Despite the ever-growing popularity of social media and other digital marketing channels, email remains one of the most effective outreach tools for contacting potential customers, website owners, press, and publications.
And while “spray and pray” mass email blasts might have been popular a decade ago, people are much savvier these days – which is why cold emailing is not quite as simple as it used to be.
In fact, the average cold email click-through rate is a measly 3.67%.
But there’s hope! With the right cold email software, you can easily create personalized, targeted emails that stand out in recipients’ inboxes – and increase your chances of getting that all-important response.
What are the best cold email software platforms for outreach automation and email follow-up?
In my experience, cold email is one of the most difficult things to get right. These days, everyone is bombarded with emails, which is why most of us have become very good at ignoring anything that looks like marketing material.
What’s more, even if you do manage to get someone to open your email, there’s no guarantee they’ll actually read it – let alone click through to your website or respond to your call to action.
This is where cold email prospecting software comes in.
By automating your outreach and follow-up processes, you can take a lot of the guesswork (and manual labor) out of cold emailing. This frees up your time so you can focus on crafting well-written, personalized messages that stand out in recipients’ inboxes.
In this article, I have collected a list of the ten best cold outreach tools for sales, link-building, and press outreach. These are:
- SmartReach.io – Feature-rich solution that suits more advanced users
- Postaga – Link-building software with a focus on personalization
- Respona – The link-building outreach platform that gets you more organic traffic from Google
- Woodpecker – Best for B2B sales outreach
- Snov.io – Simple user interface with built-in email verifier
- Reply.io – Automated cold email software with a focus on building relationships
- Saleshandy – Sales automation tool with customizable templates
- Hunter – Email lookup tool with built-in verification
- Klenty – Sales engagement software with advanced automation features
- HubSpot Sales Software – Fully featured CRM with sales automation
- MailRush.io – Best for small businesses and solopreneurs
Now, let’s take a more in-depth look at each of these tools.
SmartReach.io
With SmartReach.io, you can easily create and manage your cold email campaigns with advanced features such as personalized messages, automated follow-ups, and real-time reporting. One of my favorite features of SmartReach is the automated email sequencing workflow, which allows you to queue up a series of messages and have them sent out automatically over a period of time if you do not get a response to your initial email.
On top of this, SmartReach allows you to hyper-personalize your emails with its Dynamic Email Content feature. This feature allows you to insert dynamic content into your emails, such as the recipient’s first name, company information, or even a conditional statement such as “If you’re interested in X, then Y.”
Pros
- Hyper-personalized emails with dynamic content
- Automated follow-ups and email sequences
- Real-time reporting
Cons
- More complex than some of the others on our list
- Could be more mobile-friendly
Price
There are three monthly plans to choose from for individual users:
- Standard – $24/month
- Pro – $39/month
- Ultimate – $59/month
Save 20% with an annual plan.
Postaga
Postaga is an all-in-one link-building tool that is specifically designed to help you find and build more links to your blog/website. Postaga is ideal for those looking to promote their blog content, get higher rankings in the SERPs, and drive more traffic to their site.
Postaga has plenty of campaigns that you can use, each tailored to different goals, such as getting more mentions/backlinks for a specific article or blog post, building relationships with other bloggers in your niche, or even growing the reach of your social media accounts. As a result, I highly recommend Postaga if you’re looking for a tool that will assist in your link-building efforts.
Pros
- Great for link-building and relationship building
- Great personalization tools
- Pre-made campaigns
Cons
- Limited to just backlink outreach
- Expensive for the features it offers
Price
There are two plans to choose from:
- Pro – $99/month
- Agency – $299/month
A free trial is available and there are savings for annual plans.
Respona
Pros
- User-Friendly Interface: Simplifies PR outreach management.
- Link Building Focus: Specializes in acquiring quality backlinks.
- Advanced Email Finder: Helps locate key industry contacts.
Cons
- Learning Curve: Can be initially complex due to its features.
- Pricing: May be costly for smaller businesses.
- Limited Integrations: Needs more compatibility with other platforms.
Price
- Starter Plan: $197/month, suitable for beginners.
- Pro Plan: $397/month, Ideal for SMBs.
- Unlimited Plan: A custom plan is also available.
Woodpecker
Woodpecker is a great tool for automating your sales outreach process. It’s simple to use and has a wide range of features, such as customizable templates, automatic follow-ups, and real-time reporting. As such, it’s perfect for B2B companies that rely on email outreach to prospect clients and generate new leads.
Some of the platform’s core features include A/B testing, reply detection, open and click tracking, and the ability to personalize your messages with merge tags. You can also set up automated follow-ups so that you never have to worry about forgetting to follow up with a lead, making Woodpecker arguably one of the most easy-to-use email outreach tools on the market.
Pros
- A/B testing
- Reply detection
- Open and click tracking
- Automated B2B sales features
Cons
- Limited to 7 follow-up emails
- Can be costly for small businesses with high output
Price
Woodpecker’s cold email has one set price of $49 (this is for 1500 prospects per month). Get 2 months free when you sign up for an annual plan.
Snov.io
Snov is one of the most popular lead-generation tools on the market. It’s simple and easy to use, yet it’s packed with powerful features that will help you generate more leads and engage with them using email outreach.
With Snov, you can find email addresses, verify them, and then create targeted lists of leads that you can reach out to. You can also use the platform to track your sent emails, get real-time notifications when someone opens or clicks on your email, and even schedule follow-up emails.
One of my favorite features is the Snov Chrome extension which helps you find email addresses on websites as you browse them.
Pros
- Chrome extension for finding email addresses
- Tracks sent emails
- Real-time notifications
- Schedules follow-up emails
Cons
- Limited CRM functionality
- Some users report problems with drip campaigns
Price
There are five price plans to choose from based on your expected usage:
- Small Plan – $33/month
- Medium Plan – $83/month
- Large Plan – $158/month
- Extra-Large Plan – $308/month
- Extra Extra-Large Plan – $615/month
Get 2 months free when you sign up for an annual plan.
Reply.io
Reply is an all-in-one sales engagement platform that is jam-packed full of features. Using Reply, you can automate outreach across multiple channels, including LinkedIn, Twitter, and, of course, email.
With Reply, you can create targeted lists of leads, personalize your messages using merge tags, and track your sent emails. You can also set up automated follow-ups so that you never have to worry about forgetting to follow up with a lead. There is even an AI Email Assistant that helps you create 100% human-like emails while you focus on things like personalization.
Pros
- All-in-one sales engagement platform
- Automates outreach across multiple channels
- AI Email Assistant
Cons
- Can be expensive
- Complicated interface
- A lot of unnecessary features if you’re only using it for email outreach
Price
Reply offers a 14-day free trial. After that, pricing starts at $60/month for the starter plan or $90 for the professional.
Saleshandy
Saleshandy is an all-in-one sales acceleration and email outreach platform that offers a wide range of features to help you close more deals. With SalesHandy, you can find email addresses, create targeted lists of leads, personalize your messages using merge tags, and track your sent emails.
One of the standout features of the platform is its focus on email deliverability. The software follows a human-like sending pattern (as opposed to a bulk email approach) which helps ensure that your messages don’t end up in the recipient’s spam folder. As a result, I recommend this platform for small business owners or solopreneurs who are looking for a more personal way to connect with their leads.
Pros
- Email deliverability
- Human-like sending pattern
- Tracks sent emails
- One of the cheaper options
Cons
- Support is lacking
- Sometimes has problems with duplicate emails
Pricing
Saleshandy offers a 14-day free trial with no credit card required. After that, pricing starts at $9/month for the starter plan or $33/month for the outreach plan (which gives you fully automated sequences)
Get 3 months for free when you sign up for an annual contract.
Hunter.io
At its core, Hunter is an email finder tool that allows you to quickly find the email addresses of leads. On the platform, users can find and verify the email addresses of companies, professionals, or individuals with just a few clicks.
Hunter also offers a handy Chrome extension that allows you to find email addresses on websites as you browse them. And while there is a built-in email outreach feature, it is certainly not the platform’s strongest point. As such, I suggest using Hunter in conjunction with another platform.
Pros
- Great for finding and verifying emails
- Handy Chrome extension
- Decent free plan
Cons
- Very limited outreach features
- No mobile accessibility
Pricing
Hunter has a free plan that lets you conduct 25 months of searches and 50 verifications. After that you will need to sign up for one of their four plans:
- Starter – $49/month
- Growth – $99/month
- Pro – $199/month
- Business – $399/month
Klenty
Klenty is another sales engagement platform that is aimed at helping sales reps close more deals. The platform offers a wide range of features, such as advanced email deliverability, hyper-personalization, and of course, email automation for a variety of tasks, including prospecting and follow-up.
Klenty also has a handy report and dashboard that gives you insights into your sales activities and performance. From here, you can use data to better inform your future outreach campaigns.
Pros
- Advanced email deliverability
- Hyper-personalization
- A variety of automation features
- LinkedIn automation
Cons
- The interface is a bit complicated
- A lot of unnecessary features if you’re only using it for email outreach
Pricing
Klenty has a 14-day free trial which allows full access to all features. After that, you can choose from these 3 plans:
- Start-up – $35/month
- Growth – $60/month
- Enterprise – $100/month
HubSpot Sales Software
You’ve probably heard of HubSpot before as it is one of the most popular CRM platforms on the market. However, what you might not know is that HubSpot also offers a sales acceleration tool that is designed to help businesses close more deals.
The platform offers a wide range of features that enable sales staff and customer-facing teams to develop deeper relationships with prospects and manage their outreach pipeline more effectively. As you might expect, HubSpot offers a wide array of email outreach features, including templates, A/B test campaigns, automatic follow-ups, and more.
Pros
- A wide range of features
- Integrations with HubSpot CRM
- Free version available
- Email sequence tool
Cons
- Can be tricky for beginners
- Paid plans get very expensive
Price
HubSpot Sales Software has a free version that gives you access to most of the email outreach features. If you want to unlock the more advanced features, you will need to sign up for one of these plans:
- Free – $0/month
- Starter – $45/month
- Professional – $450/month
- Enterprise – $1,200/month
MailRush.io
MailrRush is one of the industry leaders in the provision of cold outreach email software. Unlike some of the other entries on this list that have multiple use cases, MailRush is well and truly focused on helping its users get the maximum out of their email outreach campaigns.
In light of this, the platform covers just about every angle of cold email marketing that you can think of, including automation, follow-ups, drip campaigns, templates, and more. The platform also includes a handy email tracker that allows you to see when your emails are opened and clicked on.
Mailrush also has native integration with popular content management and CRM platforms, such as WordPress, Zapier, and Keen.io, making it one of the best outbound email automation on the market.
Pros
- Focused on email outreach
- Email warming
- Handy integrations
- Email tracking included
Cons
- Customer service is lack
- The user interface is a bit dated
- Sales teams may find it lacks features
Pricing
MailRush has three different pricing plans, which are as follows:
- Starter – $19/month
- Pro – $49/month
- Premium – $99/month
There is a 14-day free trial, and there are savings available for annual subscribers.
Final thoughts
Whether you’re trying to secure backlinks, contact press, or boost sales, having access to a reputable cold email platform can make a big difference to the success of your outreach campaigns.
There are many different cold email software solutions on the market, each with its own set of features and pricing plans. As such, it’s important to consider your specific needs and budget when choosing a platform to match your needs.
In this article, we’ve rounded up the 10 best cold email software on the market, so there should be something to suit your requirements. If you’re still unsure, don’t forget to make use of the free trials that many of these platforms offer.
FAQs
Cold emailing is the process of sending emails to people who have not contacted you previously in an effort to engage them in a business or personal relationship.
One of the best cold email software is SmartReach.io. With SmartReach.io you can easily create and manage your cold email campaigns with advanced features such as personalized messages, automated follow-ups, and real-time reporting.
