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Sequence Cadence Design

When to send, why, and how to vary across email + LinkedIn + call so a sequence feels like a human, not a tool.
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Sequence Cadence Design

A cold sequence should feel like one person reaching out three different ways with three different angles — not the same email template re-skinned.

Default 8-touch cadence (15 business days)

Day Channel Angle
1 Email Trigger + tiny ask
3 LinkedIn Connection request, no pitch
5 Email Different angle: peer story or stat
7 LinkedIn Voice note OR comment on their recent post
10 Email Resource drop (no ask)
12 Phone One try, leave a 20-sec voicemail referencing email
14 Email Break-up: "should I close the loop?"
18 LinkedIn If they accepted but didn't reply, send one DM

Then STOP. Move to long nurture (quarterly check-in) or disqualify.

Why each touch exists

  • Day 1: cold = lowest reply rate, but anchors the thread.
  • Day 3 LinkedIn: increases recognition before email 2 lands. No pitch — pitches in connection requests destroy accept rate.
  • Day 5 email: most replies come on touches 2–4. New angle means it doesn't read as "bumping this up."
  • Day 10 resource drop: no-ask emails get higher reply rates than ask emails. Useful when you have something worth sharing.
  • Day 12 call: only useful if you have something to say in 20 seconds. Don't cold dial-and-spray — call the day after an email so you can reference it.
  • Day 14 break-up: triggers loss-aversion responses. Often the highest-reply touch in the entire sequence.

Variation rules

  • Each email body must use a different opener style — never the same template reskinned. (Trigger / question / observation / data point / contrarian take.)
  • Each email must have one different angle on the value prop — feature focus, outcome focus, peer story, ROI math, anti-pitch.
  • LinkedIn touches should reference something they've actually posted recently.
  • Calls should reference the most recent email by subject line.

When to break cadence

  • If they reply: STOP the sequence. Pause it in the tool. Hand to a human immediately. Auto-replies make us look like a bot.
  • If they engage on LinkedIn (like / comment on our post, view our profile 3+ times): jump forward — skip touches 2-3, go straight to a personal email.
  • If a high-intent signal fires (pricing visit, demo form abandonment): exit cold cadence, move to high-intent track.

Anti-patterns

  • 14+ touch sequences. Diminishing returns after touch 4. Save the rest for nurture.
  • Sending touches at the same time of day every time. Vary.
  • Auto-LinkedIn DMs as a connection request message. Read as spam, kill accept rate.
  • "Per my last email" — never. Treat each touch as if they didn't see the previous.
  • Sending email 2 / 3 / 4 in the same thread when content is unrelated. Start a new thread when angle changes.

Reporting — what to track per sequence

  • Reply rate by touch number (where do replies actually come?)
  • Reply rate by angle (which opener works for this ICP?)
  • Bounce rate (>3% means list quality is the problem, not copy)
  • Unsubscribe / spam-complaint rate (>0.3% = stop the sequence)
  • Pipeline-sourced rate (replies → meetings → opps)
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