Video and voice notes

Recorded touches work when the recipient can see the point before giving you attention. Use a voice note when the observation can travel in your voice; use video when the prospect's own page or campaign makes the observation clearer. The non-obvious move is to separate permission from production. Let the email earn interest, then record around an asset the prospect will recognize. That keeps the personalization visible, gives the recording a job, and stops the touch from becoming a performance that asks for a meeting before it has given anything.

Choose the touch

What the recipient should get

If screen carries part

Choose video

If the useful part

Choose a voice note

What the recipient should get

• If screen carries part, Choose video
• If the useful part, Choose a voice note

Start with what the recipient should get from the touch. A voice note can carry a concise explanation, while video earns its place when seeing the recipient's material makes the point easier to grasp.

Voice notes and casual video messages can cut through noise when they give value alongside the request.¹ Use this test before you record: what can the recipient use even if they never reply? If the answer is only a meeting request, change the observation first.

Ask yourself:

• What can I point to that belongs to this prospect's situation?
• Does seeing the asset make the observation easier to understand?
• Would a voice note carry the same value without showing anything?

Choose video when the screen carries part of the explanation. Choose a voice note when your explanation is the useful part.

Earn the watch

The email is the handoff into the recording. Keep it focused on the observation you intend to make and give the recipient a reason to spend attention on it.

A video pitch begins with a well-crafted cold email.² That email needs to create curiosity and persuade the recipient to watch.³ State the core offer and, when possible, include a case study or example of results.⁴ Frame the recording as a tailored solution or a specific insight for the recipient.⁵

Use a permission question when the recording will be made for that prospect: "Would you be open to watching a video outlining a cold email strategy tailored for [business name]?"⁶

Then wait for interest before producing the bespoke recording. The recommended sequence is to record once the prospect expresses interest.⁷ Listen for a response that gives you permission to make the work specific. Until then, improve the email, the observation, or the reason to watch.

Record around the asset

Once the prospect has shown interest, build the recording around something they can see. The screen should make your point easier to check and easier to act on.

Begin by navigating to the prospect's website or another public business asset, such as a social page or email campaign.⁸ Opening there signals personalization and reassures the recipient that the recording was not templated or automated.⁹

Structure the video around three actionable recommendations.¹⁰ For a website audit, one useful recommendation can be adding a lead magnet or pop-up to capture email addresses from the homepage.¹¹ For an email campaign, a recommendation can focus on personalizing the introduction around the recipient's specific pain point.¹²

For every recommendation, show what you noticed, explain why it matters, and state the change you would make. Remove observations that cannot be tied to something visible on the screen. The recipient should be able to pause the recording and know what to do with the point you made.

Before you stop recording, check the handoff between recommendations. Each point should lead naturally to the next action, and the final point should make the conversation easier to continue.

End with a decision

Finish by turning attention into a small decision. The recipient should know exactly what you want them to choose after watching.

End the video with an assertive but polite call to action.¹³ Give the recipient a choice instead of leaving them with a general invitation to get on a call.¹⁴ For example: "How does tomorrow or Thursday at 2:00 PM Eastern work for a quick call to discuss these recommendations?"¹⁵ Specific choices make it easier for the prospect to act without overthinking.¹⁶

Carry the same decision into the email with a scheduling prompt that reinforces the call to action.¹⁷ Ask which option works better and let the recipient answer without searching through the message for the next step.

Package the recording

Delivery affects whether the recipient understands the value before pressing play. Give the inbox preview enough context to make the recording feel specific.

The way the video is delivered matters as much as its content.¹⁸ Send it with a GIF thumbnail that shows the recipient's website or other asset in the background.¹⁹ That thumbnail creates a visual hook in the inbox.²⁰

Add timestamps for the main moments in the video.²¹ In the surrounding email, tell the recipient what they will find at those points. This lets them inspect the recommendation that matters most to them and gives the message more than a bare link.

Use the same standard for a voice note. The surrounding message should explain the observation and the reason to listen, so the recipient can decide whether the note belongs in their day.

Follow up with a reason to return

A follow-up should reopen the original thread with enough context for the recipient to act. Keep the reason connected to the recording and make the response easy.

Not every prospect responds immediately, so following up matters.²² You can reiterate the original pitch in a follow-up.²³ A direct version is: "Just following up to see if you had a chance to view my video about improving conversions for [business name]."²⁴

After multiple attempts, a playful follow-up can change the tone.²⁵ Bold and unexpected follow-ups can break through noise and prompt engagement.²⁶ Use that style only when it fits the relationship and the earlier messages. Keep the underlying offer and the useful observation intact.

What not to do

Use these checks before sending the touch. Each one protects the recipient's attention from work that has no clear payoff.

• Do not make the recording a request with no useful takeaway.¹
• Do not produce the bespoke video before the prospect has expressed interest.⁷
• Do not begin on a generic screen when you can begin on the prospect's own asset.⁸
• Do not leave the recipient to search through the recording for the useful moments. Add timestamps.²¹
• Do not end with a vague invitation when you can give the recipient a choice.¹⁴

Before the next touch, write down the asset, the observation, the permission you need, and the next action. If those four pieces are visible across the email, recording, and follow-up, you can keep the touch relevant without padding it or hiding the reason to respond.