Start with the reason to reach out
Every effective sequence starts with a clear answer to one question: why would this person want to hear from us now? If you cannot answer that for a segment, no amount of copywriting will save the campaign.
Group your prospects by a shared situation, such as businesses opening new sites, firms building a sales team for the first time or companies in an industry facing new regulation. A shared situation gives you a shared reason to reach out, which keeps messages relevant without writing each one from scratch.
The structure of a multi channel sequence
A strong sequence blends email, LinkedIn and, where appropriate, phone across two to four weeks. Each step should add something new rather than simply asking whether the last message arrived.
The timings below are a starting point, not a rule. Adjust them to your buyers and test changes one at a time so you know what made the difference.
- Day one: view the profile and send a LinkedIn connection request with no pitch
- Day two: a short first email built around the trigger or situation
- Day five: a follow up email with a useful example or insight
- Day eight: a LinkedIn message referencing something they posted or shared
- Day twelve: a brief final email that makes it easy to say not now
Writing emails people actually read
Keep first emails short, usually under one hundred words. Write the way you would speak to a respected peer: plain language, no buzzwords and one clear idea per message. The subject line should be simple and specific, often just a few words that relate to their business.
End with a low effort question rather than a demand for thirty minutes. Asking whether a problem is on their radar invites a reply. Asking for a calendar slot in the very first message is often ignored.
- Open with them, not with your company
- Make one point and support it with one specific detail
- Use a soft, easy question as the call to action
- Read it aloud and cut anything that sounds like marketing copy
Using LinkedIn without being that person
LinkedIn works best as a way to build familiarity. Connect without pitching, engage with the prospect's content where you genuinely have something to add, and keep direct messages short and conversational.
The fastest way to lose credibility is a connection request followed instantly by a long sales pitch. Give the relationship a little room. When you do message, refer to something real, such as a post, a company update or a mutual connection.
Stay on the right side of the Spam Act
Commercial emails sent in Australia need to comply with the Spam Act 2003. In practical terms you need consent, which in a B2B context can sometimes be inferred, for example when the message relates directly to the person's role and their work address has been conspicuously published. Every message must clearly identify who sent it and include a functional way to unsubscribe, and unsubscribe requests must be honoured promptly.
Build these rules into your sequences from day one rather than treating them as an afterthought. Doing so protects your sender reputation as well as your brand. This is general guidance only, so seek legal advice for your specific circumstances.
Replies are the real metric
Open rates have become unreliable because of privacy features in modern email clients. Focus instead on reply rate, positive reply rate and meetings booked, broken down by segment and by message. These tell you whether your reason to reach out is landing.
Respond quickly to every reply, including the negative ones. A polite answer to a not now often turns into a conversation months later. Log every outcome so the next sequence is smarter than the last.
Let Bee2B build and run it
Bee2B designs and runs email and LinkedIn outreach for Australian B2B companies, built on the ideal customer profile and messaging we develop with you in Campaign Architecture. Your sequences go live within two weeks, and The Hive Report shows you what is landing each week and what we are changing next.