How Many Follow-Up Emails Should You Send?
Most replies come from follow-ups, not the first email. A short sequence of 3 to 4 emails is a good balance between getting replies and not annoying people.
A 4-email sequence
| What to send | When to send | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Your first cold email | Day 0 |
| 2 | A quick, short bump ("Did you see my last email?") | Day 3 |
| 3 | A different angle, such as a result, a customer story or a useful tip | Day 7 |
| 4 | A friendly break-up email ("I'll stop emailing, but here's how to reach me") | Day 14 |
Send follow-ups as replies in the same thread (leave the subject line blank in Instantly), so they appear as one conversation.
Stop the sequence as soon as someone replies. Instantly does this automatically.
When to send
- Send on weekdays, during the recipient's working hours (for example 8am to 5pm in their time zone)
- Set your campaign's time zone to match each lead list
- Let Instantly spread sends out over the day, rather than sending them all at once
- Remember that follow-ups count towards each inbox's daily limit