Most sales emails go unopened or ignored because inboxes are overloaded with newsletters, promotions, and cold outreach. Sales reps feel pressure to reach more leads, but poor execution often leads to low engagement, missed opportunities, and damaged deliverability.
If you’re wondering how to do email lead nurturing in a way that feels personal and effective, you’re in the right place. Email nurturing gives sales teams a smarter way to stay in touch, build trust, and follow up with intent.
This post explains how to do email lead nurturing from setup to messaging to follow-up timing. The insights are based on the VanillaSoft webinar “Beyond the Blast: How Email Nurturing Bridges the Gap Between Mass and One-to-One Messages,” featuring VanillaSoft’s Bergen Wilde, Jelena Petrovic, and Dan Sims.
Want to dive deeper? Watch the full webinar here.
Key Takeaways
- Email nurturing is different from mass email marketing. It mirrors personal, one-on-one outreach.
- Good nurturing requires solid infrastructure, timing, and thoughtful messaging, not just a tool.
- Engagement signals (opens, clicks, replies) should prompt fast, targeted follow-up.
- The right email nurturing strategy helps reps scale their outreach without sounding robotic.
Step 1: Get Your Technical Setup in Order
Before anything else, you need to build trust with inbox providers. That starts with proper email authentication. Set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records for your domain. These protocols help confirm your identity and reduce the risk of your emails being marked as spam.
Next, warm up your domain gradually. Don’t jump from 10 to 500 emails overnight. That kind of behavior looks suspicious to providers like Gmail and Outlook. Instead, ramp up your sending volume steadily over time.
Jelena Petrovic put it clearly: “Authentication might sound technical, but it shows you’re a legitimate sender. It tells email providers: this email really came from you.”
If you’re using a new domain or subdomain, treat it gently. First impressions matter, especially with inbox algorithms.
Step 2: Build Campaigns Around Use Cases
Avoid the temptation to build one-size-fits-all campaigns. Instead, align your nurturing strategy with the specific moments in your sales process where follow-up matters.
Some of the most effective use cases include:
- Following up with event or webinar attendees
- Nurturing leads who filled out a form but never responded
- Staying in touch ahead of renewals or deadlines
- Introducing new services or features to existing customers
Each of these deserves its own tailored sequence. Write 3–6 emails that deliver value at the right cadence. Think through when to send each one, and build in exit points when someone replies or books a meeting.
The goal isn’t just to stay visible, it’s to stay relevant.
Step 3: Write Like a Human, Not a Marketing Bot
Your emails should feel like they came from a person, not a system. Plain-text formatting, natural language, and thoughtful content go a long way.
Start with a subject line that’s simple and honest. No tricks, no gimmicks. Your first sentence should build context fast. Think: Why am I emailing you? Why should you care?
Then give something of value. Share a quick tip. Link to a helpful article. Offer an insight that makes the reader pause.
Wrap it up with one clear call to action. Don’t ask them to do five things, just one.
Avoid trying too hard with personalization. As Jelena said, “Don’t pretend you looked at my LinkedIn if you didn’t. That stuff backfires.” Focus on relevance, not flattery.
Step 4: Monitor Engagement and Act Fast
Nurture emails aren’t just about sending, they’re about listening. Watch for signs that a lead is warming up. If someone opens multiple emails, clicks a link, or replies, that’s your cue to follow up.
This is where tools like VanillaSoft shine. As Dan Sims said, “You need a live prioritization engine. The moment someone replies or clicks, your sales rep should know.”
Let automation surface your hottest leads so your reps can jump in quickly. If someone shows interest, don’t wait three days to respond. That delay could cost you the deal.
Step 5: Test and Adjust
Email nurturing isn’t something you set and forget. Every audience behaves differently. That’s why it’s so important to test.
Try A/B testing your subject lines, your send times, your tone, and your calls to action. But don’t stop at vanity metrics. Look deeper. Are these emails actually driving meetings? Are they turning into revenue?
Use what you learn to refine your campaigns. Even small tweaks can lead to big results over time.
Final Thoughts
Email nurturing isn’t about blasting more messages, it’s about sending smarter ones. When done well, it helps your team connect with the right people at the right time, in a way that feels personal, not pushy.
Start with the basics: deliverability, relevance, timing. Build thoughtful campaigns around real use cases. Write like a person. And respond quickly when someone leans in.
It’s not about scaling messages. It’s about scaling meaningful conversations.
