Bounce rate
Bounce rate is the portion of the emails you sent that came back undelivered.
Read more5. Pipeline measures
What is reply rate?
Reply rate is the portion of delivered emails answered by the recipient. It is the clearest early signal that a message reached the right person with a reason to answer.
The formula
Reply rate
reply rate = replies / delivered x 100
The parts
- RepliesCount every human answer, positive, neutral or negative. Out-of-office notices and automatic bounces are not replies.
- DeliveredSent messages minus bounces. Using delivered keeps a bad list from hiding how the message itself performed.
- What it reflectsTargeting, the opening line, the offer and the ask all feed it. It also depends on the mail landing in the inbox at all.
- Read it by stepCompare the first message with each follow-up. A step that adds replies earns its place; one that adds only unsubscribes does not.
One sequence at Oakmere Scheduling
Oakmere Scheduling is an invented company that sent a three-step sequence and counted the results at the end of the week.
By hand
- Sent: 1,550. Bounced: 50. Delivered: 1,550 - 50 = 1,500.
- Replies: 60.
- 60 / 1,500 x 100 = 4%.
| Field | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Sent | 1,550 | Every message handed off. |
| Delivered | 1,500 | Sent minus bounced. |
| Replies | 60 | Human answers only. |
| Reply rate | 4% | Replies divided by delivered. |
The counts behind the reply rate.
How to apply it
- Count replies and delivered messages per sequence, not across the whole account.
- Exclude out-of-office and automatic messages before dividing.
- Change one thing at a time, such as the opening line or the ask, and compare the rate after each change.
- Check that bounce rate and complaints are low before blaming the copy for a low reply rate.
Mistakes to avoid
- Dividing by sent instead of delivered.
- Counting automatic replies as wins.
- Judging a variant on a handful of sends.
Related terms
Meeting booked rate
Meeting booked rate is the share of replies that end with a meeting on the calendar.
Read moreA/B testing
A/B testing sends two versions of a message, differing in one element, to similar groups at the same time to see which version gets the better result.
Read moreQuestions
- Is a negative reply still a reply?
- Yes for this measure. A reply shows the message reached a person. Track positive replies on their own as a second number.
- Why use delivered instead of sent?
- Bounced mail was never seen by anyone, so it says nothing about the message. Delivered keeps list quality and message quality apart.
- What reply rate should I aim for?
- Compare against your own earlier sequences first.
Tell us what you sell and who buys it
What you sell
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