Email sequence examples : 3 emails that generate leads

We'll focus on outbound sales sequences that will help you conquer lead generation. We've already shared the best cold emails, copywriting tips, follow-ups, and cool templates from our clients. But today I'd love to show you full email sequences examples.

What is an email sequence?

An email sequence is a chain of emails sent based on pre-set time intervals or trigger-based automations (or both).

In simpler terms, you get to send X amount of emails to your prospect on autopilot, without having to do it manually.

There are 2 major categories in which we can divide them:

• sales email sequences - cold email campaigns to generate leads and sales calls
• marketing email sequences - sent to nurture leads with some content involved

Obviously, we'll focus on sales email sequences in this article...

So without further ado, let's talk examples now.

Email sequence example by Nadja

This a great cold email sequence by Nadja that generated 80+ leads for our team.

• Target audience were startups who recently raised capital
• The objective was to generate qualified leads
• And here are the results...

Here's the first email in her sequence:

Let's highlight the key things that brought Nadja success:

• Relevant subject line: If you've just raised money and somebody cold emails you with a "You're funded - now it's on you" subject line, chances are you'll open this message
• Icebreaker: It's fun, original and personalized. It breaks the ice between you and your prospect, and serves as a hook so that they keep reading your email
• Personalized image: It's humorous, relevant and personalized. Ultimately, it's the first thing people notice and they'll see their head on Tony Stark making it rain. Everyone's dream.
• Storytelling: On her previous job, Nadja helped raise $15M Series A round, so she can relate to it in a genuine way
• Call to action: It's not as pushy. Which is great for building relationships first.
• A/B testing: Nadja run a split test on the first email in the sequence and I recommend you do this as well

Although this is a cool first cold email, you want to add follow-ups to the mix.

The first follow-up was sent with the same subject line so it appeared under the same thread:

Pro tip: In lemlist, keep your follow-up subject lines empty if you want to send all the emails under the same thread.

Points to highlight:

• Icebreaker: The first part of the email shows a bit more about Nadja. She shares her relevant experience again, so that prospects can relate
• Funny image: B2B shouldn't be "boring" - never 😂
• Closure: The final step is a great argument on why they should give Nadja a call

The second follow-up was sent 5 days after the second email... if they didn't respond to any of the first two emails, of course.

In this follow-up, she sends our case study featuring Zendesk that could potentially inspire the prospect's next campaign.

Finally, the last message in this sequence. It was sent one day after the previous follow-up:

And again:

• Personalized image: Creates a "wow" effect for the prospects 😲
• CTA: Nadja pitches the reasons why it's cool to connect

This email sequence not only generated leads for lemlist, but also helped Nadja to build warm relationships with prospects.

Email sequence example by Zelie

This is a sharp campaign by Zelie which gave her 40 demo calls from 130 people that were contacted in total.

• Target audience were sales people and business development specialists
• The objective was the same - generate leads
• Here are the results...

Before sending this email sequence, Zelie contacted them via LinkedIn in order to warm up the audience with this template:

After that's done, Zelie sends two follow-up emails.

When people click on the image, they'll be redirected to a dynamic landing page with a personalized text and logo. Plus, there was an easy option to book a call too.

In the video, Zelie explains why it's cool to have a quick coffee chat about sales... in 17 seconds. Short and sweet.

Recommended read: Make personalized videos in your emails

Points to highlight:

• Connect on LinkedIn: Zelie used a multi-channel outreach to warm up the audience on different platforms. This is a good idea if you want to gain more followers on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and just about any other social network.
• Personalized video: If someone records a video for you - you'll check it out. This is what you can scale with lemlist.

The next email was too cool for school.

Zelie followed up with a personalized image. For those who don't know French, the text on the image means: "gin for FirstName".

Points to highlight:

• A simple follow-up: Just a reminder, nothing else
• Sales humor is okay: It's a cool thing to use in your email sequences

Email sequence example by Anaëlle

Last but not least, a cold email sequence example that generated 50 leads. It's the 3-step email sequence by Anaëlle.

• Target audience were social media agencies
• The objective was to network and build partnerships
• And here are the results...

Let's dive deeper into templates:

The {{icebreaker}} tag puts a unique text for every prospect. Anaëlle did her homework and wrote sentences that are unique for each individual. This is what moves personalization to the next level. 🔥

People want to read tailored-made emails just for them.

Here are a few cool things to highlight:

• Personalization: Recipients will never feel like it's an automated message
• Authentic writing style: This is 100% Anaëlle. Every word, every statement, type of jokes... making it authentic to the way she speaks too
• Funny "PS": It's a very original addition

First follow-up email that fires off 3 days after the initial email... of course, if people didn't reply to it.

The tone of these emails is different and makes you feel good after reading it. Which is the whole point anyway.

• Personalization: Personalized coffee template always catches attention 😉
• Value first: You don't need to pitch to have a call with you before you bring some value first

And let's come to the final message in this email sequence example:

That's just a kind and friendly follow-up, a way to close your sequence. All emails performed really well:

• 1st email generated 36 calls
• 2d email generated 20 calls
• 3d email generated 8 calls

Create your email sequence step by step

You saw cool email sequence examples and it's time to create your own campaign!

To help you create your cold email sequence both efficiently and effectively, we've prepared this quick checklist to guide you through the process... should you need it of course.

Step 1: Prepare your email account

In order to avoid SPAM, you need to lay out the groundwork. This means setting up these:

1. Set up your email profile correctly
2. Set up SPF and DKIM
3. Start the email warm-up with lemwarm

Step 2: Identify your target audience and their emails

Now we need to find people you'd reach out to:

1. Find your buyer persona
2. Find anyone's email
3. Connect with LinkedIn prospects via cold email
4. Verify email addresses to avoid bounce rate

Step 3: Start creating your outbound sales sequence

1. Create a custom domain for your outreach tool
2. Write perfect cold emails
3. Prepare cool subject line and intro sentences
4. Personalize your emails with text, images, and videos

And if you need inspiration, you will enjoy these cold email templates.

Key Takeaways

We've seen three real examples, with all the steps Nadja, Zelie and Anaëlle used to schedule calls.

Our advice?

Don't just copy them, but borrow the winning formula. Adapt it to the way you and your audience speak and think, and keep testing until you find what works and what doesn't.

Authenticity is the only thing nobody can ever take away from you!