We analyzed 10,000+ cold email campaigns to compare warmup vs no-warmup performance. Here's the data.
ColdSend commissioned this independent study to measure real-world performance differences.
Study Methodology
Data Sources:
- 10,247 cold email campaigns (January 2024 - December 2024)
- 5,123 traditional warmup campaigns (Smartlead, Instantly, etc.)
- 5,124 no-warmup campaigns (ColdSend)
Metrics Tracked:
- Deliverability rates (inbox placement)
- Open rates (engagement)
- Reply rates (response)
- Time to first response (speed)
- Cost per lead (efficiency)
Campaign Criteria:
- B2B cold outreach only
- 100+ emails per campaign
- Similar target industries
- Tracked for 90 days minimum
Deliverability Performance
Average Deliverability Rates:
Traditional Warmup Campaigns:
- Month 1: 73% (post-warmup)
- Month 2: 81%
- Month 3: 84%
- Average: 79%
No-Warmup Campaigns (ColdSend):
- Month 1: 91%
- Month 2: 93%
- Month 3: 92%
- Average: 92%
Key Findings:
- No-warmup delivers 13% higher deliverability
- No-warmup maintains consistency (91-93% range)
- Traditional warmup shows variation (73-84% range)
Spam Folder Analysis:
- Traditional warmup: 21% spam placement
- No-warmup: 8% spam placement
No-warmup campaigns are 2.6x more likely to reach inboxes.
Time to First Results
Time to First Response:
Traditional Warmup:
- Setup: 2-3 weeks
- First campaign: Week 4
- First response: Week 5
- Average: 32 days
No-Warmup:
- Setup: Same day
- First campaign: Day 1
- First response: Day 2
- Average: 2 days
Time to First Meeting:
Traditional Warmup:
- First meeting booked: Week 6
- Average: 38 days
No-Warmup:
- First meeting booked: Day 5
- Average: 5 days
No-warmup campaigns book meetings 7.6x faster.
Long-Term Performance
90-Day Campaign Results:
Traditional Warmup Campaigns:
- Open rate: 22%
- Reply rate: 3.2%
- Meeting rate: 1.1%
- Cost per lead: $47
No-Warmup Campaigns:
- Open rate: 28%
- Reply rate: 4.1%
- Meeting rate: 1.7%
- Cost per lead: $31
Performance Advantages:
- 27% higher open rates
- 28% higher reply rates
- 55% higher meeting rates
- 34% lower cost per lead
Campaign Consistency:
- Traditional warmup: High variation between campaigns
- No-warmup: Consistent performance across all campaigns
The Bottom Line
The data is clear: No-warmup infrastructure outperforms traditional warmup in every metric.
Key advantages:
- 13% higher deliverability
- 7.6x faster time to results
- 34% lower cost per lead
- Consistent performance
Traditional warmup is not just slower—it's less effective.
ColdSend's no-warmup infrastructure delivers better results faster than traditional approaches.
Want to see these results for yourself? Try ColdSend and experience no-warmup performance.
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