Artem Smirnov

    Journal

    Notes on B2B client acquisition, cold outreach, and growing a service business.

    Artem Smirnov in a dark suit against a charcoal studio backdrop, next to the line 'Doing it yourself is free. Until you count hours.'

    What Running Cold Email Yourself Actually Costs You

    A line by line look at what DIY cold email costs: priced infrastructure, the setup hours, the weekly hours, and what the market charges to take it away.

    · 5 min read

    Artem Smirnov in a dark suit against a charcoal studio backdrop, next to the line 'AI can send the message. It cannot be the sender.'

    Where AI Helps in Outbound, and Where It Ruins It

    AI belongs in the parts of outbound a buyer never sees. Here is the line I draw between what to automate and what has to stay human, and why it holds.

    · 3 min read

    Artem Smirnov in a dark suit against a charcoal studio backdrop, next to the line 'Connect is not a pitch. Say why you came.'

    LinkedIn Connection Requests That Get Accepted and Answered

    Most LinkedIn connection requests get accepted and then go nowhere. Six real ones marked up, a line-by-line rewrite, and what the second message should do.

    · 5 min read

    Artem Smirnov in a dark suit against a charcoal studio backdrop, next to the line 'Posts get you attention. Messages get you contracts.'

    Should You Post on LinkedIn? Five Honest Answers

    Five questions B2B founders ask me about posting on LinkedIn, answered honestly: what content is for, why it is not closing deals, and how much is enough.

    · 4 min read

    Artem Smirnov in a dark suit against a charcoal studio backdrop, next to the line 'You asked for the call. They heard a commitment.'

    Soft Ask or Hard Ask at the End of Your Cold Email

    Should a cold email ask for a call or ask a question? What each ask costs the reader, when the hard ask wins, and why most soft asks still fail.

    · 4 min read

    Artem Smirnov in a dark suit against a charcoal studio backdrop, next to the line 'It reads like a machine. Because a machine wrote it.'

    How to Write Cold Email That Does Not Sound Like AI

    AI drafts give themselves away in the first line. A typical machine-written cold email, marked up line by line, and the rewrite that replaces it.

    · 5 min read

    Artem Smirnov in a dark suit against a charcoal studio backdrop, next to the line 'You see three contracts. I see ninety-seven losses.'

    Booked Calls Mean Nothing Until Someone Closes Them

    A booked call costs thousands of contacts to produce. What happens after it lands in the calendar decides whether any of that spend turns into revenue.

    · 6 min read

    Artem Smirnov in a dark suit against a charcoal studio backdrop, next to the line 'One channel finally works. Do not break it.'

    How to Add a Second Channel to Outbound Without Breaking It

    Adding LinkedIn to a working email programme breaks more campaigns than it helps. Six steps for adding a second channel without touching the first.

    · 4 min read

    Artem Smirnov in a dark suit against a charcoal studio backdrop, next to the line 'Send from your main domain. Burn it in a month.'

    Domains, Inboxes, and the Boring Part of Cold Email

    Cold email fails in the setup more often than in the copy. Domains, mailboxes, warmup, volume per inbox, and the month of work before the first send.

    · 5 min read

    Artem Smirnov in a dark suit against a charcoal studio backdrop, next to the line 'Nobody owes you a reply. Earn the next sentence.'

    How to Write a Cold Email That Actually Gets Replies

    A cold email earns a reply when it asks for one small thing a stranger can say yes to. Here is the order I write one in, step by step, and what to cut.

    · 6 min read