89% of secured links came after follow-up 2 or later — first touch closes almost nothing

89% of secured links came after follow-up 2 or later — first touch closes almost nothing

Across 1,200 outreach campaigns (n=1,200, 12-month window), the single biggest leak is abandoning a thread after one email.

Reply rate by touch:
— Touch 1: 4.1%
— Touch 2: 9.7%
— Touch 3: 6.2%
— Touch 4: 2.1%

Links placed climb steadily through touch 3, then decay. The math: stopping at touch 1 forfeits roughly four-fifths of attainable placements at near-zero marginal cost.

Sequence a minimum of 3 touches spaced 4-5 days apart; schedule them on send-day so they never get skipped.