{"id":298,"date":"2020-06-08T07:00:57","date_gmt":"2020-06-08T07:00:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wiza.co\/blog\/?p=298"},"modified":"2025-01-16T10:19:27","modified_gmt":"2025-01-16T10:19:27","slug":"cold-email-response-rate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wiza.co\/blog\/cold-email-response-rate\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Increase Your Cold Email Response Rate [Updated]"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Are you there, John? It\u2019s me, Margaret. 
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That\u2019s often what sending out emails feels like when you don’t win a high cold email response rate. You hone the perfect message, pull a targeted list, hit send \u2026 and then?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\/<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

At least with cold calls you get voicemail, right? 
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But here\u2019s the thing: cold email is still <\/em>an incredibly effective outbound strategy. There\u2019s a reason email delivers the highest ROI for marketers<\/a>. With the right approach, SDRs and sales teams can see that ROI too. You just need to start making your cold emails sound more organic. 
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Whether you\u2019re hitting a 1% or 10% response rate average, we all have room to improve our cold email efforts.
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Tips for creating winning cold emails abound. They range from the vaguely helpful (\u201cdon\u2019t sound like a template!\u201d) to the oddly specific (\u201cleverage a trigger event in the prospect\u2019s professional life\u201d). 
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But all of these tips tend to boil down to one thing: leads only respond to cold emails that don\u2019t sound like cold emails<\/strong>. 
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So how do you achieve an organic look and feel in your initial email outreach? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s the Average Cold Email Response Rate? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

At first blush, the numbers are less than inspiring. 
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The average cold email response rate is 1%. That means if you email 1,000 people, you\u2019ll only getting 10 people to respond. 
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Not exactly a fast track to filling the pipeline, is it? 
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It\u2019s why plenty of sales teams will send out thousands of emails a day trying to beat the numbers. But these teams lose out on tons of opportunities. They \u201cspray and pray\u201d instead of taking time to consider what will get them a reply. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s the truth: the average <\/em>cold email response rate won\u2019t tell you much. 
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There\u2019s too much of a range. The Wiza team sees a 10% response rate, and some outliers see cold email response rates over 50%. 
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Here’s our advice: forget averages. Average<\/em> is never the metric you want to aim for.  Instead, focus on how you <\/em>can improve your <\/em>cold email performance. Measure your success by how well you improve your cold email response rate over time. Here are a few places to start. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

First things first: Boost your open rate to increase responses <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Before you make introductions, you first have to get your foot in the door. 
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No one is going to respond to your email if they don\u2019t even open <\/em>your email in the first place. 
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No duh, <\/em>right? But SDRs and sales teams sometimes bypass critical cold email elements, focusing solely on value prop and personalization. It\u2019s a mistake. 
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Industry wisdom<\/a> says that you shouldn\u2019t expect better than a 30% open rate, no matter what cold email best practices you put in place.
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But what if I told you we\u2019ve consistently seen open rates double that?
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\"cold<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

To get an open rate of 70% or higher, you\u2019ll need start with:
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  1. Highly targeted lists, and<\/li>
  2. A technical foundation, like a warmed up domain and plain text emails. <\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    If high open rates are your \u2018foot in the door for higher response rates, then qualified, verified email lists<\/a> are your \u2018in\u2019 for getting leads to open your email in the first place. 
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    Use LinkedIn Sales Navigator to build your list of leads, then export your saved LinkedIn leads<\/a> for your cold email campaign. By starting with a list of verified, company-specific emails we have seen open rates above 80%. 
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    Subject lines and clever CTAs go a long way, but you have to get in the door first. Your response rate flows from your open rate. You heard it here: the best way to ensure great metrics around your cold email campaign is to start with a great email list. 
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    Note: you should also make sure you\u2019re meeting the technical requirements for outbound emails. For more info on getting into the inbox, check out our post on <\/em>email deliverability<\/em><\/a>. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    4 Steps to a Higher Cold Email Response Rate<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Once you get a cold lead to open the initial email, it\u2019s time to win over their hearts and minds. 
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    There\u2019s no 100% tried-and-true approach to getting positive responses (don\u2019t sound like a template, remember?). But you can<\/em> put a handful of best practices in place to make sure your cold email lands makes leads want to respond. 
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    None of these are ideas \u2018quick tricks\u2019 \u2014 cold email is a balancing act and always<\/em> requires testing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Step 1: Home in on your target audience for better personalization <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    We\u2019ve mentioned it before: targeted lists from LinkedIn Sales Navigator have a lot do with the success of our cold email campaigns. 
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    Once you have targeted lists, you\u2019ll have a lot more to work with. Don\u2019t just personalize your emails with a lead\u2019s name and company. Make them highly <\/em>relevant with:
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