Warm outreach
What is warm outreach?
Warm outreach is contact with someone who has some existing connection to you: a mutual introduction, a past customer, someone who commented on your post or attended your talk, or a person who asked a question you answered in a community.
Because there is context and some trust, warm outreach usually gets far more replies than cold outreach.
Why warm outreach matters
Building warmth first, by being helpful in communities, sharing useful content and asking for introductions, makes later outreach easier and more welcome.
Related marketing terms
Cold outreach is contacting people who do not know you yet, by email, phone, social message or in communities, to start a conversation.
Referral marketing rewards existing customers for bringing in new ones, for example with credits or discounts for both sides.
Community marketing is taking part in, or building, communities where customers gather, and earning attention by being genuinely helpful.
Building in public means sharing your product’s progress, numbers, decisions and mistakes openly as you build, to grow an audience along the way.