Cold Email Reply Rate Benchmarks
What's a good cold email reply rate? Here's what the data says across industries and company sizes.
The Number That Matters
8.5%
Average B2B Cold Email Reply Rate
The Numbers
| Category | Poor | Average | Good | Excellent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Email | <3% | 5-8% | 10-15% | >20% |
| Follow-up #1 | <2% | 3-5% | 6-10% | >12% |
| Follow-up #2 | <1% | 2-3% | 4-6% | >8% |
| Full Sequence | <5% | 8-12% | 15-20% | >25% |
By Industry
SaaS
Professional Services
Financial Services
Manufacturing
Healthcare
IT Services
How to Read These Numbers
Below 5%
Your targeting or messaging is off. Either you're reaching the wrong people or your emails aren't resonating. Time to revisit your ICP and copy.
5-12%
You're in the average range. Not bad, but there's room for improvement. Focus on personalization and testing subject lines.
Above 12%
You're outperforming most. Keep doing what you're doing. Consider scaling up while maintaining quality.
How to Beat the Average
1. Tighten your ICP—the more specific your targeting, the higher your reply rates
2. Personalize beyond {first_name}—reference something specific about them or their company
3. Keep emails under 100 words—respect people's time
4. Test subject lines relentlessly—they determine if your email gets opened at all
5. Send at optimal times—Tuesday-Thursday, 8-10am recipient's timezone tends to work best
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