Reply rate
Reply rate is the share of people you messaged who wrote back. Divide the number of people who replied by the number who received a message. It shows whether your messaging earns attention.
Reply rate measures how many of the people who received your message responded in any way, whether interested or not. It is calculated as people who replied divided by people who received a message. Write down the denominator, because replies divided by requests sent is a different number.
A reply is any real response from the person. Automatic out-of-office messages should not count. Reply rate is useful but incomplete, since a polite no and an enthusiastic yes both count as replies.
That is why teams pair it with positive reply rate. If reply rate is low while acceptance is healthy, the usual suspects are a first message that pitches too early, is too long, or asks for too much. Shortening the message and asking one small question are common first fixes.
Example
Example with made-up numbers: you message 50 people who accepted your connection request and 10 reply. Your reply rate is 10 / 50 = 20%. Of those 10, only 4 are interested, which is a separate number.
Common questions
Does an automatic reply count toward reply rate?
No. Count only real responses from the person. Out-of-office and auto-generated messages inflate the number without showing real engagement.
What is the difference between reply rate and positive reply rate?
Reply rate counts every response. Positive reply rate counts only the replies that show interest or a willingness to talk, so it says more about whether the right people want your offer.
Related terms
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