The Outbound Marketing Playbook Part 2: Timing, Lists & Personalization

Most founders send emails at the wrong time to the wrong people. Here's how to fix that.

After helping 1,000+ companies with outbound, I noticed a pattern: the difference between 2% and 20% reply rates isn't the pitch it's the fundamentals.

Let's fix that.

Step 8: Choose the Right Timing (Location Matters)

Always create separate campaigns for separate countries. Why does this matter? Sending an email at 10 PM someone's time equals an instant delete. Understanding the optimal sending times by region can dramatically improve your open and response rates.

Best sending times for the United States (EST/PST): Schedule your emails for Tuesday through Thursday, between 9 AM and 11 AM local time. Avoid Mondays when inboxes are overloaded with weekend backlog, and steer clear of Fridays when professionals are already in weekend mode.

Best sending times for the United Kingdom (GMT): Target Tuesday through Thursday, between 9 AM and 10 AM local time. British professionals tend to check their email early in the morning, making this window particularly effective.

Best sending times for the United Arab Emirates (GST): Remember that the UAE weekend falls on Friday and Saturday, so focus on Sunday through Thursday. Send between 10 AM and 12 PM local time, and be culturally aware by avoiding Ramadan fasting hours.

Here's a pro tip that many founders miss: Schedule campaigns by timezone, not your local time. If you're based in India and reaching out to US founders, send when they wake up, not when you do. This simple adjustment can make the difference between your email being seen or buried.

Step 9: Localize Like a Human

Think like a real person in that location. Generic emails get ignored, but localized outreach gets responses. The key is to use local context that shows you understand their world.

Consider incorporating festive seasons like Diwali, Christmas, Eid, or Thanksgiving into your messaging. Reference local events such as tech conferences and industry meetups happening in their region. Be aware of cultural rituals and holidays, and stay current with local news including funding rounds and company launches.

Compare these examples to see the difference localization makes. A generic approach sounds like this: "Hey John, hope you're doing well." This could be sent to anyone, anywhere, and feels impersonal. A localized approach for the UK might read: "Hey John, hope the London Tech Week was insightful for you." For the UAE: "Hey Ahmed, Ramadan Mubarak! Hope this finds you well after Iftar." For the US: "Hey Sarah, congrats on the Series A—saw it on TechCrunch!" The difference is immediately apparent.

The key principle here is to think like a dreamer and write like you're already friends with them. This level of personalization shows you've done your homework and genuinely care about connecting with the recipient as an individual, not just another name on a list.

Step 10: Determine Your Follow-Up Sequence

The number of touchpoints in your sequence should match your product complexity and price point. For simple products or low-ticket offerings, three touchpoints work well: an initial email followed by two strategic follow-ups. For complex products or high-ticket offerings, extend to five touchpoints: an initial email, first follow-up, a value-add touchpoint, second follow-up, and a final ask.

The timing between emails matters just as much as the content. Send your initial email on Day 1. Follow up on Day 3 while you're still fresh in their mind. Send your second follow-up or value-add content on Day 7. If needed, add a third follow-up on Day 10, and close with a final touchpoint on Day 14.

Here's a critical pro tip: Stop if they reply. Don't keep emailing someone who has already engaged with you. Once they respond, move to an actual conversation. Continuing to blast automated emails to someone who's shown interest is a fast way to kill the opportunity.

Step 11: Validate Your Email List (Twice)

This step is absolutely critical to your success. Outbound marketing is crowded, but innovation still wins, and the key differentiator is list quality. A bad list will burn your domain reputation, while a good list generates replies and revenue.

Your validation process should look like this: Start by getting your data from sources like Apollo, LinkedIn Sales Navigator, or other prospecting tools. Run a first validation using the tool's built-in verification features. Then, and this is where most people stop too early, run a second validation using a dedicated email verifier.

Recommended email verification tools include Million Verifier, ZeroBounce, Hunter.io Email Verifier, and NeverBounce. Each has its strengths, so test them to find what works best for your use case.

Why should you double-check when the first tool already verified the emails? Even Apollo's "verified" emails typically have a 10-15% bounce rate. Double validation pushes your accuracy to 95% or higher, protecting your domain reputation and ensuring your carefully crafted messages actually reach their intended recipients. LiBingo is building our own email verification and fetching tool that will be available soon, but until then, always double-verify your lists.

Step 12: Map Multiple Decision Makers

Don't make the common mistake of emailing just one person per company. Organizations have multiple stakeholders, and your chances of success multiply when you reach several of them.

For small to medium enterprises with 10 to 50 employees, target 5 to 10 people per company. Focus your outreach on roles like Founder, Head of Sales, Sales Manager, and Operations Lead. These individuals often collaborate on purchasing decisions and can advocate for your solution internally.

For enterprises with 500 or more employees, expand your reach to 20 to 30 people per company. At this scale, you need to engage both decision makers and champions. Decision makers include roles like VP of Sales, Chief Revenue Officer, and Head of Revenue Operations. Champions include Sales Managers and SDR Managers who may not have final approval but significantly influence decisions.

Why cast a wider net? One person might ignore your email because they're busy, on vacation, or simply not interested. But if 5 people at the same company see your message, the probability that someone will respond increases dramatically. Someone in that group will recognize the value, have the bandwidth to engage, or know exactly who should be talking to you.

Here's a pro tip for execution: Stagger your emails. Don't send to all 20 contacts on the same day. Spread your outreach over 2 weeks. This approach feels more natural, avoids overwhelming the organization, and gives you time to adjust your messaging based on early responses.

Step 13: Write Clear, Concise Content

Outbound marketing is crowded, and the only way to stand out is through clarity and personalization. Follow this proven formula to craft emails that get responses.

Line 1 should contain a personal observation that shows you've done your research. This immediately differentiates your email from the hundreds of generic messages your prospect receives. Lines 2 and 3 should articulate the problem by addressing their specific pain point. Line 4 presents your solution in one clear sentence no jargon, no fluff. Line 5 contains a simple ask, and this is important: don't default to "book a demo." That phrasing has become white noise.

Here's an example that puts this formula into practice: "Hey Sarah, noticed your team grew from 5 to 15 SDRs in 6 months—congrats. Quick question: how are you handling LinkedIn outreach at that scale? Most teams I talk to say it's their biggest bottleneck. We built LiBingo to automate personalized outreach. Curious if you're open to a quick chat? Best, Karthick."

Why does this work? Line 1 demonstrates personalization because it references specific, observable information about Sarah's company. Line 2 identifies a problem that Sarah is likely experiencing given her team's growth trajectory. Line 3 offers a clear solution without overwhelming detail. Line 4 uses a soft ask that feels conversational rather than pushy. This approach respects the recipient's time while making it easy for them to engage if they're interested.

Quick Checklist (Part 2)

Before you launch your next outbound campaign, ensure you've addressed these fundamentals. Create separate campaigns organized by country and timezone to maximize the likelihood your emails are read when recipients are most receptive. Localize your content by incorporating festivals, events, and cultural context relevant to your audience. Design a follow-up sequence with 3 to 5 touchpoints depending on your product's complexity. Double-verify your email lists using two different tools to protect your domain reputation and improve deliverability. Map 5 to 10 people per company for SMEs or 20 to 30 for enterprises to increase your chances of reaching the right stakeholder. Write clear, concise, personalized emails that demonstrate you understand their business and have something valuable to offer.

Innovation in outbound marketing isn't about tricks or hacks—it's about doing the basics exceptionally well. Most founders skip these fundamental steps and then wonder why their carefully crafted emails don't generate responses. Don't be most founders.

This is Part 2 of the B2B Outbound Playbook. Part 3 is coming soon and will focus on writing follow-ups that actually get replies.

Found this helpful? Drop a 💡 below.

Have questions about list building or personalization? Ask—I'll answer every one.

After 10 years building AI platforms, I've seen what works and what doesn't. LiBingo automates all of this—email verification, personalization, timing optimization, and follow-ups. But these fundamentals work whether you use AI-powered automation or do everything manually. Master the basics first, then scale with technology.

Tags Sales, B2B Sales, Outbound Marketing, Email Marketing, Sales Automation, Startups, Lead Generation, Founders

Crafted By KR (Founder)