Effective personalization isn't about mentioning personal details—it's about relevance. Our research shows that relevance-based personalization drives 5X higher response rates than generic outreach.

What NOT to Do

These commonly used personalization approaches actually hurt response rates:

• Avoid superficial personalization
  • Don't mention things like "we went to the same college" or other superficial commonalities
  • This comes across as insincere and manipulative
  • One of our top-performing clients confirms: "I'm focused more on relevance over personalization"
• Avoid clearly automated messages
  • Messages that look AI-generated get dramatically lower response rates
  • Don't use generic templates that feel mass-produced
  • We've found that overly polished messages perform worse than casual, human-sounding ones
• Skip the obvious research
  • Don't congratulate them on recent promotions (overused)
  • Avoid commenting on obvious profile information
  • Steer clear of insincere compliments

What Works Instead

1. Industry-specific personalization

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOIYXi11zF8

This type of personalization shows you understand their world:

• Mention industry challenges
  • Reference specific problems facing their sector
  • Show understanding of the pressures they face
  • Our clients report that "stating something that gets their heads nodding" creates immediate rapport
• Reference recent industry changes
  • Regulatory updates affecting their business
  • Market shifts creating new challenges
  • Technology advances changing their landscape
• Acknowledge specific problems they likely face
  • Operational challenges common in their role
  • Strategic issues prevalent in their industry
  • Competitive pressures specific to their market

2. Role-based personalization

Tailor your message to the specific responsibilities of their position:

• Tailor messages to specific job functions
  • Different pain points for CMOs vs. CTOs
  • Varying priorities for VPs vs. Directors
  • Distinct KPIs for different departments
• Address responsibilities they likely have
  • Reference targets they're probably measured against
  • Mention team challenges they likely face
  • Acknowledge decision-making challenges in their role
• Speak their language
  • Use terminology specific to their function
  • Reference methodologies common in their role
  • Mention tools or systems they likely use

3. Company-based personalization

Show you've done thoughtful research about their organization: