When running cold email, relying on one message to convert your entire list is like launching a Facebook ad campaign with a single creative. It’s risky, inefficient, and ultimately limits your results.
Split testing inside your campaigns gives you real data on what resonates, so you can quickly double down on what works, and ditch what doesn’t. With ListKit’s built-in sending engine and email campaign builder, this process is not only possible, but seamless.
Why Split Testing Cold Email Is a Must
Most campaigns fail not because cold email doesn’t work, but because the wrong offer, angle, or ask was used.
Instead of guessing what message your audience will respond to, split testing lets you let the data decide.
Here are a few things you should be testing:
Different Offers
Your offer is the value you're putting in front of the prospect. Even if your service stays the same, you can position it differently.
You run a full-service agency. Do you test:
Paid media services?
SEO audits?
CRO consulting?
You build landing pages. Do you test:
A free landing page demo?
A call to discuss paid funnel builds?
Different CTAs (Calls to Action)
The way you ask matters. Small changes to your ask can drastically change reply rates.
Do you ask for a quick call?
Do you offer a free resource?
Do you invite them to share more info about their process?
Each CTA carries a different level of friction. Split testing helps you find the right balance of value and effort.
Different Pain Points
Prospects buy because of pain. But not every pain point hits the same way.
Let’s say you’re offering outsourced SDRs:
Pain Point A: "Hiring in-house is expensive and slow"
Pain Point B: "It takes months to ramp up new reps"
Both are valid angles, but one may resonate more depending on the audience.
You Can Also Test: Different Target Audiences
Split testing isn’t just about message, it’s also about who you're targeting.
For example:
Same offer → test different industries
Same script → test different job titles
Same pain point → test different company sizes
Think of it like PPC or paid ads: you wouldn’t launch a campaign with only one audience segment and call it a day. Cold email should be treated the same.
How to Split Test Cold Emails Inside ListKit
With ListKit’s built-in campaign engine, setting up split tests is dead simple. You don’t need any external tools or A/B testing platforms.
Here’s how it works:
Make sure you log into your ListKit App:
Step 1: Head to Sequences
Click on Email Engine at the left side menu
Head to Email Campaign
Select the Campaign you'd like to add sequences to, if you'd like to create a new campaign then make sure you follow the steps mentioned in this article.
Head to the Sequence builder
Step 2: Add Message Variants (+ Test New Angles)
Each time you click “+ Add Variant,” you create a new version of that email stage.
For example:
Step 1 Email A: Offering a free SEO audit
Step 1 Email B: Offering a paid strategy call
These are shown to different parts of your list evenly. You’ll start to see which message performs better based on reply rates.
ListKit automatically splits the list 50/50 between variants to ensure fair testing.
Other Elements You Can Test
Beyond just testing offers and CTAs, here are additional variations that can significantly impact performance:
Subject Lines: Try different levels of curiosity, personalization, or urgency.
Example: “Quick question” vs “Your SEO visibility”
Ultra-Short Emails: A one-sentence pitch can sometimes outperform longer emails, especially in cluttered inboxes.
Bullet-Point Formatting: Instead of paragraphs, test clean, skimmable bullet lists to highlight value or benefits quickly.
Opening Style: Try different intros—e.g., direct problem callout, flattery-based, mutual connection, or no greeting at all.
Directness Level: Test softer, more conversational tones vs. highly direct pitches.
Example: “Mind if I send something over?” vs. “Here’s what I’d like to share.”
These small tweaks often drive big performance shifts.
Step 3: Monitor & Adjust
Once the campaign is live, check performance metrics for each variant. You’ll be able to see which offer, CTA, or message consistently brings in more replies.
When one outperforms the other, you can:
Pause the lower-performing variant
Scale the winning variant
Create a new test and keep improving
Think of cold email like paid media: no great strategy is born from one idea, it’s born from iterations.
With ListKit’s native sending tool and split test functionality, you don’t need to guess anymore. You can rapidly test messaging, offers, and CTAs, and focus only on what brings real conversations to your inbox.
Test fast. Learn fast. Scale fast.
The best results come from the best data. And the best data comes from split testing.