stale list, knowing no one is going to answer. It’s hard to make every touch intentional, relevant, and valuable. Which one do you think is going to break through the noise? 3) Do what AI can’t Less: “Saw you went to Ohio State - how about that championship game? Btw, we offer the first proprietary…” More: “I spoke with Alice and learned the team is working towards [outcome] but running into [pain]. We helped [customer] achieve outcome by [customer story].” AI tools have already replaced average outreach. So you need to obsess with beating average. Or you will be left behind.

Most people dread opening their inbox. No wonder—the average professional spends over 3 hours daily on email, with half that time completely wasted. But email overload isn't inevitable. It's a mathematical equation we can solve. I call it the TNT formula. To reduce the total time spent on email (T), we need to address both variables: the number of messages we receive (N) and the time we spend per message (t). Here's what works: - Open up office hours instead of endless email chains - Delay delivery to slow down the email ping-pong - Tag emails by urgency ("Today" or "This Week") - Process emails in batches during scheduled times By treating email management as a formula rather than an endless task, we can dramatically reduce time spent in our inboxes. Make your inbox work for you, not the other way around.

Sent 1,000 emails and gotten ZERO responses? Does cold-mailing even work? If you’re sending 1,000+ emails aimlessly with the same old AI-generated template, then no. But if you’re actually putting in the effort to customize your email—tailoring it to the company and reaching out to the right people—then yes, cold-mailing can absolutely work! Here’s how to stop spamming recruiters and start actually getting responses: 1. Be Unique Recruiters get hundreds of emails daily. Sure, a great resume makes you stand out, but only if someone actually opens your email. Don’t just slap your name on a generic template. Write something that sounds like you. Show that you’ve done a bit of research, and add a personal touch. Basically, don’t sound like a robot. 2. Find the Right Person Fun fact: HR isn’t always the best target—they’re already drowning in emails. Instead, look for someone who actually works in the department you’re aiming for. Better yet, see if you have any mutual connections, like alumni from your school or university. You want your email to end up with someone who has a reason to care, not someone who’s just trying to hit “Inbox Zero.” 3. Keep It Short Nobody likes long, boring emails. Think about your own inbox—do you want to read a boring novel first thing in the morning? Keep your cold email short, sweet, and engaging. Say who you are, why you’re reaching out, and what value you bring—in as few words as possible. 4. Give, Don’t Just Take Don’t just list your qualifications and say, “Hire me!” Instead, show what you can offer. Maybe you’ve noticed a challenge the company is facing—mention it and propose a solution. Demonstrate your value upfront. It’s like saying, “Here’s how I can help,” rather than just, “I need a job.” 5. Subject Lines Matter Your subject line should make them curious without being cringy. Something like “Your Next Best Hire Is Here” works if the role involves creativity. For other jobs, keep it straightforward but intriguing. Make them want to click. 6. Follow Up (Without Being a Nuisance) Following up is crucial, but don’t go overboard. A gentle nudge after a week or so shows genuine interest—not desperation. It’s a fine line, but one follow-up can make all the difference. Bonus Tip: Timing is everything! Sending emails between 9 am and 5 pm usually works best. But sometimes, sending one at a weird hour (like 11 pm) might actually catch someone’s attention. Try a few times and see what works. Still have doubts? DM me, and I’ll share the link to my essential email and LinkedIn template guide, which has helped many people land internships and job opportunities—even at BIG4 companies. Cold-mailing isn’t easy, but if you do it right, it can be pretty effective. The key? Be authentic, be thoughtful, and remember—you’re talking to a human, not a hiring machine. Follow Palak Gupta for more such career advice! #coldemail #networking

If you're feeling stressed, bombarded and drowning in digital information. Here’s what you can do.👇🏻 If, like me, every single day you are getting a steady relentless stream of notifications your different devices - emails from work and personal email inboxes, IMs, DMs from iMessage, WhatsApp, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, X, publications, newsletters…. You’re overwhelmed already. You want to, need to be focused but you're scattered. How do you: - Prioritise and keep on top of it all? - Not miss anything? - Reply to everything? - Do the rest of your job with focus, productively? - Not be overwhelmed? - Have anxiety-free sleep? This is the vicious cycle you’re feeling: 1. Deluge: You have overwhelm over the volume of information, the number of unsorted emails, messages, notifications, etc. your getting. 2. Fractured Focus: Your attention jumps between tasks, you’re unable to fully engage or concentrate on any one thing, you’re context-shifting. 3. Paralysis: Information overload leads to rising cortisol levels, inaction, procrastination. 4. Frazzled: Your anxiety rises as your attention span shrinks, your senses are narrowing. 5. Superficial Responses: Meaningful, thoughtful replies go out the window, and your decision-making compromises. 6. Drowning: You slow down even further as more demands pile up while your focus crumbles further, stress levels are rising. And the cycle starts all over again. Relentless information overload isn't just annoying - it's making us dumber, unproductive and stressed. It doesn’t respect the 9am – 6pm. You’re not alone either, the average person consumes three times more information now than they did 50 years ago. (Source: The Information Overload Research Group). 🖐🏻 But it doesn’t have to be like this. You can stop this Information Overload Cycle right now. ✅ Prioritise Ruthlessly: Focus on high-impact tasks, filter out the rest. ✅ Batch and Schedule: Dedicate specific times for email, social media, etc. ✅ Unsubscribe and Filter: Delete useless information sources, set email filters. ✅ Focus First: Timebox tasks, eliminate distractions, minimise context-switching. ✅ Offline Recharge: Schedule regular breaks, disconnect to refocus. ✅ Prioritise Selfcare: Embrace relaxation to manage stress and get good quality sleep. Remember, you're not alone and you’re not a machine. You can take back control and focus from the 24/7 bombardment of your devices! Tell me, how do you manage information overload? Please share your tips in the comments.

Cold Email in 2025 doesn’t feel like you’re breaking the ice. It feels like you’re standing in front of a frozen wall - and you’ve only got seconds to make it crack. - Inboxes are flooded. - Prospects are overwhelmed. - Spam filters are smarter than ever. If your cold emails feel like a pitch, look like a template, or ask for too much too soon - they’re getting deleted. But cold emails still work. You just have to write ones people actually want to open. Here’s how we’re breaking through: 🔥 Relevance over reach. → Use job changes, tech stack, hiring signals to trigger timing. 🔥 Clarity over cleverness. → Say why you’re reaching out - and why now, in the first two lines. 🔥 Personalization that goes beyond {{First_Name}}. → Connect their pain to your offer with one sharp, specific insight. 🔥 Low-friction CTA. → No one wants to “jump on a call.” Ask a simple question instead. I took this photo mid-expedition in Svalbard. The ice was real. But the metaphor hits harder. Cold Email isn’t dead. It’s just frozen - unless you know how to break through.

Email isn’t going away anytime soon. But it doesn’t have to run your day. Try these 5 habits to take back control of your inbox and reduce the overwhelm. They’ll save you time, sharpen your focus, and help you feel on top of your game. (And yes, they actually work.) 𝐄 – Exit your inbox • Schedule 3–4 set times to process email (AKA batching). • Stay out of your inbox in between. • This one shift boosts focus and wins back loads of time. (You’re welcome.) 𝐌 – Mute notifications • Turn off email alerts (yes, on both desktop and phone). • Fewer dings = fewer distractions. • You’ll stop playing inbox defence and feel more in control. 𝐀 – Apply the 4 Ds • Read once, then:  • Delete  • Do  • Delegate  • Defer • Defer with intention. Use a task app. Or add a category if you write your to-dos by hand. • Decide and move on. 𝐈 – Integrate simple systems • File emails in just 1 folder! Feels counterintuitive, but it saves time. • Use rules or filters to triage and stay organised automatically. • A few smart systems = a calmer inbox. 𝐋 – Leverage AI to draft emails • Let AI write the first draft, then make it yours. • Use BLUF: start with the bottom line up front (AI helps with this!) • Clear replies, less mental load, faster responses • Try Smart Compose (Gmail) or QuickSteps (Outlook) to speed up repeat replies. 💙 Thanks for reading. 💬 What’s your favourite timesaving email tip? Share it in the comments. ♻️ Repost to help your network master their inbox too.