If you’re a FinTech founder trying to build predictable pipeline, you’ve probably asked:
“How do I get meetings with the right people—without burning my network or sounding like a bot?”
Cold outreach is still your fastest path to new business. But the rules have changed. This isn’t 2017. Founders today need a tighter playbook—one that combines human-to-human strategy with AI-scale efficiency.
This guide breaks down exactly how to do it using email and LinkedIn, step-by-step.
🎯 Step 1: Start With Your ICP, Not Your Toolstack
Before you write a single message or load up your CRM, get crystal clear on your Ideal Client Profile (ICP). For FinTech, this usually includes:
- Firmographics: Industry (lending, payments, SaaS), company size, funding stage
- Roles: VPs of Sales, Revenue Ops, CMOs, or Product Leaders
- Pain Points: Broken acquisition funnels, manual sales cycles, compliance complexity
🔥 Pro Tip: Use AI to roleplay your ICP. In ChatGPT, say:
“Act as a CMO of a B2B payments startup. What are your top 3 marketing problems this quarter?”
You’ll uncover messaging angles you hadn’t thought of.
📇 Step 2: Build a Clean, Filtered List (No Scraping!)
Effective outreach starts with high-quality targets. Use LinkedIn Sales Navigator to:
- Search by role, seniority, industry, geography
- Filter by company headcount, funding rounds, tech used
- Save leads into custom lists by segment or campaign
Export responsibly using tools like Apollo, Clay, or manually enrich with Clearbit to avoid spam traps.
👉 Quality > Quantity. You’re not selling cheap software—you’re building trust.
✉️ Step 3: Write Cold Emails That Don’t Suck
Here’s the anatomy of a cold email that actually gets a reply:
Subject Line
- Keep it simple, curiosity-driven:
“Quick idea for [Company Name]”
“Question about [their product]”
Line 1: Personalized Hook
- Reference a funding round, job post, or podcast quote.
“Saw you just raised a Series A—congrats. Curious how your GTM plans are evolving.”
Line 2–3: Relevance & Tease Value
- Show you understand their world.
“Most B2B FinTechs we work with struggle to scale outbound beyond the founder—sound familiar?”
Line 4: Call to Action
- Keep it soft and non-pushy.
“Worth a quick call to share what’s working for others in your space?”
PS (Optional)
- Add social proof, e.g.,
“We helped [Client Name] 3x booked demos in 60 days.”
🤝 Step 4: Sync With LinkedIn (The Right Way)
Use LinkedIn for pre-warming and follow-up. Here’s how:
- View Their Profile – Trigger curiosity.
- Like or Comment on a Post – Be visible, not spammy.
- Send Connection Request – Use a soft intro, not a pitch.
“Saw you’re in the [XYZ] space—would love to connect and learn how you’re scaling.” - Engage Post-Connect – Send a friendly message, link to a resource, or ask a question.
💡 Founders convert better than SDRs here. If you’re the face of your startup, use that authority.
🧪 Step 5: Use a 7-Touch Multi-Channel Sequence
Here’s a sample sequence that works:
| Day | Channel | Action |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Personalized cold email | |
| 2 | Profile view + follow | |
| 3 | Connection request | |
| 5 | Soft follow-up (reply to same thread) | |
| 7 | Send a value-driven message or asset | |
| 10 | Final follow-up with breakup tone | |
| 14 | Comment on a post or resurface thread |
The goal isn’t to “close” in the inbox. It’s to spark curiosity and conversation.
🧠 Tools That Make It Scalable (Without Getting Banned)
- Apollo or Instantly – Smart sequencing with inbox warm-up
- Sales Navigator – Precision targeting
- Clay or ChatGPT – Dynamic personalization
- Lavender – Write better cold emails (graded in real-time)
- Notion or Trello – Pipeline and campaign tracking
⚠️ Reminder: Volume kills trust. Stick to <50 touches per day per channel.
📈 What Good Cold Outreach Looks Like
✅ 40–60% open rates
✅ 8–15% reply rates
✅ 2–5% meeting rates
That’s what we consistently see when founders run this system for 30+ days with smart targeting.
It’s not about automation—it’s about relevance, timing, and tone.
💬 Final Word: Founders Who Outbound Win
The best founders I’ve worked with never “outsource” trust. They show up in inboxes, DMs, and calls with clarity. They use cold outreach as a signal amplifier, not a sales script.
If you want predictable lead flow, cold outreach isn’t optional—it’s foundational.
🚀 Want a Done-for-You System?
Two ways to go deeper:
- 📬 Subscribe to My Executive Brief — Get weekly founder-first briefings on what’s working in outbound and pipeline strategy.
- 🤝 Schedule a Discovery Session — We’ll map out your 90-day LinkedIn + Email system, tailored to your ICP.