Are Your Cold Emails Not Working? Maybe You Should Look Into the Rule of 7

We’ve all seen the hot takes: “Cold emailing is dead,” “Does cold emailing actually work?” “Why cold emails won’t work at scale.” While there’s usually a kernel of truth in these claims, they often overlook a fundamental factor—familiarity. Or, as most marketers call it, “brand recognition.”

But cold emailing can still work, provided you’ve established that all-important familiarity beforehand. In other words, yes, you need a certain set of skills to craft compelling emails. But more importantly, your recipients need to have seen or heard about your brand enough times to trust it. That’s where the Rule of 7 comes in. And if you’re sending out cold emails without warming up those leads first, it’s like stepping onto the pitch expecting to score a goal without doing any warm-up drills—your chances of success are slim to none.

The Psychology Behind Familiarity

From a cognitive psychology standpoint, people are wired to respond more positively to things they recognize. We’re all subject to the “familiarity heuristic,” meaning we tend to trust what we’ve seen before. In B2B, stakes are often high, so decision-makers need to be sure they’re dealing with a credible partner. Repetition can signal credibility and reliability—two ingredients necessary to build trust and convince stakeholders that your solution is worth their time.

Enter the Rule of 7

Back in the 1930s, movie studios discovered that moviegoers needed to be exposed to a marketing message at least seven times before they’d buy a ticket. This concept, the Rule of 7, holds firm in modern marketing. Yet plenty of startup founders still throw Hail Mary cold emails, asking their sales teams to send them out en masse, hoping for a quick win. Predictably, many of these emails flop. Why? Because the recipients have zero trust in a brand they’ve never heard of.

The key insight is that your audience should have at least seven encounters with your brand—across various channels—before that sales email hits their inbox. Yes, even if you’re “just a startup,” there are plenty of ways to familiarize leads with your brand without spending a fortune.

Examples of the Rule of 7 in Action