Cold email is getting harder, and it's not the content — it's the noise floor

Zach Holman has been sending cold emails for years. He writes them directly, no AI polishing, no templated fluff. His latest post is a no-bullshit read on what actually works when you're trying to reach someone who doesn't know you — and what's getting worse.

The problem isn't that people are ignoring emails. It's that every inbox is now a flood of AI-generated outreach, newsletters, and automated pings. The signal-to-noise ratio is collapsing. Holman notes that the same email that would have gotten a reply in 2018 now lands in the 200th unread message by the time the recipient gets to it. The content matters less than the timing and the subject line — because the subject line is the only thing standing between your note and the delete button.

His rules of thumb are practical, not philosophical: write to one person, not a company; lead with a specific ask; keep it under 100 words; never use "I hope this finds you well" — it's the cold-email equivalent of a LinkedIn handshake. He also calls out the new anti-pattern: AI-polished emails that sound too smooth. The ones that feel real — a little rough at the edges, specific, personal — are the ones that get opened. The ones that feel like they were generated by a model that read a lot of sales copy will be scrolled past.

This is an aiexplainerworthy piece because it's not about a tool or a vendor. It's about the craft of writing clearly in an age of noise. The lessons apply to anyone — not just founders and PMs, but the cousin who's trying to get her catering business noticed, the auntie on Facebook posting her side hustle, the new grad sending out resumes. The rules are the same: be specific, be short, be real.

Why this matters for us: cold email is how we'll reach schools, clinics, and law firms — the people who decide whether they need Obsidian Comms. If we write like we're talking to one person, not pitching a company, our notes will land.