I Can See When Clients Watch My Video. And That Changed How I Do Outreach.

I stopped sending cold emails.

Not because they don't work. They do, sometimes. But the response rate was low, the follow-up was awkward, and I had no idea whether anyone was actually reading what I sent.

So I started doing something different: recording short Loom videos.

What that looks like in practice

When I identify a local business I want to work with, I don't send a templated email. I open their website, pull up their Google Business Profile, and hit record. I walk through what I see: what's working, what's not, and what I'd fix first if they brought me in.

The video is usually 60–90 seconds. No pitch deck. No sales script. Just a screen recording with my voice, showing them their own business through a different lens.

Then I send it. Usually through email, sometimes through a DM or a contact form.

Why Loom changes the dynamic

Here's the part most people don't realize: Loom tells you when someone watches your video. Not just whether they opened the email, but whether they actually watched it, how much of it they watched, and whether they rewatched any part of it.

That changes everything about follow-up.

If someone watches 90% of a 90-second video, I know they're interested. I don't have to guess. I don't have to send a "just checking in" email three days later and hope for the best. I can follow up with confidence, because I already know they paid attention.

And if they didn't watch it? I don't waste time chasing.

What the results look like

I've sent Loom videos to coffee shops, restaurants, home service companies, and retail businesses across the Grand Strand. The response rate is significantly higher than cold email, and the quality of those responses is better, too.

People reply with things like "I had no idea our Google listing looked like that" or "Nobody's ever walked me through this before." The video builds trust before the first conversation even happens, because they can see that I actually looked at their business. It's not a template. It's not a mass email. It's clearly made for them.

The honest version

This approach takes more time per lead than blasting out 200 cold emails. But the conversion rate is dramatically higher, and the relationships start on a completely different footing.

If you're doing outreach for your own business, whether you're a consultant, a freelancer, or a service provider, and you're relying entirely on written cold outreach, it's worth testing video. Not because it's trendy, but because it lets people see how you think before they ever get on a call with you.

That's a hard thing to fake. And that's exactly why it works.

Robinson House Company works with local businesses in the Grand Strand and beyond to improve visibility, tighten operations, and uncover practical opportunities for growth. Learn more at robinsonhousecompany.com.