Cold email vs cold calling: which works better for B2B?

Cold email and cold calling are the two main outbound channels for B2B companies. Both can work, but they have different strengths, and most businesses benefit from starting with one before layering on the other.

Cold email scales more easily. You can reach hundreds of prospects per week with well-crafted sequences, and recipients can respond on their own time. It's less intrusive than a phone call, which means people are often more willing to engage. It also creates a written record of the conversation.

Cold calling is more immediate. When you get someone on the phone, you can have a real-time conversation, handle objections, and build rapport in a way that email can't replicate. For complex or high-value sales, a phone call can move things forward faster than a series of emails.

The main downside of cold email is deliverability. If your domain reputation is poor, your technical setup is wrong, or your messages look like spam, they won't reach the inbox. It takes some effort to set up properly and maintain over time.

The main downside of cold calling is efficiency. Most calls go to voicemail, and connecting with the right person often takes multiple attempts. It's also harder to scale - each call requires a person's time, whereas email sequences run automatically once they're set up.

For most B2B companies starting with outbound, cold email is the better first step. It's more scalable, easier to test and iterate on, and less resource-intensive. Once you have a working email process, adding phone calls as a follow-up channel can increase your overall conversion rate.