Usually both, with different jobs. The question is which one leads.
Cold email reaches more people per hour, but Gmail now sets hard limits on spam complaints and the law requires an opt-out and a postal address in every commercial email. LinkedIn reaches fewer people, under your real name and face, but LinkedIn limits invitations and prohibits automated sending. For senior B2B buyers in a defined market, we lead with LinkedIn and use email as a follow-up. For a huge market and a simple offer, email-led can make more sense.
We lead with LinkedIn, from your team's own profiles, and use email as a secondary channel. Outreach starts from a buyer signal and a written reason to reach out, and a person reviews new messages. We measure success by opportunities your sales team accepts. If you sell a simple offer into a market of hundreds of thousands of companies, an email-led motion with a good deliverability setup may suit you better than we will.
The failure points teams hit as they scale it.
Since February 1, 2024, anyone sending to Gmail accounts must set up SPF or DKIM and keep the spam rate reported in Google Postmaster Tools below 0.3%. Google recommends staying below 0.1%. Senders of more than 5,000 messages a day to Gmail must also set up DMARC and support one-click unsubscribe for marketing messages. A handful of complaints per thousand emails is enough to start landing in spam.
Gmail's sender guidelines tell senders not to buy email addresses, not to send to people who didn't sign up, and to increase volume slowly rather than in sudden spikes. High-volume cold email built on bought lists runs straight into those guidelines.
In the US, the FTC says CAN-SPAM covers all commercial email, including business-to-business. Each message needs accurate sender information, an honest subject line, a valid postal address and a clear opt-out, and opt-outs must be honored within 10 business days. The FTC lists penalties of up to $53,088 per violating email. You stay responsible even when an agency or tool sends for you.
LinkedIn's User Agreement prohibits bots and other unauthorized automated methods for adding contacts or sending messages. Its help center says accounts can be restricted for sending many invitations in a short time or for invitations that are ignored or marked as spam, and suspected automation can lead to suspension. That applies to sending tools and services, including ones like ours, so LinkedIn rewards fewer, better-aimed requests.
Bring what an SDR or agency costs and what it produces. We will run your numbers against ours.
Common questions about Cold Email and how Audienti compares.
It depends on the buyer and the market. LinkedIn suits senior buyers in a defined market, where your name and a real reason to reach out matter. Cold email suits large markets and simple offers, where reach matters more. Many teams use both: one leads, the other follows up.
Yes, if you follow CAN-SPAM. The FTC says the law makes no exception for business-to-business email: every commercial message needs accurate headers, an honest subject line, your physical postal address and a clear way to opt out, and opt-outs must be honored within 10 business days. The FTC lists penalties of up to $53,088 per violating email. Other countries have stricter rules; check where your buyers are.
No, but the rules are tighter. Since February 2024, Gmail requires every sender to authenticate their domain and keep the spam rate below 0.3%, and recommends staying below 0.1%. Teams that send lots of untargeted email hit those limits quickly.
LinkedIn doesn't publish a fixed number. Its help center says you can be restricted for sending many invitations in a short time, or when many are ignored, left pending or marked as spam, and that suspected automation can lead to suspension. Most restrictions lift within a week. Fewer, more relevant requests are the safe answer.
For some teams, yes, especially when buyers are senior and the market is a few thousand accounts. LinkedIn reaches fewer people per day, so it works best when you only contact accounts with a reason to talk now.
Yes, as a secondary channel. We lead with LinkedIn from your team's own profiles and use email for signal-led follow-up, not volume. Every commercial email we help send has to meet CAN-SPAM and Gmail's sender rules.
Every outside figure on this page, with the date we last checked it.