Cold Outreach with iMessage: Real Results from 100+ Campaigns
Scale outreach on iMessage, not SMS
Outbound iMessages from Salesforce, HubSpot, GoHighLevel, Clay, or API. Higher open and reply rates than SMS.
Cold Outreach with iMessage: Real Results from 100+ Campaigns
After running 100+ cold iMessage campaigns for our agency clients, we've gathered real data on what's working in 2026. Here's what we found.
The Numbers
| Campaign Type | Response Rate | Positive Replies | Booking Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cold Outreach | 1-2% | 15-20% of responses | 5-10% of positives |
| Warm Follow-up | 5-10% | 30-40% of responses | 15-25% of positives |
Key insight: Warm follow-ups convert 3-5x better than cold outreach on iMessage.
Automate iMessage to your leads—from your CRM or API
Send outbound iMessages from Salesforce, HubSpot, GoHighLevel, Clay, or any API. Higher response rates, no carrier filters.
What's Working in 2026
1. Short, Curious Messages Win
The best cold messages are under 40 words and create curiosity:
"Hey [firstname], quick question about your GHL setup..."
Response rate: 2.1% (vs 1.2% for longer messages)
2. Personalization Matters
Using 3+ personalization tokens (name, company, recent post) doubled our response rates.
3. No Links in First Message
Links trigger spam filters. Save your CTA for the reply.
Cold vs Warm: Which Should You Choose?
Cold Outreach Works If:
- You have a highly targeted list
- Your offer is relevant to their pain point
- You have good deliverability infrastructure
Warm Follow-ups Work Better If:
- You have leads from ads, content, or website
- You're in a high-ticket market
- You want higher conversion rates
Our Recommendation
For most agencies, start with warm follow-ups. You'll get 5-10% response rates vs 1-2% for cold. Use cold outreach only for highly qualified lists.
Ready to Get Started?
Tuco AI helps you automate both cold and warm outreach with iMessage. Get your free trial today.
