I Thought More Emails Meant More Replies

Last week, I shared a detailed framework for improving cold outreach; covering everything from ICP definition to email sequencing.

But most people don’t need a complex system to get replies.

What they need is a simple, repeatable way to write emails that get opened, read, and responded to.

That’s why today, I want to show you a much simpler formula that changed how I write emails and actually got responses.

Meet the 4T Framework.

A straightforward approach that makes every word count and gets straight to the point.

The Psychology Behind Why People Ignore Your Emails

Let’s get real.

The average person gets 100+ emails a day.

Most of them go unread.

Your prospects are busy, distracted, and skimming through their inbox on their phones.

A study by Boomerang found that the ideal length of a cold email is 50-125 words. 

Anything beyond that? 

Your chances of getting a response drop drastically.

Here’s why most emails fail: 

• They’re too long—nobody has time to read an essay. 

• They’re all about you, not them. 

• They lack a clear reason for the reader to care. 

• There’s no follow-up—one email isn’t enough.

So how do you write emails that actually get responses?

The 4T Framework: The Formula for Writing Winning Emails

After trial and error, I came across Josh Braun’s 4T Framework.

I gave it a shot, and loved how well it worked.

This framework is designed to be short, clear, and highly relevant to the recipient.

Your email should fit within a mobile screen, making it easy to read and respond to quickly. 

The structure? 

Four sentences—each with a specific purpose:

1. Trigger – Why You’re Reaching Out

Your first sentence is your make-or-break moment.

If you don’t hook them in the first two seconds, they’ll move on.

Think about it: How do YOU react when you get an email that starts with:
"Hope you're doing well. My name is X, and I work at Y. We offer Z solutions..."

You delete it—because it sounds like every other sales email.

Instead, your opening line should feel like it was written just for them.

Example:
"I saw your LinkedIn post about hiring a performance marketing manager and your focus on taking a scientific approach to scaling. I love that mindset!"

How You Can Do This:

1. Spend 2-3 minutes researching them.

   • Check their LinkedIn posts, recent news, or company announcements.

   • Did they just raise funding? Hire a key role? Announce a new initiative?

2. Reference something specific.

   • Bad: “I work with SaaS companies like yours.”

   • Good: “Saw your post on scaling your ad spend—your focus on data-driven growth really stood out.”

Why This Works: When people feel like an email is uniquely for them, they’re much more likely to respond.

2. Think – Challenge Their Current Approach (Without Sounding Pushy)

The second sentence should make them pause and reconsider something they’re currently doing.

Don’t say: “We help companies reduce ad costs by 30%.” (It’s too generic.)
Instead, introduce a new insight that changes their perspective.

Example:
"Most companies try to scale by increasing ad spend, but very few optimize for conversion first. The result? Higher costs, lower ROI."

How You Can Do This:

1. Think about common mistakes your prospects make.

   • Do they focus too much on lead volume and not enough on conversion?

   • Are they investing in SEO but neglecting content distribution?

   • Are they prioritizing more outreach instead of better-targeted outreach?

2. Present a gap in their strategy.

   • Make them think, "Hmm, I haven’t considered that before."

Why This Works: When people realize they might be leaving money on the table, they become more open to new solutions.

3. Third-Party Validation – Show Proof (Even If You Don’t Have Case Studies Yet)

By this point, they might be interested, but they’re also skeptical.

Why should they believe you?

That’s where social proof comes in.

No one wants to be the first to try something new—but they’ll gladly follow if others have succeeded.

Example:
"We helped [Client Name] scale from $2M to $30M ARR in just 24 months by optimizing their performance marketing strategy. The results were game-changing."

What If You Don’t Have Big Case Studies Yet?

1. Use industry insights.

   • “A recent Forrester study found that companies who optimize their conversion rates before increasing ad spend see a 2x improvement in ROI.”

2. Highlight personal experience.

   • “At my last company, we increased lead quality by 40% by making this small change to our outbound strategy.”

3. Leverage internal data.

   • “In the past 3 months, we’ve tested this with 10 clients and saw a 25% increase in response rates.”

Why This Works: People trust data, success stories, and market trends far more than claims without evidence.

4. Tell Me – A Low-Friction Call to Action That Feels Natural

Here’s where most people go wrong: They ask for too much, too soon.

Bad ask:
"Can we set up a 30-minute call this week?"

Good ask:
"Worth a quick chat? Let me know if this is relevant, and I can send more details."

Why This Works:

• It’s casual and non-threatening.

• It’s easy to say yes to.

• It doesn’t feel like a sales pitch.

Other Low-Friction Asks:

• “Would a quick case study help?”

• “Want me to send over a few insights?”

• “Does this sound relevant to you?”

The goal isn’t to force them into a meeting—it’s to start a conversation.

It’s Not About Sending More Emails, It’s About Sending Better Ones

For the longest time, I thought sending more emails meant getting more replies.

I was wrong.

I assumed my prospects already knew why they should care.

I kept talking about my product, my features, my success stories.

But here’s the thing—your prospect doesn’t care about your product, they care about their problem.

When I started focusing on what they were struggling with—suddenly, they started responding.

I stopped sending email blasts and started sending relevant, highly targeted messages that actually made my prospects pause and think.

Here’s what happened when I sent emails that actually spoke to my prospects:

• More opens. My first line made prospects stop and read instead of scrolling past.

• More replies. I focused on their challenges, not my product features.

• More meetings. I stopped sounding desperate and started making it easy for them to say yes.

What You Should Remember Before Sending Emails

If you want more replies, you need to do two things: make it easy to read and make it about them.

1. Keep it short and mobile-friendly. Your prospects are skimming emails between meetings, on their phones, or while multitasking.

   If they have to scroll endlessly, they’ll move on. Make every word count.

2. Make the first line about them, not you. Imagine getting an email that starts with “We’re a leading company in…”—would you keep reading?

   Start with their problem, their challenge, or their goal to grab their attention.

3. Use social proof. People trust what works for others.

   Show them real examples—whether it’s a success story, industry data, or a case study—so they see proof before they even have to ask.

4. Lower the friction. Asking for a 30-minute call upfront feels like a big ask.

   Instead, offer something easy—a quick tip, a relevant case study, or even a question they can reply to in one sentence.

5. Follow up (but do it right). 80% of deals require five or more touchpoints, yet most people give up after one or two.

   Following up isn’t annoying if you add value each time—share insights, answer a common question, or send a short, friendly check-in.

If you’re struggling with email outreach, try the 4T Framework in your next email and see what happens.

Until next time,

Karthick Raajha.