Cold outreach feels completely dead lately... anyone else pivoting?

Lately it feels like basic cold emails and DMs are just getting ignored completely. Even personalized ones get left on read.

I used to send 50+ direct messages a day asking for a quick 15-minute call, but reply rates plummeted.

What’s actually been getting responses for me recently is changing the entry point entirely:

• Audio/Voice Notes instead of text: On platforms that support it, a quick 20-second casual voice message gets way more replies because it proves you're a real human.
• Dropping the pitch completely: Just asking a simple question about a recent post or challenge they shared, with zero ask for a meeting on the first message.

Once a real conversation starts, booking the call becomes 10x easier.

Where are you guys finding the best response rates right now? Are you still relying heavily on cold email, or moving more toward social selling/DMs?