The Exit Five CMO Podcast (Hosted by Dave Gerhardt)

The Lead Nurture Email Playbook: What Works and What Doesn’t

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May 19, 2025

Guest

Samar Owais, founder of Emails Done Right, shares her expertise on email marketing alongside Sheri Otto, CEO of Growth Lane Strategies, and Sofia Silva, Marketing Manager at Reachdesk. They analyze real B2B lead nurture emails, pointing out common mistakes like excessive AI use and convoluted CTAs. Focusing on building human connections, they emphasize that every email should be a conversation. With practical critiques, they provide valuable insights on crafting effective subject lines and the importance of clear, single calls to action.

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ADVICE

Every Email Is a Nurturing Chance

Treat every email as an opportunity to nurture and connect personally with subscribers.
Avoid marketing jargon and talk like you're having a conversation with one person.

ADVICE

Avoid 'We' Language in Emails

Avoid using "we" language and announcements that focus on your company instead of the recipient.
Switch pronouns to "you" and "your" to focus on customer pain points and needs.

ADVICE

Use AI to Assist, Not Replace

Use AI as an assistant, not as the sole email copywriter.
Keep emails human and avoid sounding robotic even when using AI tools.

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#247 Lead Nurturing | In this episode, Danielle is joined by Samar Owais, founder of Emails Done Right; Sheri Otto, CEO of Growth Lane Strategies; and Sofia Silva, Marketing Manager at Reachdesk.

These three email experts came together for a live roast of real B2B lead nurture emails, submitted by marketers from the Exit Five community. You’ll hear the good, the bad, and the fixable, with practical insights on how to improve your own nurture sequences.

Danielle, Samar, Sheri, and Sofia cover:

The most common lead nurture mistakes B2B marketers make (and how to fix them)
Why every email should be treated as a conversation, not just a campaign
How to write nurture emails that create connection, not clicks for clicks’ sake

If you're building (or rebuilding) your nurture strategy, this one’s packed with real examples and expert feedback to guide your next send.

Timestamps

(00:00) - – Intro: Welcome to the Lead Nurture Roast
(02:36) - – Meet the Experts: Samar, Sheri, and Sofia
(06:33) - – What Is **Lead Nurturing, Really?
(09:26) - – The Problem with “We” Language in Emails
(11:48) - – The Biggest Mistakes B2B Marketers Make
(14:13) - – Why AI Isn’t Your Copywriter
(16:08) - – Teardown #1: Subject Line Gone Wrong
(20:38) - – How to Build a Nurture Sequence Around a Whitepaper
(23:18) - – CTA Overload and Why It Kills Clicks
(28:23) - – Teardown #2: Great Open Rate, Low Engagement
(32:17) - – The One-CTA Rule (And Why It Matters)
(34:59) - – Structuring Long Emails for Skimmability
(37:31) - – Teardown #3: Cold Lead, Wrong Email
(40:04) - – Re-Engagement Emails That Actually Work
(42:54) - – Use Social Proof Instead of Product Pitches
(44:34) - – Teardown #4: The Overloaded Onboarding Email
(47:29) - – What’s a “Micro Conversion” in SaaS Email?
(52:04) - – Time-to-Value and the First Action That Matters
(54:19) - – This Email Is... a Whole Sequence in One
(56:39) - – Teardown #5: Trust Email or Generic Spam?
(59:34) - – Why Specificity Beats Industry Buzzwords
(01:01:49) - – Final Scores and Wrap-Up

Send guest pitches and ideas to hi@exitfive.com
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Check out the Exit Five job board: https://jobs.exitfive.com/
Become an Exit Five member: https://community.exitfive.com/checkout/exit-five-membership

***

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***

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