How to Improve Email Personalization (Beyond First Name)

TL;DR

• Level 1 (Variables): {'{'firstName{'}'}, {'{'company{'}'} = 1% response
• Level 2 (Company): Funding, news, hiring = 2-3% response
• Level 3 (Activity): Recent posts, articles, changes = 5-6% response
• Level 4 (Pain): Specific problem they mentioned = 8-10% response
• Most emails: Stuck at Level 1 (why response rates are 1-2%)

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Level 1: Template Variables (1% Response)

What It Is

Using scraped data in templates:

• {'{'firstName{'}'} = "John"
• {'{'company{'}'} = "TechCo"
• {'{'title{'}'} = "VP Sales"
• {'{'industry{'}'} = "B2B SaaS"

Example email:

Hi {'{'firstName{'}'},

I noticed you're {'{'title{'}'} at {'{'company{'}'}. Many companies in {'{'industry{'}'} struggle with cold email response rates.

We help sales teams improve their outreach. Interested in learning more?

Why It Doesn't Work

Recipients see this 40+ times/week:

• Everyone uses same data sources (Apollo, ZoomInfo)
• Same template structure
• No evidence of genuine research

Dead giveaway: If email works with different name/company swapped = it's Level 1

Response rate: 1% (same as generic blast)

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Level 2: Company Research (2-3% Response)

What It Is

Research company-level information (5 min):

• Recent funding rounds
• Company news (acquisitions, launches)
• Job postings (what they're hiring)
• Growth signals (team size, locations)

Where to find it:

• Company website → News/Blog
• LinkedIn company page → Posts, Jobs
• Crunchbase → Funding, metrics
• Built With → Tech stack

Example email:

Hi John,

Saw TechCo raised Series B ($20M) last month and is hiring 15 SDRs. Scaling SDR teams that fast (30 → 60 reps) is hard—response rates typically drop 40-60% during rapid ramps.

Framework we built helped CompanyX maintain quality during similar growth. Worth 15 min to share?

Why It's Better

Shows you spent time:

• Can't fake funding round knowledge
• Specific numbers (15 SDRs, $20M) = credible
• Ties company event to their likely pain

Response rate: 2-3% (2-3x better than Level 1)

Limitation: Still company-level (not about THEM personally)

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Level 3: Recent Activity (5-6% Response)

What It Is

Research person's recent activity (5 min):

• LinkedIn posts (last 30 days)
• Articles they wrote/shared
• Comments they made
• Profile changes (new role, promotion)
• Company they mentioned visiting

Where to find it:

• LinkedIn → Activity section
• Twitter/X → Recent tweets
• Company blog → Author byline
• Podcast appearances
• Webinar participation

Example email:

Hi John,

Saw your post last week about Q4 SDR hiring challenges. You mentioned concern about maintaining 6% response rates as team doubles (30 → 60 reps).

Helped CompanyX solve this exact problem—they maintained 5.8% response through 2x SDR growth. Framework took 3 weeks.

Worth 15 min Tuesday to share?

Why It Works

Impossible to fake:

• Shows you read their content
• Reference specific concern they voiced
• Timing is recent (last week)

Psychological impact:

• "They actually read my post"
• "They understand my specific situation"
• "This feels relevant to me RIGHT NOW"

Response rate: 5-6% (5-6x better than Level 1)

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Level 4: Specific Pain Point (8-10% Response)

What It Is

Research to uncover specific problem they're facing:

• Recent post expressing frustration
• Question they asked publicly
• Challenge they mentioned
• Goal they stated
• Metric they shared that's concerning

How to find it (10 min research):

LinkedIn posts:

• "We're struggling with..."
• "Biggest challenge this quarter..."
• "Anyone else seeing...?"

Comments on others' posts:

• "This resonates because we're facing..."
• "We tried X and it didn't work..."

Company metrics they shared:

• "Our SDR team grew 2x but response rate dropped 40%"
• "Onboarding 45 reps in Q4"

Example email:

Hi John,

Saw your comment on Sarah's post about SDR scaling. You mentioned TechCo's response rates dropped from 6.2% to 2.8% as you grew from 30 to 60 reps, and you're concerned Q4 hiring (15 more) will drop it further.

CompanyX had this exact problem (6% → 2.4% during growth). We built a QA framework that reversed it (back to 5.8% within 5 weeks). Took 3 weeks to implement.

Worth 15 min Tuesday to walk through how they did it?

Why It's The Best

Shows deep understanding:

• Reference specific metric they shared (6.2% → 2.8%)
• Acknowledge their specific concern (Q4 making it worse)
• Offer specific solution to their specific problem

No generic claims:

• Can't send this to anyone else
• Every detail is about THEIR situation
• They know you invested time

Response rate: 8-10% (8-10x better than Level 1)

Trade-off: Takes 10 min per email (can only send 50-75/week max)

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The Personalization Ladder

| Level | Research Time | What You Find | Response Rate | Volume Possible | |-------|--------------|---------------|---------------|-----------------| | 1: Variables | 0 min | First name, company | 1% | 1,000+/week | | 2: Company | 2-3 min | Funding, hiring, news | 2-3% | 200-300/week | | 3: Activity | 5 min | Recent posts, articles | 5-6% | 100-150/week | | 4: Pain Point | 10 min | Specific problem stated | 8-10% | 50-75/week |

The trade-off: Higher personalization = better response = lower volume possible

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How to Research Efficiently

5-Minute Research Process (Level 3)

Minute 1-2: LinkedIn Activity

• Click "Activity" on their profile
• Read last 3-5 posts
• Note: Pain points, goals, challenges mentioned

Minute 3: Company News

• Google: "[Company name] news"
• Filter: Last month
• Note: Funding, hiring, launches

Minute 4: Their Role

• Review current job description
• Check "Experience" → recent changes
• Note: New responsibilities, team growth

Minute 5: Synthesize

• What pain point can you infer?
• What recent event ties to pain?
• What have they tried that failed?

10-Minute Research Process (Level 4)

Add to 5-minute process:

Minute 6-7: Engagement

• Comments they made on others' posts
• Questions they asked
• Problems they mentioned

Minute 8-9: Content They Shared

• Articles they re-shared (indicates interest)
• What aspects they highlighted
• What they agreed/disagreed with

Minute 10: Connect Dots

• Specific problem + recent trigger
• Example: "Mentioned response rates dropping + just hired 15 SDRs = scaling quality problem"

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Common Mistakes

Mistake 1: Surface-Level Company Research

What people do:

"Saw TechCo raised $20M. Congrats on the funding!"

Problem: Generic congratulations, no tie to their pain

Fix:

"Saw TechCo raised $20M and is hiring 15 SDRs. Scaling that fast typically drops response rates 40-60%. Here's how CompanyX prevented the drop..."

Mistake 2: Mentioning Activity Without Connecting to Value

What people do:

"Enjoyed your post about SDR scaling challenges."

Problem: Flattery without substance

Fix:

"Saw your post about SDR scaling. You mentioned concern about quality at 2x growth. CompanyX faced same issue—here's the framework they used..."

Mistake 3: Too Much Research, Not Enough Value

What people do:

"I read your last 10 LinkedIn posts, listened to your podcast appearance on SalesHacker, and saw you presented at SaaStr. I noticed you're passionate about sales enablement..."

Problem: Creepy, wastes their time, no clear value

Fix: Pick ONE most recent, most relevant activity. Connect it to ONE specific tactic/result you can share.

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Before/After Examples

Example 1: Level 1 → Level 4

Before (Level 1: 1% response):

Hi {'{'firstName{'}'},

I noticed you're VP Sales at {'{'company{'}'}. We help sales teams improve cold email response rates with AI coaching.

Interested in learning more?

After (Level 4: 8% response):

Hi John,

Saw your comment on Sarah's post about response rates dropping during SDR scaling. You mentioned TechCo went from 6.2% to 2.8% as you grew 30 → 60 reps.

CompanyX had exact problem (6% → 2.4%). We built QA framework that reversed it to 5.8% in 5 weeks.

Worth 15 min Tuesday to share how?

What changed:

• Specific recent activity (comment on post)
• Specific metrics they shared (6.2% → 2.8%, 30 → 60 reps)
• Specific solution to their specific problem

Example 2: Level 2 → Level 3

Before (Level 2: 2% response):

Hi Sarah,

Saw TechCo is hiring 15 SDRs. Scaling sales teams is challenging. We help maintain quality during growth.

Open to a quick call?

After (Level 3: 5% response):

Hi Sarah,

Saw your post last week about Q4 SDR hiring (15 reps in 90 days). You mentioned concern about onboarding quality at that pace.

Built onboarding framework that helped CompanyX ramp 20 SDRs in 60 days without quality drop. Took 2 weeks to implement.

Worth 15 min to share the framework?

What changed:

• From company news (hiring) to her personal post about it
• From generic concern (scaling) to specific concern (onboarding quality)
• From vague value (maintain quality) to specific result (20 reps in 60 days, no quality drop)

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FAQ

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Conclusion

4 levels of personalization:

1. Variables (0 min): 1% response
2. Company (3 min): 2-3% response
3. Activity (5 min): 5-6% response
4. Pain Point (10 min): 8-10% response

Most emails stuck at Level 1 (why average response is 1-2%)

Level 3-4 is the unlock: 5-10x better response than template variables

The trade-off: Higher personalization = lower volume possible

Best approach: Start Level 4 until you master it, then decide if volume or quality matters more for your goals.

Try Sales Scribe Free - Get feedback on personalization quality.

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Related Reading

• Write Better Cold Emails: The 5-Category Framework
• Personalization at Scale: Quality Over Quantity Approach
• Email Personalization Research: Where to Find Details