How to sell to IT Directors at Energy companies
IT Directors in the Energy sector are primarily measured on system uptime and cybersecurity resilience. They respond to outreach that demonstrates a clear understanding of the complexities of integrating new technologies with legacy systems, especially in renewables and utilities. Highlighting specific pain points, such as downtime during critical operations, will capture 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 550 energy company domains over public DNS on 2026-09-03. Last updated 2026-09-03.
What actually hurts
- system downtime during critical operations
- integration issues with legacy systems
- increased cybersecurity threats
- budget constraints for IT upgrades
The playbook
- 01
Identify recent cybersecurity incidents
Search for news articles or press releases about cybersecurity breaches in energy companies. Focus on organizations that have recently suffered disruptions, as IT Directors will be particularly sensitive to security solutions that prevent future incidents.
- 02
Target firms expanding renewable energy initiatives
Use LinkedIn to filter for energy companies that have announced new renewable projects or partnerships. These firms are likely exploring IT solutions that can support their transition, making them more receptive to new technologies.
- 03
Highlight integration challenges with legacy systems
Craft your message to address the specific challenges of integrating new tech with existing infrastructure. Mention common issues like data migration and system compatibility that resonate with IT Directors, emphasizing how your solution simplifies these processes.
- 04
Follow up on recent project announcements
After sending your initial email, monitor for any press releases regarding new IT initiatives or projects. A timely follow-up referencing their recent announcements shows you’re engaged and aware of their current priorities.
- 05
Propose a risk assessment meeting
In your outreach, suggest a brief call to discuss their current cybersecurity posture and how you can help improve it. IT Directors are often focused on risk management, so framing your meeting request around this topic will increase your chances of securing a call.
Can energy companies even receive your mail?
We measured the DNS of 550 energy 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: 21.6% of 1–10-person companies against 85.8% 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
- Securing your IT infrastructure
- Integrating new tech in renewables
- Mitigating cybersecurity risks
Questions
- Why do IT Directors in energy often ignore cold outreach?
- IT Directors may overlook cold outreach due to their busy schedules and the high volume of unsolicited messages. They prioritize communications that directly address their current challenges, particularly around system reliability and cybersecurity.
- What specific challenges do IT Directors face in the energy sector?
- They often deal with outdated legacy systems, the need for regulatory compliance, and the integration of new technologies for renewable energy projects. These challenges require solutions that ensure minimal disruption and enhanced security.
- How can I demonstrate value to an IT Director in energy?
- Focus on addressing their specific pain points, such as system uptime and cybersecurity. Providing case studies or examples of similar companies that benefited from your solution can help illustrate your value proposition effectively.
- What is the best way to reach IT Directors in energy companies?
- Utilizing targeted LinkedIn outreach and personalized emails that reference their recent initiatives or industry challenges is effective. IT Directors appreciate tailored communication that acknowledges their current projects and concerns.
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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