When it comes to cold outreach, the choice between cold emails and video emails can make or break your response rates. Here's the bottom line:
Key Stats:
Quick Takeaway: Start with cold emails for large audiences, and use video emails for personalized follow-ups or high-priority leads. Combining both approaches can maximize your outreach results.
Cold Email vs Video Email Performance Comparison
A cold email is a text-based message sent to potential customers or clients you haven't interacted with before. It's a staple in B2B sales for generating leads, with average open rates hovering around 37% and reply rates ranging from 1% to 8.5%. With advanced personalization, those reply rates can climb to an impressive 15%-25%.
Considering that professionals receive an average of 88 emails per day, crafting effective cold outreach requires more than just persuasive writing. It also involves following technical best practices, like using a dedicated email domain that's been properly warmed up and ensuring email authentication is in place. These steps are essential to navigate increasingly stringent spam filters. Providers like Gmail and Outlook now flag accounts with complaint rates as low as 0.1%, making deliverability a growing challenge.
For those looking to stand out, video emails offer a fresh, engaging alternative to traditional cold emails.
Video emails swap out long blocks of text for a short, personalized video. These videos are typically delivered via a clickable thumbnail or an animated GIF that links to a hosted page, creating a more personal and human connection.
To sidestep spam filters, the videos themselves are hosted externally. Recipients access them by clicking the thumbnail or GIF, as most email clients, including Gmail and Outlook, don't support inline video playback.
The impact of video emails can be striking. Teams that use them often report a 16% increase in open rates and a 26% jump in reply rates. Video content is not only more engaging but also more memorable than plain text. In today's inboxes - often flooded with AI-generated messages - a video email can offer a refreshing change. It helps reduce inbox fatigue while building trust through its visual and auditory elements.
In 2024, reply rates for B2B cold emails dropped by 15%, going from 6.8% to 5.8%. This decline highlights the challenges posed by inbox fatigue and stricter spam filters.
Reply rates also differ greatly depending on the industry. Legal services top the list with a 10% reply rate, while consulting and healthcare follow with 7.88% and 7.49%, respectively. On the other hand, software and SaaS companies experience a wide range of reply rates, from 0.5% to 7.42%. When it comes to open rates, the average stands at 27.7%, though some top-performing software companies manage to hit an impressive 47.1%.
Personalization is a game-changer. Emails that feature in-depth, research-driven personalization see a 52% higher reply rate compared to generic templates. The way the email is structured also plays a big role. For instance, timeline-based hooks like "Week 1-2: Discovery → Week 3-4: Pilot" achieve a 10.01% reply rate, whereas traditional problem-focused hooks such as "Are you struggling with X?" only average 4.39%.
Smaller, more targeted campaigns tend to perform better. Sequences with fewer than 100 recipients see a 5.5% reply rate, while emailing just one person per company pushes that rate to 7.8%. In contrast, reaching out to 10 or more people at the same company causes the rate to drop to 3.8%.
These numbers make it clear: cold emailing isn't just about volume. Success depends on strategy, personalization, and precise targeting.
While the benchmarks provide valuable insights, they also highlight key challenges that can hinder cold email success.
One major hurdle is standing out in overcrowded inboxes, especially as more emails are now AI-generated. Research shows that 71% of ignored emails fail because they lack relevance, personalization, or trust signals.
"If your cold email sounds like a template, it's destined to underperform. I always read my emails out loud. If it doesn't feel like something I'd say in a casual chat, I rewrite it."
- Michael Maximoff, Co-Founder, Belkins
Technical issues also play a big role. Gmail and Outlook now flag accounts with complaint rates as low as 0.1%, and the use of open-tracking pixels can reduce reply rates by 10–15% as they often trigger spam filters. Even the best-written emails won't perform if they lack proper authentication.
Finally, plain text emails often struggle to convey the personality, enthusiasm, and trust needed to win over skeptical prospects. When emails feel generic or lack a human touch, they’re more likely to be ignored.
Video emails bring a personal touch by putting a face and voice to your message. This human connection builds trust and helps your email stand out in a crowded inbox.
The visual element is key. A video thumbnail or an animated GIF grabs attention and sparks curiosity, encouraging recipients to click and wonder, "What’s happening in this video?".
There’s also a psychological edge. While text-heavy emails can feel overwhelming, video emails offer a refreshing change. Plus, they’re far more memorable - viewers retain 95% of a video’s message compared to just 10% when reading text. This means your pitch is more likely to stick.
On top of these benefits, customizing your video content can take engagement to the next level.
Personalization turns a standard video into a powerful outreach tool. Simple touches, like holding a whiteboard with the recipient’s name, showing their company website in the background, or referencing a detail from their LinkedIn profile, can make your message feel tailored just for them.
Tools like Sendspark make personalization even easier. Features like AI voice cloning and dynamic backgrounds allow you to create one video that feels unique to thousands of recipients.
Here’s a real-world example: In 2024, Brikl used Sendspark’s personalized video features in their outbound campaigns. Within just two weeks, they saw a 62% increase in open rates, a 46% jump in demos booked, and more than quadrupled their reply rate. On top of that, their sales development reps (SDRs) created videos 40% faster than before. Similarly, Qwilr introduced personalized onboarding videos for trial users and achieved a 300% boost in response rates.
The numbers don’t lie - video emails deliver results. They can increase reply rates by 26%, while subject lines featuring the word "video" lift open rates by 19% and click-through rates by 65%. Some businesses report even bigger wins, with video emails achieving up to a 90% open rate and an 83.3% click-through rate.
Personalized videos perform even better, driving a 16x higher click-to-open rate and a 4.5x increase in unique click-throughs compared to non-personalized content. Sales reps using video for initial outreach or follow-ups report up to 5x more replies.
"Some people are getting up to 90 percent reply rates for cold emails, which is just unheard of with text"
- Bethany Stachenfeld, CEO of Sendspark
To maximize results, keep your videos short - 65% of viewers stay engaged until the end if the video is under one minute long. For high-value B2B deals, this mix of personalization, brevity, and visual appeal consistently outshines traditional text-based emails.
Cold email shines when you need to reach a large audience quickly. It’s perfect for testing different messages with hundreds of prospects at once. These text-based emails are simple to create, easy to automate, and allow for efficient scalability.
Another major advantage? Text emails tend to avoid common deliverability issues, making them a reliable option for those crucial first interactions. They work especially well as the opening move in a sales cadence - ideal for getting your foot in the door and starting the conversation.
In short, cold email is your go-to for top-of-the-funnel outreach and initial qualification.
When it comes to high-value accounts, video email takes the lead. Personalized videos make a strong impression, especially when targeting decision-makers or running account-based sales campaigns. Including personal touches - like the prospect’s name or their company’s website - adds a level of customization that plain text just can’t match.
Video emails are also great for re-engaging prospects or following up on stalled deals. Seeing your face and hearing your voice creates a sense of trust and connection that text alone struggles to achieve. This method works particularly well between days 2 and 20 of a sales cadence, with day 8 often yielding the best results.
For example, HubSpot’s Yaniv Siegel sent 197 video emails in 2018, each averaging 70 seconds. His efforts resulted in a 93% click-through rate, a 28% response rate, and $3,143 in monthly recurring revenue from two closed deals. Similarly, his colleague Nick Saltzman sent 191 personalized video emails, generating 50 new opportunities - a 27% opportunity creation rate - while spending just 3–4 minutes per prospect.
These examples highlight the unique strengths of video email, setting the stage for a direct comparison with cold email.
To decide when to use cold email versus video email, it helps to understand their distinct advantages and limitations. Here’s a quick breakdown:
| Feature | Cold Email | Video Email |
|---|---|---|
| Typical Reply Rate | 1–4% | 2×–4× higher than text |
| Best For | Broad outreach, initial touchpoints, testing messaging at scale | Warm follow-ups, high‑value accounts, re‑engagement |
| Strengths | High deliverability, easy to scale, low production time | Builds trust, stands out visually, higher engagement |
| Limitations | Easily ignored, high "inbox anxiety" | Higher time investment, potential deliverability risks if not hosted correctly |
| Personalization Options | Dynamic text fields (Name, Company) | Visual personalization (Whiteboards, screen shares) |
While cold emails typically see reply rates of 1–4%, video emails can boost responses by 2× to 4×. For B2B sales, particularly with high-value accounts, that difference can make all the difference.
Using a mix of cold emails and video emails can help you maximize both your reach and the personal touch of your outreach efforts. It’s all about finding the right balance.
Start with cold emails to scale your initial outreach. These text-based emails are ideal for testing your messaging across a large audience while protecting your domain reputation. Once you've identified interested prospects, follow up with video emails between days 2 and 20 - especially on day 8, when reply rates tend to peak. If someone clicks on your links but doesn’t schedule a meeting, a personalized video can help build rapport and push the conversation forward.
For high-value accounts, go all-in with fully customized, one-on-one videos. For mid-tier prospects, dynamic video templates can keep things efficient while still adding a personal touch. This tiered strategy ensures you're balancing personalization with productivity.
Josh Whitfield from Content Marketing Media put this approach to the test in September 2024. His team used cold emails for initial outreach and followed up with personalized video emails. By integrating Sendspark with Clay to automate video prospecting, they achieved a 50% increase in booked meetings and positive replies.
The key takeaway? Tools like Sendspark can make this blended strategy not only possible but scalable.
If you want to implement this strategy effectively, a platform like Sendspark can help you create personalized videos at scale without eating up your time.
Sendspark solves the common challenge of video outreach: how to make personalized videos without spending hours recording. With its "record once, personalize at scale" feature, you can create one video template and let the platform customize it for hundreds of prospects by pulling data straight from your CRM.
Here’s an example of how it works: You record a 30-second video introducing your solution. Sendspark’s AI voice cloning feature can insert each prospect’s name naturally, while dynamic backgrounds showcase their company website behind you. You can even combine a 10-second personalized introduction with a pre-recorded 30-second product demo, giving your outreach a polished yet personal feel.
Sendspark integrates seamlessly with tools like HubSpot, Salesforce, Outreach, SalesLoft, Apollo, and Instantly, making it easy to drop videos into your existing workflows. Plus, when a prospect watches your video, you’ll get a real-time notification, signaling the perfect moment to follow up.
"Video adds a human touch to your outreach. It builds trust faster, stands out in crowded inboxes, and delivers complex messages in a clear, visual way."
- Ben Wright, Sendspark
The numbers speak for themselves: video emails outperform traditional cold emails in driving reply rates. Sales teams incorporating video into their outreach see an average 26% increase in responses. In some cases, personalized video campaigns can deliver reply rates that are 2 to 4 times higher than standard cold emails. While cold emails remain a solid choice for high-volume, top-of-funnel outreach where deliverability is the focus, video emails excel when you need to cut through the noise, build trust quickly, or engage with high-value prospects.
The smartest approach isn’t about picking one method over the other - it’s about combining both effectively. You can start with cold emails to cast a wide net, then follow up with personalized videos during the sweet spot between days 2 and 20 of your sequence, when response rates are at their peak. This hybrid strategy keeps your outreach scalable while adding a personal touch that fosters engagement.
With tools like Sendspark, scaling this approach becomes much easier. Instead of spending hours creating individual videos, Sendspark lets you record once and personalize at scale using features like AI voice cloning and dynamic backgrounds. For example, in May 2025, Brikl, an ecommerce platform, integrated Sendspark’s personalized videos into their campaigns. The result? A 62% increase in open rates and a 4x jump in reply rates - all while cutting video creation time by 40%.
Whether your outreach involves 10 prospects or 1,000, the right balance of cold email and video email can elevate your results. The key lies in understanding when to use each method and leveraging the right tools to execute them seamlessly.
Video emails are crafted to dodge the usual spam triggers that often plague traditional cold emails. Instead of attaching bulky video files - which can easily exceed the typical 20–25 MB limit and set off alarms - video emails use a simple thumbnail image that links to a securely hosted video. This approach keeps the email lightweight, reducing the risk of it landing in the dreaded spam folder.
What’s more, video emails bring a personal touch. A short, custom-recorded video conveys genuine effort and interest in the recipient, something spam filters pick up on as a sign of quality engagement. This level of personalization helps video emails stand out and makes them more likely to pass through advanced filters designed to block generic, mass-sent emails.
By combining external video hosting with a thoughtful, human approach, video emails offer a much better chance of reaching the recipient's inbox compared to plain-text cold emails.
Using video emails in sales outreach can be a game-changer - when done right. Keep your video short and sweet, ideally 30–60 seconds, and focus on delivering one clear message. Start with a friendly tone, personalize it by mentioning the recipient’s name or company, and wrap up with a direct call-to-action, like inviting them to schedule a call.
Pair the video with a concise email body - 50 to 125 words is ideal. Use this space to set the context and emphasize the value of your outreach. Instead of attaching the video (which can trigger spam filters), include a clickable thumbnail image that links to it. This ensures smoother delivery and a better user experience.
Timing matters, too. Aim to send your email mid-morning in the recipient’s time zone for better visibility. Experiment with A/B testing to fine-tune your approach, and don’t hesitate to follow up. A second email or a quick reminder video can significantly boost your response rates.
By blending personalization, strategic timing, and consistent testing, video emails can grab attention and deliver stronger engagement compared to plain text messages.
Cold emails are a great choice when you need to send messages quickly, on a large scale, or with minimal risk of delivery issues. If you're contacting hundreds - or even thousands - of prospects, creating personalized videos for each one can be a huge time sink. A well-written text email lets you keep up a high-volume outreach pace without unnecessary delays. Plus, plain text emails are less likely to face technical challenges, like large file sizes triggering spam filters or being blocked by email providers.
On the flip side, video emails shine when you have the time and resources to create short, personalized videos, and when your audience is likely to respond positively to them. In the right scenario, videos can boost reply rates significantly. However, it’s smart to test their impact first. If you’re not sure how your audience will react, start small - run an A/B test to compare results before scaling up your campaign with video.