Warm leads vs cold leads where to start on your list
A warm lead already knows you; a cold lead does not. Keep the two apart on your list and each gets the email that fits.
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Two kinds of companies on one list
A warm lead is a company that has had real contact with you: it replied to an email, asked a question through your website, met you at a fair or was introduced by a client. A cold lead is a company that fits your profile but has never heard from you.
Warm leads vs cold leads is not about which is better. Both are on most lists, and both deserve a different email. A warm lead gets a personal note that picks up the earlier contact. A cold lead gets a short first email with one reason to write. Mixing them in one send gives the warm ones a message that feels cold.
Reach a segment, not a list. Give every company one of four statuses, New, Contacted, Replied or Customer, and tag the warm reason, such as web-form or met-at-fair. A saved segment on those tags shows your warm leads; a segment on New without those tags is the cold part.
Be careful with what you call warm. Riftjaw records opens and clicks of campaign emails per contact, but an open is an estimate: some mail apps load the image by themselves. An open alone does not make a company warm. A reply or a request does.
What counts as warm, and what does not
Warm: they reached out
A question through your web form, a call, an email to you. Answer it personally and set the status yourself.
Warm: you met
A fair, an event, an introduction. Note where and when on the company, so the email can mention it.
Cold: a good fit, no contact
A company from a directory or register that matches your profile. It gets a short first email in a small batch.
Not yet warm: an open
An open is an estimate and a click is a hint. Look at the history on the record, but wait for a reply before you treat it as warm.
Split your list in three steps
Tag the warm reason
Add a shared tag per kind of contact: web-form, met-at-fair, referral. Tag a whole import at once where you can.
Save two segments
One segment for the warm tags, one for status New without them. Both update themselves as tags and statuses change.
Write two kinds of email
Answer warm leads personally from your own mailbox. Send the cold segment a short first email in batches of 10.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between warm leads and cold leads?
A warm lead has had contact with you, such as a reply, a request or a meeting. A cold lead fits your profile but has never heard from you.
Should I contact warm leads or cold leads first?
Warm leads usually come first, because they are waiting for an answer. Cold leads can go out in small batches alongside, as long as the two get different emails.
Does opening an email make a lead warm?
Not on its own. Riftjaw shows opens per contact, but an open is an estimate because some mail apps load the image automatically. A reply is a much clearer sign.
How do I keep warm leads out of a cold email?
Tag the warm reason and leave those tags out of the segment you send to. Companies on Replied can be left out of a campaign as well.
Can a cold lead become warm?
Yes. When a company replies, set it to Replied; any follow-ups still planned for it in a campaign stop, and from then on you write to it personally.
What is Riftjaw?
Riftjaw is a B2B lead database you own: import the companies you collect, keep every record with its source, sort them into segments and reach them by email in small batches. Each account runs on its own private server with its own database.
Warm and cold, each in its own segment
Tag where every company came from, save a segment for each kind and send each the email that fits. See segments or start free.
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