Cold email lead generation is a hot topic these days. And it’s easy to see why: it gets results.
Today we’re going to compare the top 5 cold email automation tools of 2021, but first…
Why Use Cold Email Automation Tools?
Sending cold emails one-by-one can be very effective in the short term, but long term you’re missing out on one of the key advantages you get with cold email: automated followups.
Cold email tools automate your prospecting, so all you have to do is load in the contact data of your ideal clients, write some scripts, and push the Send button.
Problem is, it’s a huge industry right now – there’s so many tools out there, it can be tough to know where to start.
Let’s dive in…
1. Mailshake
Mailshake is one of the originals, and still one of the best cold email automation tools out there.
It’s mainly focused on sales professionals, but can definitely be useful for smaller organizations or agencies. The deliverability and sales automations are the main attraction, and it is very easy to get set up and start sending outreach.
The power dialer adds phone touch points to your outreach, another feature that sales pros can’t miss.
Starting at $59 per month, it’s not the cheapest, but if you’re focused on cold email only and you want it fully automated with extra sales features, it’s a great value.
Who’s It For?
Mailshake is best for sales-focused professionals that have a bit of budget and need deep sales features and integrations.
2. Skylead
Skylead is by far the most sophisticated cold outreach automation tool on the market.
Not only does it do cold email, but it also automates touch points across LinkedIn. The UI for building campaigns is a free form, drag’n’drop editor that is one of the coolest interfaces I’ve seen for building outbound sales cadences.
As if that wasn’t enough, they also include built-in tools for personalized GIFs, and other features that make your messages stand out in the inbox and increase reply rates.
I can’t say enough good things about Skylead, and even at the $100/month price tag it’s an insane value. Here’s a more in-depth review comparing it to Expandi.
Who’s It For?
Skylead is for businesses, sales pros, and agencies who have a larger budget and want to automate touch points across cold email & LinkedIn. It’s very focused around automation and custom personalizations that really make an impact on results.
3. ProspectingToolkit
ProspectingToolkit is all about value. You can scrape LinkedIn Sales Navigator to get contact data, load those into campaigns, and start sending cold emails immediately.
It’s got features like unlimited email warmup, content spinning (so you’re not sending the same email a bunch of times), and databases of over 15 million businesses that you can access right from the app.
For the $99 per month price tag, you get unlimited data, unlimited campaigns, and unlimited team member accounts. Definitely the best deal on the market and perfect for kickstarting your lead generation process.
Who’s It For?
ProspectingToolkit is best for small businesses and agencies that want an affordable, all-in-one solution for data and automation. Being able to build prospect lists and automate campaigns, unlimited, in one tool is a huge value.
4. GMass
GMass is an advanced mail merge app for Gmail that runs as a Chrome Extension. I’ve been very impressed with this tool as a simple cold email solution at a low price.
Basically, you create a Google Sheet with your contact list, activate it within Gmail, and start sending with the click of a button.
It’s got some awesome features that increase deliverability as well (which is always good).
Overall, it’s a simple tool, but it’s very effective for smaller businesses looking to get started with cold email outreach.
Who’s It For?
GMass is for small businesses and sales pros that have a smaller budget, don’t need all the bells and whistles and are 100% focused on deliverability and efficiency. There’s a bit of a learning curve and it’s in Gmail, so it’s not perfect for multi-user organizations and more complex campaigns.
5. Klenty
Klenty is a full sales enablement platform that focuses on sales professionals that are looking to hunt for deals.
It integrates with the biggest CRM systems like Pipedrive and Hubspot, so it’s very focused on filling the sales pipeline and keeping data updated and clean.
The user interface is pretty easy to use and it’s a no-brainer if you’re working on a team of sales reps and need to outreach, track deals, and make extra sales touch points with your prospects.
Starting at $35 per month, it’s very affordable for the feature set and the complexity of the sales automations and CRM integrations it offers.
Who’s It For?
Klenty is more focused around sales professionals that need deep CRM integrations and scheduled sales touch points. It’s a bit less sophisticated than something like Skylead for automations, so it’s something in the middle.
Bottom Line
Cold email automation is a must for any business or agency that’s looking to close more sales and it’s so important to choose the right tech stack for your specific needs and budget.
Hopefully these choices have given you enough to get started!
