The Problem with Automated Personalization (And What to Do Instead)

If your idea of “personalization” is injecting a generic compliment about a prospect's recent LinkedIn post into the first line of your email, you are wasting your time. Standard automated personalization has become completely transparent to buyers.

#Fake Personalization vs. True Relevance

“Hey John, saw your post about leadership—great insights! Anyway, do you need web development?”

This is fake personalization. It does not connect the personalized element to the business value being offered. It screams “automation.”

True relevance requires identifying a specific, objective fact about the prospect's business that directly relates to your service.

#Signal-Based Relevance

A signal-based email skips the fake flattery entirely and jumps straight into a high-value observation.

• “Hi John, I noticed your checkout page is flagging security warnings on mobile browsers, which could be impacting your conversion rate...”
• “Sarah, your recent ad campaigns are directing traffic to a landing page that takes over 8 seconds to load on mobile devices...”

This approach establishes immediate authority. You aren't just selling a service; you're acting as an expert diagnosing a critical business issue. Stop trying to sound friendly, and start trying to be indispensably helpful.