How we turned 97 cold leads into $80K in pipeline

What happens when you stop guessing and start targeting with intent?

This wasn’t a massive campaign.

It wasn’t about spamming 10,000 people and hoping for replies.

It was about going narrow.

Going smart.

And using high-intent signals to do the heavy lifting.

What was done:

Our team leveraged a highly specific list of relevant decision-makers in our client’s target industry.

These contacts were already signaling buying intent through their public activity and professional roles.

We sourced and enriched their data using tools like Clay, ensuring every contact had accurate, actionable information.

Then we launched a personalized cold email sequence timed around a major industry event they were engaged with.

No fluffy copy. No automation bloat.

Just relevance, timing, and clarity.

The results (over 5 days):

• 97 people contacted
• 34% reply rate (33 replies)
• 90.9% positive reply rate (30 positive responses)
• 30 legit opportunities generated
• $80,000 in potential pipeline

All of this with zero clickbait and zero ads.
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Why it worked:

1. Contextual targeting, not guesswork
- These were not cold leads picked from filters.
- These were relevant, engaged professionals heading to the same event.

2. Perfect timing
- Messaging landed when attendees were actively preparing for the event.
- The pitch offered value before they even packed their bags.

3. Clear, direct copy

- No buzzwords.

- No 4-paragraph pitches.

4. Cold email isn’t dead. Bad strategy is.

- This campaign proves it.

5. No links. No clicks. Just conversations.

- Click rate was disabled. The focus was 100% on human interaction.

What you can apply from this:

- Don’t rely on job title filters. Start from contextual relevance.

- Use event participation to your advantage - it’s a natural conversation starter.

- Build outreach lists around moments when people are more open to talking.

- Keep messaging direct and relevant to that specific moment.

Key takeaways for curious marketers:

✅ Small lists can deliver big outcomes
When the targeting and timing are precise, even a 97-person campaign can generate massive ROI.

✅ Right tools, right moment
Using Clay for enrichment and Instantly for outreach enabled fast and accurate activation.

✅ Not attending an event? No problem
You can still identify high-intent leads through public signals: hiring sprees, content engagement, and leadership changes.

✅ Leave the calendar link out
We didn’t include one in the first email. It made the conversation feel more human - and it worked.

Final thought:

Cold outreach isn’t broken. The context is usually what’s missing.

If you’re still relying on basic filters and generic lists, you’re falling behind.

The new game is strategic timing + intent.

Know what your audience is thinking before they get the message.

And speak straight to it.

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