How to A/B Test Cold Emails
A/B testing means sending two or more versions of an email to see which gets the best result. Small changes, such as a different subject line or call to action, can make a big difference to your replies.
In Instantly, you can add variants to any step of a sequence. Instantly splits your leads between them and shows the results for each.
Ideas to test
| Area | Test |
|---|---|
| Subject line | Short vs long |
| Subject line | Question vs statement |
| Subject line | Personalized vs not personalized |
| Body | Short vs long |
| Body | Different opening lines |
| Body | Personalized image vs no image |
| Body | With a link vs no link |
| Call to action | "Worth a quick chat?" vs a calendar link |
| Sequence | 3 emails vs 4 emails |
How to run a fair test
- Change one thing at a time, so you know what made the difference
- Send each version to at least 100 to 200 people before deciding. With smaller numbers, the difference is often just chance.
- Send to the same type of leads at the same time of day
- Measure what matters. Use reply rate (especially positive replies) and meetings booked. Open rates are less reliable now, because some email apps open emails automatically.
Once you have a winner, make it your new default and test something else. Always be testing.