Follow-Up Sequences That Convert

The average reply rate across all cold campaigns is 3.43%. A 'good' reply rate is 3-8%. Top performers consistently hit 8-15%. Rates above 15% are possible with excellent targeting and trigger-based personalization but are not typical at scale.

Keep cold emails between 50-125 words. Some studies suggest up to 150 words for certain B2B audiences. Shorter emails consistently outperform longer ones. If you need more than 125 words to make your point, your message is not focused enough.

Plain text. Always. HTML emails with logos, images, and formatted layouts trigger spam filters and look like marketing emails. A plain text email from one person to another is what cold email should look like. The only exception is your email signature, which can include basic formatting.

4-7 follow-ups is the sweet spot. 42% of replies come from follow-ups rather than the first email. Space them at Day 3, Day 7, Day 14, Day 21, and Day 30. Each follow-up should add new value, not just 'bump' the thread.

Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday are the best days. Best times are 8-10 AM and 2-4 PM in the recipient's timezone. Avoid Monday mornings and Friday afternoons. Wednesday tends to show the highest engagement across most studies.

Yes. Sending cold email from a new inbox without warm-up will land you in spam immediately. Warm-up takes 14-21 days minimum. Keep warm-up running alongside your cold campaigns permanently. Tools like Firstsales.io include warm-up for free with all plans.

Inbox placement rate measures the percentage of emails that land in the primary inbox versus spam or tabs. The global average is 83.1%. This is different from delivery rate (98.16%), which only measures whether the server accepted the email. An email can be 'delivered' but still land in spam.

Set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC authentication on your domain. Use secondary domains for cold outreach. Warm up new inboxes for 14-21 days. Keep bounce rates under 2%. Verify your email list before sending. Avoid spam trigger words. Send plain text emails. Keep volume consistent.

Yes, in most jurisdictions when done correctly. In the US, CAN-SPAM allows cold B2B email with proper identification and opt-out mechanisms. In the EU, GDPR allows B2B outreach under legitimate interest. In Canada, CASL requires express or implied consent. Always include your business address and an unsubscribe option.

Cold email targets a specific person with a relevant, personalized message and includes identification and unsubscribe options. Spam is unsolicited bulk email sent to purchased lists without personalization or proper opt-out mechanisms. The difference is intent, targeting, and compliance.

Cold email typically costs $30-$50 per lead, making it one of the most cost-effective B2B channels. This includes tool costs ($28-$269/month for a platform like Firstsales.io), data costs ($49-$500/month), and infrastructure costs ($150-$200/month for domains and inboxes).

No. Purchased lists contain invalid addresses, spam traps, and unverified contacts. Bounce rates skyrocket when using purchased lists, which damages your sender reputation. Build your list through research, networking, and organic lead generation instead.

Keep subject lines to 1-5 words for mobile or 6-10 words for desktop. Use lowercase. Include the company name or a trigger event when possible. Avoid spam trigger words like 'free,' 'guarantee,' or 'limited time.' Question-based and trigger-based subject lines consistently get the highest open rates.

DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance) is an email authentication protocol that ties SPF and DKIM together. Yes, you need it. Set your DMARC policy to p=reject, which tells receiving servers to reject emails that fail authentication. This protects your domain and improves deliverability.

Track reply rate (most important), positive reply rate, meeting book rate, bounce rate, and spam complaint rate. A good reply rate is 3-8%. Keep bounce rate under 2% and spam complaints under 0.1%. Measure pipeline generated monthly to connect email activity to revenue.

AI can draft cold emails, but human review is required. AI excels at research, first drafts, and timing. Humans excel at judgment, tone, and nuance. The best approach is a hybrid: AI researches and drafts, human reviews and approves. Fully automated AI emails tend to sound generic and perform worse than human-reviewed AI drafts.

It depends on your needs and budget. Firstsales.io offers the best value with plans starting at $28 per month, unlimited email accounts, free warm-up, and free list cleaning. Instantly.ai works for high-volume senders but costs more ($97-$358/mo). Apollo.io combines data and sending but limits features at lower tiers.

Add inboxes, not volume per inbox. Each inbox should send 35-50 emails per day maximum. Use 3-4 inboxes per secondary domain. Keep warm-up running permanently. Verify every list before sending. Monitor bounce rates and spam complaints daily. Scale gradually, adding 5-10 sends per day per inbox.