#74 · How I Went From 0 to 100,000 on Instagram in 83 Days
I recommend using Instantly. You take the email you have, add about ten other addresses, feed them into Instantly, and it will regulate sending and handle the rest.
You don't need money to do cold outreach; everyone has a free mailbox (email). You just need to figure out the email address and be willing to trade some time for potential money. As a beginner with time but little money, you can manually write and send cold emails—each taking 3–4 minutes, allowing 10–20 per day, which is less than an eighth of a typical workday. Tools aren't required; they only speed up a process that's already potentially profitable. You can also send cold DMs via Loom video on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, TikTok, etc.
You are conflating Go High Level and Instantly, but they are very different platforms—comparing apples to oranges. Go High Level is focused on inbound funnels, bringing people in when they opt‑in. Instantly, on the other hand, is an outbound cold‑email tool for reaching people who haven’t opted in. If you’re contacting cold prospects, you need an outbound tool like Instantly, Smart Lead, or any other cold‑email system. Do not use an inbound platform like GHL for outbound outreach. In short, use a dedicated outbound cold‑email tool for scalable outreach.
With a $30‑$40 monthly budget, you can still run effective cold email outreach. Use a low‑cost plan such as Instantly’s $37/month offering, plus a few mailboxes (about $50 total). Send roughly 1,000‑1,500 verified leads per month. A simple setup: one domain, three mailboxes, a two‑step sequence (45 emails on day 1, 45 on day 2) repeated over ~26 days, yielding ~1,200‑1,500 emails monthly. Replies require checking the mailboxes, but with only three it’s manageable.
I’ve been in the same spot. I started by rotating a handful of Gmail accounts—sometimes five—sending about ten cold emails a day from each. It’s not ideal, but it works to get started as long as your emails are well‑researched and the approach is solid. Gmail accounts have lower deliverability, especially new ones, so they need to warm up. You can also buy cheap inboxes (e.g., three Instantly airmail inboxes for around $4 each per month plus a domain) which gives you roughly 90 emails a day. Build a quick lead list, template your messages, and spend the first hour‑and‑a‑half each day sending them. You can also DM prospects. The key is to keep sending, refine your copy, and don’t worry too much about the tools at the start.