
The study was conducted by Ziemek Bućko, content manager at Hunter.io, a platform for finding email addresses. The results of the analysis and the conclusions drawn from it were published on the company blog: What’s the Best Word Count for Cold Emails.
Bućko analyzed data from 34 million emails requesting contact to determine the optimal length of the sent message in terms of obtaining a response. The results indicate that shorter emails requesting contact have a higher response rate than longer ones.
- The average reply rate for the entire sample was 3.7%.
- Emails with a length of 20-39 words had statistically the highest response rate (4.5%).
- Messages with a length of 60-79 words (4%), 80-99 words (4%), and... 160-179 words (also 4%) achieved results clearly above the average.
The conclusion: shorter emails are more likely to be read and replied to. This is valuable advice for those who are engaged in prospecting and sales on a daily basis.
This also signals that the most frequently cited guidelines from Boomerang, recommending cold emails of 50-125 words, are now outdated. Moreover, as Ziemek Bućko emphasizes, they date back to 2016, which in the evolution of e-marketing is prehistoric. Furthermore, many commentators have overinterpreted some of the conclusions from the Boomerang study regarding its scope and methodology.
Length Matters, But...
However, the Hunter.io analyst emphasizes that the length of the email requesting contact is just one of many factors influencing the response rate. Other equally important factors include:
- Subject line: It should be clear, concise, and compelling enough to encourage the email to be opened.
- Message content: It should be personalized, valuable, and contain a call to action.
- Target audience: Emails requesting contact should be sent to the right people who are potentially interested in your offer.
From here, it’s easy to conclude that the optimal length of an email is a statistical curiosity that alone will not guarantee success. It is one of the factors worth considering from a UX perspective, but the key to success lies in the proper combination of all elements of the cold mailing puzzle.
For more information and data regarding the analysis, visit: https://hunter.io/blog/cold-email-word-count/
COMMERCIAL BREAK
New articles in section Marketing and PR
Foreign online stores face distrust in Poland. See TrustMate Report
KFi
Poland’s e-commerce market is booming, yet foreign online stores still struggle to earn consumer trust. Why do Polish shoppers prefer local sellers? A new report uncovers the roots of this distrust and reveals what international brands must do to bridge the gap.
Online advertising 2024/2025 report by IAB Poland
KFi
Online ads now consume 57% of all budgets. Companies spent 1.62 billion PLN on video formats alone. After leaner years, the numbers are rising sharply. Digital advertising grew by 20% in a year. Traditional formats are slowly fading.
Trends and threats in online advertising. Media Quality Report 2025
Krzysztof Fiedorek
In 2024, the digital advertising world lost about 100 billion dollars due to fake impressions. A report published by Integral Ad Science shows that so-called fraud is getting smarter, and campaigns are increasingly exposed.
See articles on a similar topic:
When a Review Lies. The Growing Threat of Fake Opinions Online
KFi
Popularity of digital marketplaces rises, so does a less welcome trend: fake reviews. These manipulated opinions distort product rankings and mislead consumers, all while unfairly disadvantaging honest businesses. And despite regulatory efforts, the problem is far from solved.
A Good Product is Not Enough. New Realities for Marketing are Coming
Reporterzy.info
- Brands face many tests in credibility and transparency in the coming years. The era of neutrality is over - predicts Maciej Swoboda, Chief Revenue Officer at the agency Funktional, in an interview with Reporterzy.info.
Outdoor advertising in Poland. OOH market by the numbers
KFi
In 2024, the outdoor advertising market in Poland reached a record PLN 806 million, with its digital segment growing by 32%. Notably, growth was faster outside the largest cities. Advertising on buses and trams also proved more effective than many online campaigns.
Do Ads on TV Annoy You? Think Again, It’s Quite the Opposite!
Bartłomiej Dwornik
Advertisements don’t irritate viewers; instead, they increase the appeal of television programs, according to research published in the Polish edition of Harvard Business Review. Viewers are actually willing to pay more for shows they watched with ad breaks.