Look, I’ll be straight with you. Most cold emailing is rubbish.
You’ve probably seen it yourself. You open your inbox on a Tuesday morning and there are ten messages from people you don’t know, trying to sell you things you don’t want, using names they’ve clearly scraped from a dodgy list.
It’s annoying. It’s clutter. And most importantly for you, as a business owner, it’s a massive waste of money if you’re the one sending them.
If you’ve tried cold emailing before and got nothing but crickets—or worse, got your domain blacklisted so you couldn't even email your own mum—I get it. It’s frustrating. But here’s the thing: cold email isn't dead. It’s just that the old way of doing it is a one-way ticket to the spam folder.
I’m sitting here in Paddington, thinking about how many Brisbane businesses I’ve seen burn their reputation by being too aggressive or too tech-heavy with their emails. We’ve helped plenty of clients fix this, and honestly? It usually comes down to doing less, but doing it better.
The Game Has Changed (And Google Is Winning)
Google and Microsoft recently changed the rules. They aren't playing around anymore. If you send too many emails and too many people hit ‘Report Spam’, they’ll basically delete your ability to send mail.
In the old days, you could blast out 5,000 emails and if one person replied, you’d call it a win. Today? That’ll get you banned in about twenty minutes.
You need to understand that your email address has a ‘reputation’ score. Every time you send an email that gets ignored or blocked, that score drops. When it gets low enough, Google just assumes everything you say is junk.
So, how do we fix it? We stop acting like robots and start acting like locals.
Why Your Emails Are Currently Going to Spam
Before we talk about how to do it right, let’s talk about why you’re failing right now.
First, your technical setup is probably non-existent. There are these little digital signatures called SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. I won't bore you with what they stand for, but think of them like a digital driver’s licence. If you don’t have them, Google thinks you’re a car thief and won’t let you onto the road.
Second, you’re probably using a ‘free’ tool or a cheap platform that shares its reputation with thousands of other spammers. If the guy next to you is selling dodgy pills, Google is going to look at you sideways too. Understanding your email platform costs is the first step to realizing that 'free' usually ends up costing you more in lost business.
Third, your message sounds like a sales pitch. Nobody likes being sold to, especially not by a stranger while they're trying to clear their morning admin.
The 'Warm Up' Period: Don't Rush In
You can’t just buy a new domain today and send 100 emails tomorrow. That’s the fastest way to get flagged.
You have to 'warm up' your email. This means sending a few emails a day to people you know will reply, and slowly increasing that number over a month. It’s like going to the gym. You don’t walk in and try to bench 150kg on day one. You start with the bar.
We tell our clients to spend at least three weeks warming up a new email account before they even think about sending a cold pitch. It’s boring, but it works. It proves to the big tech companies that you’re a real person having real conversations.
Writing Like a Human (Not a Bot)
This is where most people mess up. They use templates they found online that start with "I hope this email finds you well."
Nobody says that in real life. If you walked into a shop in Milton and said that to the owner, they’d think you were weird.
Keep it short. Keep it local. Mention something specific.
Instead of: "We are a premier digital solutions provider looking to synergise with your brand."
Try: "Hey, I drove past your shop on Given Terrace yesterday and noticed your signage looks great. I had a quick idea about how to get more people through the door on weekdays. Do you have five minutes for a quick chat?"
See the difference? One is a brochure. The other is a conversation.
"If your email looks like it was written for a thousand people, it'll get treated like junk by a thousand people—personalization isn't a feature, it's the whole job."
— Lisa Nguyen, Digital Strategy Consultant
The Importance of a Clean List
Where are you getting your names and numbers from? If you bought a list for fifty bucks from some guy on the internet, throw it away.
Those lists are full of 'spam traps'. These are email addresses that don't belong to real people. They exist solely to catch spammers. If you send an email to one of those, you’re instantly flagged.
You’re much better off spending an hour on LinkedIn or Google Maps finding twenty real businesses in Brisbane that you actually want to work with. Quality over quantity. Every single time.
When you focus on the right people, you start making money instead of just making noise. It’s about the return on your time, not the number of ‘sends’ in your software.
The Technical Bits (The 'Boring' Stuff That Matters)
I promised no jargon, so I’ll keep this simple.
1. Use a separate domain. Don’t send cold emails from your main business email (e.g., yourname@yourbusiness.com.au). If you get blocked, you won't be able to send invoices or talk to existing clients. Buy a 'lookalike' domain like yourbusiness.net or getyourbusiness.com.
2. Check your settings. Ask your IT person (or us) if your SPF and DKIM are set up. If they look at you blankly, find someone else. It’s the digital equivalent of making sure your van is registered and has plates.
3. Avoid the 'Spammy' words. Words like 'Free', 'Guarantee', 'Winner', and 'Act Now' are like red flags to a bull. Google sees those and automatically puts you in the bin.
4. No attachments or weird links. Don't send a PDF of your brochure in the first email. It looks suspicious. Just ask a question. The goal of the first email isn't to sell; it's to get a reply.
How to Measure Success
Stop looking at 'Open Rates'. They’re mostly fake anyway. Software often 'opens' emails to check them for viruses, which messes up your stats.
The only number that matters is how many people replied and said, "Yeah, I'm interested, give me a call."
If you send 50 emails and get 2 phone calls, that’s a massive win. If you send 5,000 and get 0 calls, you’re just wasting electricity and risking your reputation.
When you get those replies, you can start to turn buyers into regulars by following up properly. But you have to get that first 'hello' right first.
My Honest Take: Is it Worth It?
For most small businesses in Brisbane—whether you’re a sparky, a lawyer, or run a boutique—cold email can work, but it shouldn't be your only play.
It takes time to set up properly. It takes discipline to write the emails. And it takes thick skin because some people will tell you to bugger off.
But if you do it the way I’ve described—slowly, personally, and technically sound—it’s one of the cheapest ways to get your foot in the door with customers who didn't even know you existed.
What Should You Do First?
If you’re ready to try this, here is your checklist:
1. Buy a secondary domain. Don't risk your main business email. 2. Set up the 'licencing'. Get those SPF/DKIM records sorted. 3. Warm it up. Spend 3-4 weeks sending normal emails before you pitch. 4. Find 10 real prospects. Not 1,000. Just 10. 5. Write a 3-line email. No fluff. No 'hope you're well'. Just a direct question about a problem they have.
Look, marketing doesn't have to be a headache. It just needs to be human. If you treat people's inboxes with a bit of respect, they’ll usually return the favour.
If this sounds like a lot of mucking around and you’d rather just focus on running your business, that’s what we’re here for. We handle the technical headaches and the writing so you just get the phone calls.
Give us a shout at Local Marketing Group if you want to chat about getting your emails into the right inboxes. You can find us at https://lmgroup.au/contact.