How to sell to CTOs at SaaS companies in United States
CTOs at SaaS companies prioritize system uptime and security as their primary metrics for success. They respond to outreach that demonstrates a deep understanding of their current tech stack and highlights specific vulnerabilities or inefficiencies. Addressing their unique challenges, such as integrating new technologies without downtime, is crucial to gaining their attention.
Written and maintained by the SoloRiff team, who build outbound software and run outbound with it. The figures below are our own: we measured 559 saas company domains over public DNS on 2026-09-03. Last updated 2026-09-03.
What actually hurts
- system downtime during updates
- security vulnerabilities in cloud services
- scalability issues with user growth
- regulatory compliance headaches
The playbook
- 01
Identify recent security incidents
Research recent security breaches or vulnerabilities in SaaS companies. Use sources like cybersecurity news sites or industry reports. Target CTOs from companies that have faced incidents to present your solution as a proactive measure against similar threats.
- 02
Analyze tech stack compatibility
Examine the technology stack of your target companies using tools like BuiltWith or StackShare. Identify common tools that may have integration challenges. Highlight how your approach can enhance their existing systems without disrupting current operations.
- 03
Highlight scalability concerns
Look for companies that have recently expanded their user base or product offerings. These companies often face scalability issues. Craft your message to address how your solution can help them efficiently manage increased demand without sacrificing performance.
- 04
Address compliance pressures
Identify companies that are subject to new regulations, such as GDPR or CCPA. Tailor your outreach to discuss how your solution can assist in maintaining compliance and avoiding potential fines. This relevance can significantly increase your chances of engagement.
- 05
Leverage industry-specific case studies
Research successful case studies within the SaaS industry that relate to your prospects' challenges. Use these examples to demonstrate your understanding of their specific needs and the tangible results your solution has achieved. This builds credibility and piques interest.
Can saas companies even receive your mail?
We measured the DNS of 559 saas companies, sampled evenly across company sizes, to see how many authenticate their own email. It matters in both directions: a domain that does not authenticate is a domain whose team is used to mail going missing — and if your own domain is in the gap, yours is the mail going missing.
Publishes a DMARC policy of quarantine or reject — the domain actually asks receivers to act on failures.
The gap is the finding: 16.7% of 1–10-person companies against 80.9% of the largest — 64 points apart. Small companies are where the unauthenticated domains are, and small companies are who most cold outreach is aimed at.
Where does your domain sit?
Same three lookups, run live against your domain. Nothing is stored and nothing is emailed to you.
How this was measured
Company domains were sampled within employee-count bands, then queried over public DNS for SPF (TXT at the apex), DMARC (TXT at _dmarc.) and MX. One domain per company, deduplicated. Anyone can reproduce any single row of this with dig.
DKIM is deliberately absent. A DKIM key lives under a selector that cannot be enumerated from outside the domain, so a company with flawless DKIM under a name we did not guess would be counted as having none. That would measure our guess list, not the industry.
Domains with no MX record are excluded rather than counted as failures — parked and redirect-only domains would otherwise drag every figure down and make the result an artefact of the sample.
Sampled within bands, so this describes the population of companies, not of employees: a 10-person company counts once, as does a 10,000-person one. Each band is at least 60 domains; bands below that are not published. Figures are percentages of the sample, not of the whole industry, and we publish no company names — only counts.
Measured 2026-09-03. Re-measured monthly.
The full census across every industry — sortable, with sample sizes, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0.
Subject lines that fit
- Mitigating your latest security risks
- Scaling your SaaS without downtime
- Navigating compliance in SaaS
Questions
- Why do CTOs at SaaS companies ignore cold outreach?
- CTOs often receive numerous outreach messages that fail to address their specific pain points or challenges. If the messaging does not demonstrate a clear understanding of their technology stack or recent industry developments, it is likely to be overlooked.
- What triggers a CTO to respond to outreach?
- CTOs are more likely to respond when outreach highlights a relevant pain point, such as security vulnerabilities or scalability issues. Demonstrating knowledge of their current tech environment and offering tailored solutions can capture their interest.
- How important is personalization for CTO outreach?
- Personalization is critical when reaching out to CTOs. Generic messages can be easily dismissed, while tailored communications that reference specific challenges or industry trends are more likely to engage their attention and prompt a response.
- What common objections do CTOs have to new solutions?
- CTOs often express concerns about integration complexity, potential disruptions to current systems, and the ROI of new solutions. Addressing these objections directly in your outreach can help alleviate their fears and open the door for further discussion.
Or have it run itself
SoloRiff does every step above on its own — finds the companies, finds the people, writes each of them individually, and handles the replies. Drop your URL and watch it work before you sign up for anything.
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