Cold Outbound Specialist (Instantly.ai)

Job Scorecard — Cold Outbound Specialist (Instantly.ai)

Mission

The purpose of this role is to run highly segmented, low-volume, high-specificity cold outbound campaigns across email (Instantly.ai) and LinkedIn — generating qualified sales conversations through precision targeting and sharp, tested copywriting rather than mass-blast volume.

Outcomes

Qualified Conversations — KPI is number of qualified, booked calls generated from outbound, measured via Pipedrive, targeting a minimum of 3-5 qualified booked calls per week with steady growth as segmentation and copy improve. A booked call only counts toward this goal once our call closer has screened and confirmed it pre-call as a real client with a real budget — unqualified bookings and no-shows do not count, reviewed weekly.

Deliverability & Sender Health — KPI is inbox placement rate and spam complaint rate, measured via Instantly.ai, targeting consistently high inbox placement with minimal bounces/spam flags, reviewed weekly.

Segment & Copy Performance — KPI is reply rate and positive reply rate by segment, measured via Instantly.ai and Pipedrive, targeting steady improvement through ongoing testing, reviewed monthly.

Testing Velocity — KPI is number of A/B tests run on subject lines, copy, and sequences, measured via Instantly.ai campaign data, targeting continuous weekly testing (not "set and forget" campaigns), reviewed weekly.

Pipeline Accuracy — KPI is completeness and accuracy of CRM data, measured via Pipedrive audit, targeting 100% of leads and replies logged correctly, reviewed weekly.

LinkedIn Outbound Performance — KPI is connection acceptance rate and reply rate from LinkedIn outreach, measured via the LinkedIn automation tool, targeting steady conversion to booked calls, reviewed monthly.

Weekly Reporting & Testing Plan — KPI is a weekly report submitted on time containing A/B testing findings, spend, and booked calls, plus a new testing plan for the following week, measured via the weekly report itself, targeting 100% compliance — every single week has a report and a new testing plan, no exceptions, reviewed weekly.

Key Responsibilities


Lead Sourcing & Enrichment: Use Apollo (and similar tools) to build highly specific, well-researched prospect lists based on our ideal client profile — not broad, scraped lists.
Segmentation Strategy: Break lead lists into narrow, highly specific segments so messaging can be hyper-relevant rather than generic — this is a low-volume, high-precision approach, not spray-and-pray.
Campaign Copywriting & A/B Testing: Write and continuously test subject lines, email copy, and sequences per segment, iterating based on real data.
Instantly.ai Campaign Management: Build, launch, and manage outbound email campaigns and sequences in Instantly.ai; monitor deliverability and sender health closely.
LinkedIn Outbound & Automation: Set up and manage LinkedIn outreach/automation, making sure messaging aligns with email campaigns and the automation actually works reliably.
CRM Management: Log and manage leads, replies, and pipeline stages accurately in Pipedrive.
Deliverability Management: Monitor domain/sender reputation, handle warm-up, and adjust sending practices to protect inbox placement.
Reporting: Report on outbound performance — reply rates, booked calls, segment performance — on a regular cadence.
Self-Sufficiency: Operate independently; proactively propose new segments, angles, and tests rather than waiting for direction.
Weekly Reporting: Submit a weekly report every single week, no exceptions, covering A/B testing findings, spend, and booked calls — plus a brand-new testing plan for the following week. There is no week without a fresh testing plan.


Key Competencies


Deep Instantly.ai Expertise (Required): Real, hands-on experience building and running high-deliverability outbound campaigns in Instantly.ai.
Pipedrive & Apollo Fluency (Required): Actual experience using these specific tools — not just similar CRM/sourcing tools.
Precision Segmentation Mindset: Understands that low-volume, high-specificity outbound outperforms spray-and-pray; can slice a list into meaningfully different, relevant segments.
Strong Copywriting: Writes sharp, specific cold email copy that doesn't read like a template, and tests relentlessly to improve it.
LinkedIn Outbound & Automation Know-How: Comfortable setting up, running, and troubleshooting LinkedIn automation tools.
Deliverability Literacy: Understands sender reputation, domain warm-up, authentication (SPF/DKIM/DMARC), and how to stay out of spam folders.
Data-Driven Iteration: Comfortable reading open/reply/bounce rates and adjusting strategy in response.
Honesty: Only claims tool experience they actually have.


Tools Used

Instantly.ai (required), Pipedrive (required), Apollo (required), a LinkedIn outbound automation tool, Notion (daily activity tracking), Google Sheets, ClickUp and Slack (reporting & communication).

Job Description

Who We're Looking For

A cold outbound/growth expert who has actually run high-segmentation, low-volume outbound campaigns in Instantly.ai — this is not mass-blast email marketing. You should already know Pipedrive and Apollo inside and out from real, hands-on use.

Full-Time Only: This is a full-time role. We are not considering candidates who are part-time or who work other clients on the side.

Remote Position: Fully remote.

Qualities: Precise, detail-obsessed, a sharp copywriter, a relentless tester, and honest about the tools they've actually used.

A Note on Required Platform Experience: Hands-on experience with Instantly.ai, Pipedrive, and Apollo is a hard requirement, not a preference. If you have never worked with these specific platforms, please do not apply.

A Note on AI Use in This Application: Don't use Claude or any other AI tool to answer the screening questions below — we want your actual answers, not AI's. If it looks AI-written, you're out.

Compensation

Base Salary: Full-time, commensurate with experience.

Performance Bonus: $25 per qualified booked call, paid out monthly on top of base salary. A call only earns the bonus once our call closer has screened and confirmed it, before the call happens, as a real client with a real budget — bookings that don't qualify, or no-shows, don't count. This means income scales with the quality of leads generated, not just the number of calls booked.

Responsibilities


Build highly specific prospect lists using Apollo, based on our ideal client profile.
Break lists into narrow, high-precision segments rather than broad, generic ones.
Write and A/B test email copy and sequences for each segment.
Build, launch, and manage campaigns in Instantly.ai, monitoring deliverability closely.
Set up and manage LinkedIn outbound automation, aligned with email messaging.
Keep Pipedrive accurate and up to date with leads, replies, and pipeline stage.
Protect deliverability through proper warm-up, authentication, and sending practices.
Report on outbound performance on a regular cadence.
Work independently; bring proactive testing ideas rather than waiting for direction.
Submit a weekly report, every single week with no exceptions, covering A/B testing results, spend, and booked calls, along with a new testing plan for the following week.


Daily & Weekly Rhythm

Every day:


Check Instantly.ai deliverability metrics (inbox placement, bounces, spam complaints) before scaling any sends.
Monitor and respond to new replies in Pipedrive, updating lead status the same day.
Log daily numbers in Notion — emails sent, opens, replies, and booked calls — so there's a live daily record, not just a weekly summary.
Work the LinkedIn outbound automation queue — connection requests, follow-ups, and replies.
Source and enrich new leads in Apollo to keep segment lists full and specific.


Every week:


Launch new A/B tests on subject lines, copy, or sequences based on the prior week's data — never running the same test twice with no changes.
Review segment and campaign performance (reply rate, positive reply rate, booked calls) and adjust targeting or messaging accordingly.
Sync with the call closer on which booked calls turned out qualified versus not, and use that feedback to sharpen segmentation and targeting.
Audit Pipedrive for data accuracy — every lead, reply, and stage logged correctly.
Submit the weekly report and next week's testing plan — no exceptions.


Experience


Proven experience running high-segmentation, low-volume cold email outbound in Instantly.ai.
Hands-on experience with Pipedrive as a CRM — required.
Hands-on experience with Apollo for lead sourcing and enrichment — required.
Experience setting up and managing LinkedIn outbound automation.
A track record of cold email copywriting and A/B testing results (reply rates, booked calls) you can speak to specifically.
Solid understanding of deliverability best practices — domain warm-up, authentication, sender reputation.


How We Will Help You Succeed


A clear ideal client profile and target account criteria to build segments from.
Access to existing brand messaging and positioning to ground your copywriting.
Room to test and iterate without being micromanaged.
A regular reporting rhythm so feedback happens on a set cadence, not constant oversight.
A dedicated call closer who screens and qualifies every booked call before it happens — so you can focus entirely on generating qualified conversations, not on closing them yourself.


Time Expectations

This is a full-time role, 40 hours/week, broken down as:


Lead sourcing & list segmentation (Apollo) — ~8 hrs/week
Campaign copywriting & A/B test setup — ~10 hrs/week
Instantly.ai campaign management & deliverability monitoring — ~8 hrs/week
LinkedIn outbound management & automation — ~6 hrs/week
CRM management (Pipedrive) — ~4 hrs/week
Weekly performance report & new testing plan (A/B results, spend, booked calls) — ~3 hrs/week
Internal meetings — ~1 hr/week


That totals 40 hrs/week.

Interview / Screening Questions

Note to Candidates: Answer these in your own words — no Claude, ChatGPT, or other AI. We can tell, and it'll disqualify you. Also: if you have not personally worked with Instantly.ai, Pipedrive, and Apollo, please do not apply — we verify this directly, and misrepresenting your experience will disqualify you immediately.


Walk us through a cold email campaign you've built in Instantly.ai — how did you segment the list, and what results did you get (open rate, reply rate, positive reply rate)?
How do you approach segmentation — what makes a segment specific enough versus too broad?
Describe your process for A/B testing cold email copy — what have you tested, and what actually moved the needle?
Walk us through your process in Apollo, from ideal client profile to a finished, enriched prospect list.
What's your experience with Pipedrive — how do you structure pipeline stages and keep data accurate?
How do you approach LinkedIn outbound — what automation tools have you used, and how do you keep that messaging aligned with email?
What do you do to protect deliverability — domain warm-up, authentication, sending limits — when running outbound campaigns?
Tell us about a campaign that underperformed. How did you diagnose why, and what did you change?
Can you confirm you're available full-time and not currently juggling other clients or part-time work?
Tell us about a time your outbound copy got called out as generic or spammy. What did you learn from it?
This role requires a report every single week, no exceptions, with a new testing plan every week. How do you personally stay disciplined about consistent reporting, and what would a typical weekly report from you actually look like?
Part of your pay is a bonus per qualified booked call — a call only counts once our call closer confirms pre-call that it's a real client with a real budget. How would knowing that change how you target and message versus just optimizing for booking volume?