TL;DR: AI Assistants like Apollo's are changing how sales and marketing teams write, test, and send emails. This post walks through 3 data-backed ways to improve your cold email game using insights from real campaign data — and how the Assistant can help you do it faster.

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Top Performing Industries by Reply Rate

Rank	Industry	Total Campaigns	Avg Open Rate	Avg Reply Rate	Avg Bounce Rate
1	Think Tanks, Research, Management Consulting, Market Research	1	100.0%	26.27%	0.0%
2	Professional Training & Coaching, Law Practice	3	72.73%	26.10%	0.0%
3	Machinery, Consumer Services	13	41.86%	25.54%	0.0%
4	Food Production, Restaurants, Farming, Food & Beverages	5	77.78%	24.46%	0.0%
5	Staffing & Recruiting, Medical Devices	27	31.91%	21.03%	0.0%
6	IT Services, Logistics, Computer Software	3	100.0%	20.37%	0.0%
7	Media Production, Education Management	10	36.00%	17.98%	0.0%
8	Management Consulting, Textiles	6	29.63%	17.22%	0.0%
9	Packaging, Warehousing, Consumer Services	18	31.03%	16.52%	0.0%
10	Real Estate, Recreational Services	7	41.67%	15.91%	0.0%

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1. Write for the Right Industry (Using Real Data)

It’s not just about what you say — it’s who you’re saying it to. According to Apollo’s data, reply rates vary drastically by industry. Think Tanks and Professional Training sectors saw reply rates north of 25%, while other industries hovered below 18%.

This means:

• You can prioritize verticals where your messaging is more likely to resonate.

• Campaign ROI increases when targeting high-performing industries.

Use the Apollo AI Assistant to:

• Ask: "What are the top industries with >20% reply rates in Q3?"

• Then: “Draft an email targeting decision-makers in the professional training industry.”

2. Start With a Better First Draft

One of the top reasons campaigns fail? Poor initial messaging. But writing from scratch is time-consuming and often guesswork.

With Apollo’s AI Assistant, reps and marketers can:

• Generate email copy based on sequencing best practices

• Automatically include personalization variables like company, title, and recent activity

And it gets better — Apollo's Assistant is trained on 265M+ contacts and thousands of real outreach campaigns, so its suggestions are based on what actually works.

Try asking: “Write a first-touch email for a VP of Sales at a logistics company using a friendly but direct tone.”

3. Turn a Good Email into a Great Sequence

It’s not just the first message — it’s the follow-up that closes deals. Sequences that span multiple touchpoints are proven to convert higher. According to Apollo insights, reps give up too early.

You can use Apollo’s AI Assistant to:

• Generate multi-step sequences customized to your ICP

• Inject intent signals based on recent account activity

• Improve deliverability with Email Warmup

Try asking: “Turn this cold email into a 5-step sequence for CTOs at AI startups.”

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In a rush? Here's what you need to know

Using Apollo’s AI Assistant, you can:

• Work off industry benchmarks for smarter targeting

• Create better email copy in seconds

• Build full outreach sequences that feel human

It's like having a top-performing sales rep + marketer on-call 24/7 — and it’s available right now on Apollo.

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Need more help getting started? Check out this guide or watch the Assistant in action inside Apollo Academy.