Welcome to The Hero 🗞️. This is approximately a 3-minute read.
👁️ Why senior candidates hire faster
🔄 Rethinking outbound benchmarks beyond reply rate
📊 What the data actually reveals about outbound ROI
TL;DR
Senior candidates ignore your messages more than junior or mid-level ones.
And the more senior they are… you guessed it - the less they reply.
But when they do reply? 🤔
They move fast, convert quickly, and stay longer.
"No Replies" Doesn’t Mean "No ROI”
You send 100 emails to two groups:
👉 Mid-level ICs: 15 replies → 3 interviews → 0 hires
👉 Senior Directors: 5 replies → 3 interviews → 1 hire
👉 You didn't waste 95 messages
👉 You landed a game-changing hire
The full breakdown is just below - don’t miss it! 😉
Links of the Day:
🔗 Best Links
Here are some of the best links I’ve found since last time I emailed you:
👨💻 Onboarding
📊 Hiring Metrics and KPIs
🧑🏫 Employer Branding
🪙 Offer Strategy and Compensation
The Data…
Only 5-15% of passive (senior) contacts convert to an active pipeline.
Sourced (passive) hires are 5x more likely to be hired than inbound applicants.
73% of recruiters say passive candidates yield higher-quality hires
The real ROI isn't in reply volume. 📊
It's in the hire. 📈
Super Senior Talent Replies Even Less (But Closes Even More)
The reality: Very few passive contacts actually convert to an active pipeline.
But those who do?
They're already genuinely interested.
The Tactics: How To Make Senior Outbound Work
1. Expect Lower Reply Rates (And Normalize Them)
Industry benchmarks:
First email: ~8.3% replies
By stage 2: ~15.8%
4-email sequence: ~21.3% total
Senior target: ~5% first touch
Normalize this in your reporting.
Don't panic.
Don't over-optimize for vanity metrics.
2. Leverage Send-On-Behalf
Game changer (if you can believe it): Using hiring managers' names boosts replies ~50% 🤯
Senior talent responds to senior leaders.
Use it strategically.
Pro-move: Weekend emails get ~66% open rates 🧨
Less noise, more attention.
3. Use Conversion, Not Replies as Your KPI
New metric: Pipeline Conversion Rate
Broad benchmark: 5-15% of passive contacts move to active pipeline.
Your goal: 150-250 candidates per role
Success metric:
1 hire per 200 messages - not open rates per subject line.
If it takes 200 emails to land a VP of Engineering -
That's a win.
4. Build a Follow-Up Sequence That Works
The progression:
8.3% (1 email) to 15.8% (2 emails) to 21.3% (4-5 emails)
Hit them 3-4 times across email + LinkedIn + phone.
Persistence is appreciated professionalism (WHEN DONE RIGHT).
To Sum It Up…
Senior talent replies less -
But wastes less of your time.
Most recruiters focus on the wrong metrics.
Don’t chase reply rates - track what actually matters.
And don’t spray.
Snipe. 🎯
And To Wrap It Up…
Expect 5-15% pipeline conversion - and be okay with it
Follow up 4-5 times (it works)
Measure hires per 200 messages, not opens per open or reply rates
HOW WE CAN HELP?
There are a few ways:
Or you can just reply to this email.
I reply to absolutely everyone who writes me back 🙂
