The situation
GraiAI came to us with no outbound running. No sending infrastructure, no lists, no tested copy. Everything was built from zero.
Why we're showing a 3-week result
Most case studies show a best month after a year of tuning. This one shows the start. If you're deciding whether to work with us, the first three weeks are what you'll actually experience.
What we did
1. We built and warmed the infrastructure for them. Domains, mailboxes and warm-up were set up and managed on GraiAI's behalf. They didn't touch a single DNS record.
2. We built a list around their real buyer. Targeting was modelled on the researchers already using GraiAI, then enriched and verified so every email reached an active researcher in a relevant field.
3. We let the product sell itself. Researchers are skeptical of AI claims. So the email leads with proof they respect, the institutions whose researchers already use it, and removes the cost of trying: $100 in credits to test it on their own work.
4. We launched small and scaled on proof. Sending started conservatively and increased only as inbox placement held, reaching 45,000 emails by day 21.
One email from the campaign
The first email in the sequence, as sent. Merge fields highlighted.
Merge field notes
{value prop}: written per researcher from their field and recent work.
Peer proof researchers trust, plus a free way to test it on their own work.
Results
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Days live | 21 |
| Emails sent | 45,000 |
| Reply rate | 1.12% |
| Replies | ~500 |
| Opportunities | 25 |
| Qualified meetings booked | 12 |
| Opportunity to meeting | 48% |
What it meant
Our standard promise is 20 qualified meetings in 30 days. GraiAI booked 12 in its first 21 days. And the campaign is still ramping.
Built with
Clay · Apollo · Mailtester Ninja · Instantly
How we count
- Emails sent: every email delivered by the sequencer, first touches and follow-ups combined.
- Reply rate: replies divided by leads contacted, as reported by Instantly.
- Positive reply: a reply showing interest. Not a meeting yet.
- Qualified opportunity: a positive reply from a decision-maker at a company that fits the client's ICP, flagged as an opportunity in Instantly.
- Qualified meeting: a booked call with a decision-maker that meets the client's qualification criteria.
- Attended: the prospect actually showed up.