What Is Reply Rate?

Reply rate is the percentage of outreach messages that receive a response from the recipient, calculated as (replies received / messages delivered) x 100. In B2B cold outreach, reply rate is a more meaningful performance metric than open rate because it indicates genuine engagement rather than passive curiosity. Typical reply rates vary significantly by channel and outreach quality. For cold email, average reply rates range from 1–5%, with well-targeted and personalized campaigns achieving 5–12%. LinkedIn connection request acceptance rates average 20–30%, with InMail reply rates at 10–25% for personalized messages. Phone connect rates (reaching a live person) average 5–10% for fully cold calls, increasing to 15–25% when the prospect has previously engaged with email or LinkedIn outreach. Reply rate should be evaluated alongside reply quality. A 10% reply rate where half the replies are 'not interested' produces a 5% positive reply rate. The metric that actually drives pipeline is positive reply rate — the percentage of outreach that generates an interested response, a question, or a meeting booking. AI SDR platforms like Prospect AI optimize for positive reply rate by conducting individual prospect research, generating genuinely personalized messages, and coordinating multi-channel touchpoints that build familiarity before asking for a meeting.