What should you ask a cold email agency before you hire one?
The short answer
Ask where the buyer list comes from, how every address is verified, how long new domains warm up, who owns the domains and data, what the agency measures, and who answers the replies. A good agency answers each one plainly and in writing. A vague answer to any of them is the warning sign.
Where does the buyer list come from?
The list decides the result more than the copy does, so ask exactly how it is built.
A strong answer names the source, the filters, and who checks the fit. A weak one is a purchased database with job-title filters and nothing else.
- Which database or source the contacts come from
- How companies that do not fit get removed
- How often the list is refreshed
- Whether you see a sample before anything sends
How are email addresses verified?
Every address should be confirmed before it sends, and the agency should explain how.
Ask what happens to an address that cannot be confirmed. The right answer is that it never gets sent.
Ask too what bounce rate makes them pause a campaign, and whether they have ever had to. An agency that has paused campaigns and fixed the cause has learned something you want.
How long do new sending domains warm up?
At least 21 days. An agency promising live campaigns in week one is cutting a corner on your name.
A fast start sounds good on a sales call. A burned sending domain costs far more time than three weeks of warmup ever will.
Who owns the domains, inboxes and data?
You should, and the agreement should say so.
Ask whose name the domains are registered in and whether you can export every contact and reply at any time. Our guide on ownership lists the five questions that settle it.
What does the agency measure, and what does it promise?
Booked calls are the number that matters. Be careful with any fixed lead guarantee made before the agency has seen your market.
Opens and sends are easy to inflate and say little about revenue. Replies are better, and booked meetings are best.
A guarantee of a set number of leads a month sounds safe, but nobody knows how your market responds until the first campaign runs. Ask instead how they report results and what they change when the numbers lag.
Who answers the replies?
Decide before launch, because the reply is where interest turns into a booked call or fades.
Some agencies hand every reply to you. Others draft each answer for you to approve. Either works when it is clear who replies, how fast, and how a warm lead reaches your calendar.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a cold email agency cost?
Most charge a monthly fee, and some add a setup fee or a per-meeting fee. The price should reflect your market, the number of inboxes, and what is included. Get the full monthly number in writing before you start.
How soon should I expect booked calls?
Not before the first live sends in week four. After that, most campaigns need a few weeks of live data to tune the targeting and copy.
Is a minimum contract term a red flag?
Not on its own. Cold email needs a couple of months of live data to judge fairly, so a short first term makes sense. Make sure you can leave after it with your domains and data.
Tell us about your market and we will show you what we would build.