Same agent, different list: 238 cold emails to Japanese schools, 13 replies, 2 meetings

Description and use

An automated outreach of 238 personalized emails to Japanese schools achieved a 5.5% reply rate and two meetings, but no contracts. Key takeaways: target actionable departments, keep the ask minimal, and provide clear reply instructions.

Problem

Outbound email campaigns often fail when the list, ask, or sender are mismatched to the target audience, leading to low reply rates and no contracts.

Outcome

Targeted list sources (prep schools, career support offices) and a minimal, clear ask increased reply rate from 0.7% to 5.5%, generating two meetings but no contracts.

Workflow

• 1. Build prospect list using six sources (prep schools, career support offices, press releases, expo exhibitors, boards of education, association member lists).
• 2. Research each organization’s website to find a specific detail for personalization.
• 3. Generate one email per organization with a single-sentence ask and a clear reply instruction (e.g., "wrong department" or "maybe later").
• 4. Send emails from the company domain and record all replies.
• 5. Classify replies as interested, no, or unsubscribe; requeue or archive based on reply content.
• 6. Analyze results to refine list sources and email content.

Evidence

The numbers below are from August 28. The agent is still running, and I will write up the newer sends separately.

Source

The closing line asks for one sentence back. It also tells the reader what to write if the answer is no.

Source