Cold Email Saturation and Falling Open Rates

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Neil and Eric break down why AI is quietly killing the marketing channels most businesses still rely on — cold email open rates have dropped over 40%, AI-generated content is getting near-zero engagement, and outreach inboxes are completely flooded. They share exactly where they're shifting their marketing spend in 2026, why branding and in-person events are the new moat, and why Neil basically quit doing podcasts.

Key Takeaways:

• Cold email open rates dropped 40%+ from end of 2024 to Q1 2026 across 11 B2B companies

• AI-generated content gets terrible engagement unless it's specifically about AI topics

• Brand, relationships, and intellectual horsepower are the only real moats left in 2026

Chapters:

00:00 AI Is Destroying the Marketing Channels You Rely On
01:13 The Cold Email Saturation Problem Nobody Is Admitting
02:51 Open Rates Dropped 40% — Real Data From 11 B2B Companies
05:48 Why Branding Is the Only Real Moat Left in 2026
06:44 Why He Basically Quit Doing Podcasts
11:46 The 3 Things That Survive AI: Brand, Relationships, Horsepower
13:23 Why Manual Content Is Beating AI Content Right Now

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