Features / Intent-driven outbound plays
Intent-driven outbound plays: what they are and how to use them
Updated November 7, 2026. Our pages cited here were read that day.
Sales.co's plays page lists 10 outbound plays it runs for clients. Each waits for a buying signal, such as a new senior hire, a funding round, ad spend on a keyword, a new tool or an open job post, and names the window to reach out in. The table below gives all ten with their signal and timing.
This page is for founders and sales leads who send cold email and want a reason to write to a company this month rather than any month. It lists the plays, shows how to run one, and adds what our own reply data says about who to aim them at.
Quick picks: which signal can you see?
| Play | Signal | When to send |
|---|---|---|
| Recently hired leaders | New hire announcement on LinkedIn | Within 30 to 60 days of the start date |
| Founders at recently funded startups | Funding round on Crunchbase or in the press | Within 2 to 8 weeks of the announcement |
| Companies running ads for a keyword | Active ad spend on relevant keywords | While the campaigns run |
| Companies that added a technology | New tool seen in technographics | Within 1 to 3 months of adoption |
| Companies hiring for a role | Open job posts on LinkedIn or career pages | While the role is open |
| Recently launched companies | Product Hunt launch, press, new domains | In the first 1 to 6 months |
| People posting about a problem | LinkedIn or X posts about the problem or goal | Within days of the post |
| Competitor customers | Followers and engagers on a competitor's profiles | Run continuously |
| Your website visitors | A visit matched to a company | The same day |
| Revenue reactivation | Stalled deals, expired trials, ghosted proposals | 30 to 180 days after it went quiet |
What a play is
A play is a list rule plus a message rule. The list rule picks companies that just did something: hired, raised, launched, posted, visited. The message rule says the email has to name that thing in its first line. The plays page makes the point with two emails to the same funded company: one that could go to anyone, and one that opens on the Series B. Same signal, a different email.
How to run a play in four steps
- Pick one signal from the table that you can see for your buyers, for example funding rounds if you sell to startups.
- Build the list of companies showing it inside the play's window, and find the person the signal points at: the new VP, the founder, the hiring manager.
- Write the first line about the signal and tie it to the problem you solve. Check the draft with the spam checker.
- Send inside the window and follow up. You are done when every email in the batch names its company's signal and nothing in it could be sent to a different company.
Who to aim a play at: reply rates by size and title
Sales.co has not published reply rates per play. What our data does show is how much the target moves the result. Across 336,257 contacts in 20 Sales.co campaigns (March to August 2026), pooled positive reply rates fell from 0.48% at companies with 1 to 10 employees to 0.07% at 1,001 to 5,000. By title, C-level contacts replied positively at 0.35%, directors 0.25%, VPs 0.15% and managers 0.14%.
| Who you email | Contacts | Positive reply rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 10 employees | 77,854 | 0.48% |
| 11 to 50 employees | 104,060 | 0.30% |
| 51 to 200 employees | 67,743 | 0.20% |
| 1,001 to 5,000 employees | 21,124 | 0.07% |
| C-level | 167,805 | 0.35% |
| VP | 23,975 | 0.15% |
Funding and launch plays mostly reach founders and small companies, the groups with the highest rates in this data. A play aimed at a new VP at a large company starts from a lower base, so it needs a sharper first line.
Limits
- The reply rates above are by company size and title, not by play. Sales.co does not publish a per-play rate.
- Some signals need data or tools beyond a contact list: technographics, ad monitoring, website visitor matching.
- A signal has a shelf life. A funding email sent long after the window reads like any other cold email.
What it costs
The plays page is free to read. Sales.co runs these plays for clients. Its done-for-you plans cost $2,000 a month for up to 10,000 emails, $2,500 for 15,000 and $3,000 for 20,000. The Intent Takeover track on every plan goes after the accounts most likely to buy now (pricing page, read November 7, 2026).
Sources
- The ten plays, signals, timing and the two example emails: the plays page, read November 7, 2026.
- Reply rates by company size and seniority: conversion rate benchmarks and the calculator page, read November 7, 2026.
- Plans and the Intent Takeover track: pricing page, read November 7, 2026.
FAQ
What is an intent-driven outbound play?
Cold outreach aimed at companies that just showed a buying signal, such as a new senior hire, a funding round or an open job post, with an email that names that signal in its first line.
How many plays does Sales.co run?
The plays page lists ten: recently hired leaders, funded startups, keyword ad spend, new technology, open roles, new companies, social posts, competitor customers, website visitors and revenue reactivation.
When should I send a funding-round email?
The plays page puts it within 2 to 8 weeks of the announcement, while the new budget is being spent.
Which contacts reply most to cold email?
In 20 Sales.co campaigns, people at companies with 1 to 10 employees replied positively at 0.48% and C-level contacts at 0.35%, against 0.07% at companies with 1,001 to 5,000 employees.