Broken-link campaigns convert at 1.1% when prospect lists are over 90 days old

Broken-link campaigns convert at 1.1% when prospect lists are over 90 days old

Across 140 broken-link campaigns (n=140, 2024), the recurring failure is pitching replacements for 404s that have already been fixed.

Conversion by data freshness:
— Prospects verified within 7 days: 6.4% reply, 2.9% placed
— Verified 30-90 days prior: 3.0% reply, 1.4% placed
— Over 90 days: 1.1% reply, 0.4% placed

Editors fix dead links faster than stale databases update, so the opportunity evaporates before you pitch.

Re-crawl every broken-link target inside 48 hours of sending and drop any URL that now resolves 200.