Cold Mailing: What is the Optimal Word Count for Best Results?

illustration: bing.com/create

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signals that the most frequently cited guidelines from Boomerang, recommending cold emails of 50-125 words, are now outdated.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/

Share the article:

New articles in section Marketing and PR

AI marketing versus AI-powered marketing

Karolina Łukasiewicz
How to distinguish a buzzword from artificial intelligence that actually increases business efficiency? Is every marketing strategy using algorithms truly driven by AI? No, because in many cases, AI marketing is merely the automation of specific, previously known processes.

Brand visibility in the age of algorithms

Aleksander Pawzun
A few years ago, everything was simpler. It was enough to have a good website, do SEO, run a blog, and publish on social media. Whoever was systematic was visible. Whoever invested in content and positioning gained customers. That world no longer exists.

Queue psychology. Scientists' discovery used in Call Centers

Andrzej Sowula
The discovery first described by psychologists in the second half of 2024 concerns the so-called "relative progress effect". When customers observe fast service at the beginning of their wait, they tolerate slower service much better later in the waiting period.

See articles on a similar topic:

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.

Customers Flirting with Service Bots. What Contact Center Research Says

Krzysztof Fiedorek
Research by Infobip shows that nearly 20% of Americans engage in flirtatious conversations with bots while handling standard customer service issues. This trend is particularly evident among people aged 35 to 44, where more than half of respondents admitted to flirting with a virtual assistant.

Modern Mobile Communication. How Companies Build Loyalty by Phone

KFi
Companies can no longer treat mobile communication channels as a side element of their operations. An effective mobile strategy is becoming a cornerstone of customer contact, a tool for improving service, and a way to optimize internal processes. If they know how to use it.

How to reduce food waste? Packaging design matters

KFi
Researchers from China have proven that visual packaging elements and consistent messaging can be effective tools in the fight against global food waste. They published research results showing that designers and marketers can make a real difference.

More in the section: Marketing and PR