Most outreach advice is someone guessing. This is the scoreboard.

Ranked by the only measure that matters — the share of readers who said they would reply. Nothing here is an opinion about what works.

Top ten

1
Final follow-up after four ignored emails
Hi [first name], I've sent four emails and haven't heard back, so I'm assuming this isn't a…
Sales Follow-Up · 57% would reply7 verdicts
2
Pitching a realtor to sell appointment setting services
[Name], My concern to write this email? Two quick things. 1. Your average sale price over the last…
Agency & Freelance Pitch · 33% would reply3 verdicts
3
Recruiter InMail for a senior backend role
Hi [first name], I hope this message finds you well! I came across your profile and was really…
Recruiter Outreach · 33% would reply3 verdicts
4
LinkedIn DM to a founder who posted about a problem I'd solved
Saw your post about the onboarding rewrite taking four months. We hit the same wall last year. What…
LinkedIn DM · 40% would reply5 verdicts
5
Cold email to SaaS founders leading with a bug I found in their product
Hi [first name], Signed up for [Company] yesterday to look at something else and got stuck. Step…
Cold Email · 33% would reply3 verdicts
6
Agency cold email that leads with a working prototype instead of a deck
Hi [first name], Rather than send a proposal, I built the thing. Here's a working version of your…
Agency & Freelance Pitch · 33% would reply3 verdicts
7
Cold application email for a product design role with no opening posted
Dear Hiring Manager, I am writing to express my strong interest in any product design opportunities…
Job Application · 25% would reply4 verdicts

A category with one entry has a leader by default. That is worth knowing before you read too much into it.

Cold email to SaaS founders leading with a bug I found in their product
Hi [first name], Signed up for [Company] yesterday to look at something else and got stuck. Step…
Cold Email · 33% would reply3 verdicts
LinkedIn DM to a founder who posted about a problem I'd solved
Saw your post about the onboarding rewrite taking four months. We hit the same wall last year. What…
LinkedIn DM · 40% would reply5 verdicts
Final follow-up after four ignored emails
Hi [first name], I've sent four emails and haven't heard back, so I'm assuming this isn't a…
Sales Follow-Up · 57% would reply7 verdicts
Recruiter InMail for a senior backend role
Hi [first name], I hope this message finds you well! I came across your profile and was really…
Recruiter Outreach · 33% would reply3 verdicts
Cold application email for a product design role with no opening posted
Dear Hiring Manager, I am writing to express my strong interest in any product design opportunities…
Job Application · 25% would reply4 verdicts
Pitching a realtor to sell appointment setting services
[Name], My concern to write this email? Two quick things. 1. Your average sale price over the last…
Agency & Freelance Pitch · 33% would reply3 verdicts