I haven't personally done much cold email outreach, but I've heard of many people getting strong results from it.

One approach I've seen work well is using lead magnets. There's a founder i know who identifies topics that are currently gaining traction on platforms like LinkedIn by looking at what people are posting about, commenting on, and engaging with. He then creates a lead magnet around that topic and naturally incorporates his product into the content.

Next he reaches out via cold email to people who have already shown interest in the topic, for example, by commenting on or engaging with related posts. He offers them the lead magnet, and because it's directly relevant to something they're already interested in, many of them opt in and engage with it.

Since his product is already in the lead magnet itself he's able to generate awareness, clicks, and qualified leads without making a direct sales pitch upfront