lemlist

Head of Growth

folk

Growth Manager

Dougs Compta

Ornikar

ALCHIM.EE

Founder

DOCAPOSTE

Key Account Manager

Groupe Hôtels & Patrimoine

Digital Manager

Head of Growth @lemlist

T-Shaped growth guy with sales skills and marketing education 👋

Outbound is dying.
That’s why lemlist is acquiring Claap, to build what comes next.

Reply rates have collapsed.
Inboxes are flooded.
Volume tactics don’t work anymore.

The next era isn’t outbound.
It’s Smartbound: outreach powered by real buying signals.

lemlist already helps sales teams act on external signals:
funding rounds, job changes, hiring trends, tech stacks.

But the richest signal was still missing:
Conversations.

Every call, demo, and meeting reveals what prospects actually care about.
Pain points, objections, intent meaning the truth behind every deal.

Claap’s proprietary AI captures and structures that data automatically.
Turning every conversation into precise, actionable insights.
No more manual notes. No more guessing.

Together, lemlist + Claap are building the operating system for Smartbound —
where outreach is driven by real intent, not spam.

I’m genuinely thrilled about this.
Because it’s not just a product move, it’s a massive step forward for every sales team using lemlist.
We’re giving them the power to understand why people buy, not just who to contact.

And that’s the real superpower.

PS : for the rest of the week, I'll share 4 workflow on how to use Claap to supercharge your sales process with lemlist.

Erwan Gauthier

Outbound is one of the biggest reasons we reached $35M ARR at lemlist.
And one of our sequences played a massive role in getting there.

We built a workflow that turns LinkedIn engagement into booked meetings, automatically.
It connects marketing, data, and outbound in one seamless loop.

Here’s how it works 👇

Step 1 – It all starts with content

An influencer or team member posts on LinkedIn.
But not any post — content that attracts our ICP and sparks real engagement (comments, likes, shares).
That engagement = intent.

Step 2 – Scrape intent in real-time

We use Jungler to scrape everyone who interacts with the post.
They already know the brand — so reply rates skyrocket later in the sequence.

Step 3 – Centralize everything in Clay

Using n8n, we push all scraped contacts to Clay.
Clay becomes our data hub: enrichment, scoring, and workflow automation all happen there.

Step 4 – Score and deduplicate

Not every like is worth your time.
We use lead scoring based on engagement type, job title, and company fit.
Duplicates and existing customers are removed automatically.

Step 5 – Enrich for context

Clay enriches each lead with company size, tech stack, and recent activity — everything our AI icebreaker can use.

Step 6 – Personalize at scale with AI

lemlist’s AI variables generate custom first lines for every contact.
Each message feels like a human wrote it after 5 minutes of research.

Step 7 – Launch multichannel outreach

The sequence runs across email + LinkedIn using lemlist.
Every step feels contextual, not robotic.

Step 8 – Meetings booked
Because relevance always beats volume.

This workflow became one of our highest-performing outbound sequences ever.
It’s what happens when your content engine + automation stack + outbound strategy finally speak the same language.

Thanks to ColdIQ and Michel for the breakdown!

Ever wondered how a Sales Lead at lemlist actually uses lemlist?
He showed me the exact system that generated $10M in outbound pipeline this year.

We spent one hour with Conor, Sales Team Lead lemlist.
He walked us through the exact playbook that helped the sales team goes from 5% to 35% outbound sourced pipeline this year.

Want it? 

1️⃣ Add me 
2️⃣ Comment "lemlist"
3️⃣ I'll share it in DM 

Inside you’ll find:

→ The KPIs & benchmarks they track
→ How they source & qualify leads
→ Multichannel sequences that actually get replies
→ Real outbound success stories (with screenshots)
→ Copy-paste outreach templates

And the #1 move that stood out: how they use product in outreach to instantly stand out and drive replies.

This is not theory.
It’s the real system behind lemlist outbound success.

Want it?

1️⃣ Add me 
2️⃣ Comment "lemlist"
3️⃣ I'll share it in DM

Lilibeth brought lemlist’s affiliate program to $2M ARR.
Now I’m looking for the person who’ll take it to $10M.

lemlist’s affiliate program started as an experiment 2 years ago. 
Today, it’s one of our fastest-growing channels, with 1,400 active partners and $2M in ARR generated.

Here are 3 lessons we’ve learned building it so far 👇

1. Activation beats acquisition

You don’t need more affiliates. You need active ones.

We stopped chasing signups and focused on helping partners get their first sale fast with better onboarding, ready-to-share assets, and instant support.
Result? Higher retention and much higher ARR per partner.

2. Treat affiliates like a community, not a channel

We give updates, share product launches early, and celebrate top partners publicly.
People join because they love the brand, and stay because they feel part of the mission.

3. Creative channels drive growth

Most programs stop at referral links.
We tested co-marketing, webinars, collabs, even small contests.
Every new touchpoint turned into engagement and new customers.

Now we’re looking for someone to lead the next phase, scaling from $2M to $10M ARR.

If you know how to build partnerships, drive community engagement, and turn love for a brand into revenue… this role is for you.

→ Job desc to apply in the first comment ↩
→ 🙏 tag someone who should see this

Nicolas and Antoine 3x’d lemlist G2 reviews in 1 month.
And they’ll 5x them by end of November.
Here’s their exact playbook you can copy ⬇️

Step 1 – Find your happiest users

→ Export people who left a positive emoji in Intercom chats.
→ These are “micro-moments of delight.”
→ Reach out right after → the positive emotion is still fresh.

Step 2 – Target your power users

Filter for:
→ Paying for 12+ months
→ Launched 20+ campaigns 

These people already invested time and money. 

They want the product to succeed → so they give richer, more credible reviews.

Step 3 – Use the right incentive

Generic rewards (Amazon cards, swag) = low response.

→ Product-related perks = high response.
→ We gave extra lemlist credits (to be used in the apps for enrichment, AI features etc) to users who had just bought more.

Why it works: it’s instant value, inside the tool they’re already using → no external friction.

Step 4 – Remove all friction

Built a landing page that pre-fills the email field → https://lnkd.in/ePwnAC2x

Example: https://lnkd.in/eng3m2HF

No need to create an account, no multiple clicks. 
Add this link everywhere: emails, LinkedIn DMs, in-app banners.



Why G2 (still) matters:

1️⃣ It feeds the AI ecosystem

Reviews are a data source for LLMs. The more reviews you have, the more likely your brand shows up when someone asks ChatGPT or Perplexity “What’s the best tool for X?”

2️⃣ It builds mid-market credibility

SMBs might buy on hype. Mid-market and enterprise buyers check reviews before even booking a demo. Reviews can literally decide if you’re shortlisted.

3️⃣ It creates trust before sales

Your reps don’t need to say you’re good. The proof is already there, written by people who actually use the product.

4️⃣ It compounds across every growth channel

Outbound is easier when prospects already saw 200+ reviews.
Inbound converts better when landing pages link to G2.
Even pricing conversations get smoother because you’re seen as “proven.”

It’s not just “social proof.”
It’s the foundation that multiplies the ROI of everything else you do in growth.

Outbound bingo:
How many of these lies have you heard this week?

“Our sequences are personalized.”
→ You mean first name + {{company}}.

“We run multichannel.”
→ You send the same spam on LinkedIn, email, and InMail.

“Our reply rate is amazing.”
→ Two people replied last week. One said “stop emailing me.”

“We leverage intent data.”
→ You scraped job titles and guessed they might care.

“We A/B test subject lines.”
→ You tested ‘Quick question’ vs ‘Quick Question’.

“Our messaging is value-driven.”
→ You still open with “Hope this email finds you well.”

“We’re doing outbound at scale.”
→ You bought a 50k lead list from a random provider.

“We built a strong outbound machine.”
→ One SDR, five tools, zero process.

“Our open rate is solid.”
→ Gmail opened your emails. To mark them as spam.

“We take personalization seriously.”
→ You added “Congrats on your 3-year work anniversary.”

“Our LinkedIn outreach is authentic.”
→ Copy-paste pitch in the first message.

Everyone brags about impressions and likes.
But the 2 metrics that really matter on LinkedIn?

They’re hidden at the bottom of your analytics dashboard.

→ Saves = “this is so valuable I’ll need it later”
→ Sends = “this isn’t for me, but I know exactly who should see it”

That’s when your content goes from vanity → impact.

I looked at my last 10 posts.
Here’s what stood out:

Post about Reddit Strategy → 680 saves, 97 sends
Post about an Outbound Playbook → 625 saves, 234 sends

Why so high? Because both followed the same path: 

1️⃣ Numbers build credibility
In my Reddit post, I didn’t just share “thoughts.”
I shared 12 threads, 28 comments, +22% traffic.
Data = trust = saves.

2️⃣ Structure makes it skimmable
Both posts had clear bullets (“what we learned”, “inside the playbook”).
Busy people save what they can scan fast and reuse later.

3️⃣ Authority drives shareability
The ElevenLabs post leaned on a VP Sales doing $300M ARR.
People send that because it’s not my advice, it’s insider access they can gift to others.

4️⃣ Utility > engagement
Likes come from “interesting.”
Saves come from “I’ll need this when I launch Reddit.”
Sends come from “my team needs this playbook.”

The lesson: if you want to engineer more saves & sends, design content around 3 filters:

Would someone copy-paste this into their own workflow?
Would someone want to show this to a colleague?
Would this still be useful 30 days from now?

That’s the real compounding KPI of LinkedIn.

I’ve interviewed +100 people for growth roles in the last 10 years 
Here are 7 brutal patterns I’ve seen across every high-performer in growth I’ve hired 👇

1) They test ideas before they join

The best candidates already came with proof:
→ “Here’s a landing page I hacked together.”
→ “Here’s the outbound sequence I’d test for you.”
→ “Here’s how I’d double conversion with the same budget.”

If someone only talks in theory, they’re not growth material.

2) They value velocity over perfection

One of my best hires shipped a messy A/B test on day 3.
It wasn’t perfect. But it produced signal.
High performers never wait for the “perfect plan.”
They act, then optimize.

3) They compete with their own numbers

Great growth hires don’t wait for dashboards.
They track their own funnel metrics before I ever ask.
Average talent asks, “How am I doing?”
Top talent already knows.

4) They simplify chaos into clarity

Growth = noise: channels, dashboards, endless data
The best hires cut through it.
They can pitch a test in 60 seconds.
Or summarize strategy in 3 bullet points.
If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it.

5) They escalate learnings, not problems

Average hires say: “This campaign flopped.”
High performers say: “This campaign flopped — here’s why, here’s the next test.”
They don’t just raise issues.
They turn failures into systems.

6) They protect their execution energy

Growth = infinite possibilities.
The best hires focus on the 2 things that matter, not 20.
They set boundaries around KPIs, active tests, distractions.
Boundaries aren’t weakness.
They’re what make velocity sustainable.

7) They thrive when things break

And in growth… things always break.
The best hires don’t panic when ads stop, deliverability tanks, or tracking fails.
They make it lighter.
With energy. With creativity. With presence.

Here’s the real takeaway:
You don’t scale growth with headcount.
You scale it with standards.

Every great growth hire raises your company’s velocity.
Every mediocre one slows it down, even if they “hit their KPIs.”

Treat hiring like experiments.
Test deeply. Filter fast.
And when you find a winner you can double down.

Outbound is the only skill where success makes you feel like a genius and failure makes you blame everyone else.
Here’s how I learned to escape that trap ⬇

Most reps protect their ego when campaigns flop.
“It’s the tool.”
“It’s the data.”
“It’s the market.”

That mindset kills your pipeline.

Here’s what actually works when outbound doesn’t:


1️⃣ Stop blaming deliverability, start fixing messaging

I’ve seen reps spending weeks “warming inboxes” when the real problem is their email sounds like a pitch deck.
If your first line doesn’t show you understand their world, your email is dead on arrival.
→ Fix: Write 10 new first lines. Each one based on a different insight (job post, tech stack, content they shared). Run them in parallel.

2️⃣ Narrow your ICP until it hurts

Most campaigns fail because targeting is too broad.
“VP Sales in SaaS” is not an ICP. That’s a LinkedIn filter.
→ Fix: Break it down into micro-segments. For example: “VP Sales in Series A SaaS with outbound teams under 10 reps, hiring on LinkedIn right now.”
Outbound works when every line feels like it was written just for them.

3️⃣ Detach your ego, measure iteration speed

Bad reps say: “We sent 1,000 emails, it didn’t work.”
Good reps say: “We tested 5 subject lines, 3 angles, 2 CTAs — here’s what moved the needle.”
→ Fix: Define your test cadence. Every 2 weeks, change 1 variable (opening line, CTA, persona). Document reply rates. Never change everything at once.

4️⃣ Post-mortems > excuses

When a campaign tanks, it’s free data. But most reps close the tab and move on.
→ Fix: Do a 15-minute post-mortem after each sequence.
Ask: Did my offer solve a real pain? Was it clear in <5 seconds? Would I reply if I got this email?

The hard truth:
Outbound isn’t broken because of the market or the tool.
It’s broken because reps protect their ego instead of running the hard iterations.

Outbound is a lab, not a stage.
And the ones who treat it that way?
They’re the ones booking the meetings.

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