Elevate Your Email Outreach: Best Practices for SDRs and B2B Sales Teams

Despite the recently enforced spam policies and firewalls, email outreach remains a vital channel for generating leads, nurturing prospects, and moving them along the sales cycle—especially for SDRs, BDRs, and inside sales teams in B2B. When combined with outbound cold calling strategies and a robust business development framework, effective email outreach can significantly boost open and reply rates, feeding more qualified opportunities into your pipeline. Below are best practices to keep in mind, incorporating both technical considerations and strategic messaging tips.

1. Format & Structure

1. Mobile Optimized

   • Most prospects read emails on their phones, so make sure your layout, font, and images display cleanly on smaller screens.

2. Keep It Short & Readable

   • Aim for 150 words or fewer. Tools like Hemingway help you maintain a Grade 8 or lower reading level, ensuring clarity and accessibility.

3. Subject Line (3–5 Words)

   • Keep it concise yet intriguing. Avoid spammy language and focus on sparking curiosity or relevance.

4. First Email, No Links or Images

   • Avoid hyperlinks, images, or excessive signatures in your initial outreach. You want the recipient’s attention on your core message—not distracted by visuals or hyperlinks.

   • Once you’ve established some rapport, feel free to incorporate relevant links, images, or a polished signature for added credibility in your follow up emails.

5. F-Shaped Reading Pattern

   • People often scan in an “F” shape. Break up your text with short paragraphs, bullet points, or bold text to highlight key phrases and guide the reader’s eyes.

2. Personalization & Relevance

1. Reference Their Pain Points

   • Tailor your message to the recipient’s industry or known challenges. Show that you understand their context—this boosts the chance of engagement.

2. Short, Skimmable Body

   • Use bullet points or very short paragraphs. Busy professionals rarely read lengthy emails; clarity is critical.

3. Social Proof & Credentials

   • If you have relevant results, industry awards, or client testimonials, include a short mention to bolster your credibility.

4. Leverage Data & CRM Insights

   • Whether you use score lead metrics, existing CRM data, or LinkedIn insights, craft messages that feel uniquely written for each prospect.

3. Show Genuine Value

1. Focus on Benefits, Not Just Features

   • Demonstrate how your product or service solves a specific problem, saves time, or drives revenue.

2. Stick to One Main Goal

   • Each email should have a clear objective. Don’t overwhelm the reader with multiple asks or too much information.

3. Avoid Jargon Overload

   • Complex language can scare away busy decision-makers. Stay concise and straightforward.

4. Strategic Calls to Action (CTAs)

Although our primary outbound channel is cold-calling, XDRhub sent over 60,000 emails in 2024 to prospective customers. Our internal reports show that in cold email outreach, Interest-based CTAs are the ones receiving the most replies. Here are a few examples of different CTA types that has high response rates:

1. Problem-Based CTA

   • “Is that something your team is facing right now?”

   • “How are you tackling these challenges?”

   • “Is this on your roadmap for the year?”

2. Interest-Based CTA

   • “Thoughts?”

   • “Interested in learning more?”

   • “Would a quick conversation help clarify this?”

3. Date-Specific CTA

   • “Are you available for a quick chat later this week?”

   • “Could we schedule a 15-minute call on Thursday?”

     
     

Tip: Align your CTA with the prospect’s stage in the prospect cycle and your specific outreach goals. The more direct your ask, the clearer their response will be.

Here’s an example of a bad vs good email: 

Email examples

5. Technical & Deliverability Considerations

1. Use Reliable Email Infrastructure

   • Consider deploying sub-domains and custom domain tracking links for outreach, so the main domain’s reputation is protected. Utilize multiple inboxes and gradually warm up new inboxes to avoid spam flags. XDRhub has partnered up with Salesforge, Mailforge, and Infraforge to increase email deliverability, consequently conversions. 

2. Limit Daily Sends

   • Keep each inbox to around 20 emails per day for cold outreach, if possible. This helps maintain a healthy sender reputation.

3. Comply with Data Privacy & Regulations

   • Follow GDPR, CAN-SPAM, or other relevant regulations. Make unsubscribing easy and respect opt-outs.

Final Thoughts

By integrating mobile-friendly formatting, personalizing emails based on real data, and balancing subtlety with clarity, you can capture the attention of even the busiest decision-makers. Combine these guidelines with cold calling, social media outreach, and other channels for a robust sales development campaign that aligns with your business development growth strategy. With the right mix of formatting, messaging, and technical best practices, your email outreach can become a consistent and scalable driver of qualified leads.