Why Benchmarks Matter
Without benchmarks, you can't tell if your campaigns are performing well or poorly. "We got a 3% reply rate" means nothing without context.
This guide provides the context you need.
Reply Rate Benchmarks
General Cold Email
| Reply Rate | Assessment |
|---|---|
| <1% | Below average - investigate |
| 1-3% | Average for cold outreach |
| 3-5% | Good - above average |
| 5-10% | Excellent - strong targeting |
| 10%+ | Outstanding - usually warm leads |
By Industry
| Industry | Typical Reply Rate | Meeting Rate |
|---|---|---|
| SaaS / Technology | 2-4% | 0.5-1% |
| Marketing Agency | 3-5% | 1-2% |
| Consulting | 4-6% | 1.5-3% |
| Recruiting | 5-8% | 2-4% |
| Financial Services | 1-3% | 0.3-0.8% |
By Campaign Type
| Campaign Type | Typical Reply Rate |
|---|---|
| Pure cold (no trigger) | 1-3% |
| Trigger-based | 3-6% |
| Referral-mentioned | 5-10% |
| Follow-up to warm lead | 10-20% |
Bounce Rate Benchmarks
| Bounce Rate | Assessment | Action |
|---|---|---|
| <2% | Excellent | Maintain practices |
| 2-3% | Acceptable | Monitor closely |
| 3-5% | Warning | Pause, investigate |
| >5% | Critical | Stop, clean list |
Deliverability Benchmarks
| Metric | Target | Warning | Critical |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inbox placement | >90% | 80-90% | <80% |
| Spam placement | <5% | 5-10% | >10% |
| Spam complaints | <0.1% | 0.1-0.3% | >0.3% |
Positive Reply Rate
Not all replies are equal. Track positive replies (genuine interest) separately:
| Total Reply Rate | Positive Reply Rate | Assessment |
|---|---|---|
| 5% | 50% positive (2.5%) | Good |
| 3% | 80% positive (2.4%) | Good |
| 10% | 20% positive (2%) | Misleading high total |
Meeting Conversion
Once you get a positive reply, how many become meetings?
| Conversion | Assessment |
|---|---|
| <30% | Response process needs work |
| 30-50% | Average |
| 50-70% | Good |
| >70% | Excellent |
Comparing Against Yourself
Benchmarks provide context, but the most important comparison is against your own performance:
- Establish baseline - First 1,000 emails
- Track over time - Weekly/monthly trends
- Test variations - A/B test messaging
- Identify patterns - What correlates with success?
Key Takeaway
A 3-5% reply rate with 50%+ positive is solid performance. Focus on quality of replies, not just quantity. Track your own trends as the primary benchmark.
For detailed statistics, see our [Cold Email Statistics](/statistics) page.