What Happened When I Reached Out to 50 Tech and Crypto CEOs Cold: No Ads, No Clout

I didn’t plan to email 50 CEOs. I just wanted to test one idea.

Can a well-written cold email still get results in 2025 especially in an oversaturated space like tech and crypto?

Turns out, yes if you do it right.

I didn’t have a huge newsletter. No warm intros. No VC behind me. Just a desire to start conversations with smart people doing interesting things in tech, SaaS, and Web3.

Here’s how I approached it and what happened next.

Why I Picked 50 CEOs (and Why Many Were from Crypto)

The idea came out of frustration.

I was tired of waiting on referrals, algorithm “reach,” or time-wasting discovery calls. So I decided to go direct.

I picked 50 people who were building things that genuinely interested me tools, platforms, and protocols across SaaS, dev tools, and especially Web3 and crypto infrastructure.

Roughly 40% of my list were founders or execs at crypto-native startups Layer 2 chains, NFT platforms, DeFi tools, even a DAO tooling service.

Why crypto?

Because despite the noise, the signal is strong. Many Web3 teams are solving real problems and moving fast. And they’re open to collaboration if you speak their language and respect their time.

Building a Targeted List (Without Paying for Tools)

I didn’t buy lists. I didn’t use a scraping tool.

Here’s how I built my outreach list:

• Step 1: Found companies I liked (via Twitter, Product Hunt, newsletters, and crypto job boards)
• Step 2: Looked for recent activity: launches, hires, investments
• Step 3: Verified CEO or founder names through LinkedIn or team pages
• Step 4: Found emails via Hunter, manual guesswork, and company naming patterns

Yes, it took longer. But that effort meant I wasn’t sending blind messages to people who’d never care.

What My Emails Actually Said

Here’s the basic structure I followed, which worked across both Web2 and Web3 founders:

1. Line 1: Something specific to them – a launch, quote, product, tweet, or blog

2. Line 2: The offer – what I can help with, clearly stated

3. Line 3: An easy, non-pushy call to action (CTA)

No intros like “Hope this finds you well.” No pitch decks attached. No desperation.

An example:

Subject: Thought this could support your onboarding

Hey [Name], just saw your rollout of gasless wallet signups, very slick.

I’ve been working on a simple onboarding flow that cuts drop-off by 40% on cold wallets. Might be worth testing.

Want me to send a 1-pager?

I used a similar structure for non-crypto founders, replacing onboarding/gas wallet language with SaaS-specific terms like “demo setup” or “sales ops.”

The Results (Short Version)

Here’s what happened after I hit “send”:

• 50 emails sent
• 18 opened
• 11 responded
• 6 became full conversations
• 2 converted into small paid trials
• 1 led to a warm intro that became a client
• Bonus: One DAO co-founder asked to feature the idea in their community call

And no – I didn’t get blocked, flagged, or blacklisted.

What Helped Me Get Replies

1. Crypto founders notice when you know their space

You don’t need to flex jargon, but you do need to show understanding.

One reply literally started with:

“Appreciate that you didn’t try to explain what a wallet is…”

Referencing real features (zk-rollups, L2 bridges, token gating) in a natural way helped me stand out from the endless “marketing for Web3” emails they usually ignore.

2. Specific, tangible outcomes

Instead of saying “We increase efficiency,” I wrote:

“Reduced support tickets by 25% in a community of 10,000+ wallet users.”

Crypto founders especially want data and brevity. They’re allergic to hand-waving.

3. Clear, casual CTAs

I avoided scheduling links and long booking funnels.

Instead, I offered low-commitment next steps like:

• “Want me to send details?”
• “Want a before/after mockup?”
• “Should I drop a Loom?”

CTAs that felt like a conversation not a funnel.

Why Some Messages Flopped

Not everything worked. Here’s what didn’t:

1. Over-explaining

One early draft started with three lines about my background. Deleted.

Founders don’t care unless it relates to them.

2. Being generic

An email that said “We help digital brands improve onboarding” went nowhere. Too vague.

3. Bad subject lines

“Touching base” = the spam folder.
“Crypto growth idea for [Company]” = open + reply.

Tools I Used (Spoiler: You Don’t Need Many)

• Gmail – I kept it manual and personal
• Google Sheets – for tracking outreach and responses
• Clay – only later, to enrich data and speed up lookups
• Twitter & Farcaster – surprisingly useful to see who’s actively building in Web3

Want a quick Clay review? It’s flexible, fast, and lets you build smart workflows. Definitely saved me hours once I figured it out. But the tool didn’t do the writing. The message did.

Follow-Ups: Where 40% of Replies Came From

Most people didn’t respond to the first email. But when I followed up (politely, 4 days later), replies came in.

Best follow-up tactics:

• Reference a tweet or update since the first message
• Add something new: a stat, article, example
• End with “Still happy to send more if helpful”

Don’t just bump the thread. Move it forward.

What I’d Do Differently Next Time

This test was just the beginning. If I scale this again, here’s how I’d evolve:

• Pre-warm leads by engaging with their content (especially on Twitter/X and Farcaster)
• Build more tailored mini-campaigns (e.g. “10 NFT marketplaces”)
• Add light social proof – like “working with a zk-rollup wallet now”
• Consider a short landing page for context, not just an email

Also, I’d dig deeper into tools that combine outreach and enrichment. I spent time reading Zoominfo pricing and feature breakdowns. It helped me understand what’s worth paying for as I scale this out.

A stronger tool stack might help me scale but in this first round, simplicity won.

Final Takeaway: Cold Outreach Still Works: Even in Web3

Here’s the big truth I learned:

You don’t need a huge network or paid ad strategy to get in front of smart, busy people.

You need:

• The right people
• A tight message
• A reason for them to care

Crypto founders are no different. If you speak to their mission, respect their time, and bring value, they will respond. Just don’t waste their time. And definitely don’t call them “Web3 ninjas.”