The question usually comes with a number attached from somewhere, and the number is the least useful part. The right length for a sequence depends on how much you have to say to that particular person, on the channels you can use, and on how long the buyer’s attention lasts in that market.
A better way to decide is to write the steps first and count them afterwards. For each step, ask what new reason to reply it gives the person:
- the first message: why them, what problem you think they have, one question;
- a different angle on the problem, or its cost;
- a concrete example of how others in their position handle it;
- something useful on its own, such as a short resource or an observation about their company;
- a change of channel that makes you a real person: a call, a LinkedIn message;
- a closing message that says you will stop.
If you can fill six or eight of those honestly, your sequence is six or eight steps long. If you run out at four, it is four. Padding with “just following up” does not add a chance of reply; it adds a reason to mark you as spam.
Two other things shape the length. Channels: a sequence that mixes email, phone and LinkedIn can have more steps without feeling repetitive than an email-only one, because each channel is a different experience. The motion: a high-value deal with a small list of accounts justifies more research and more steps per person than a broad motion aimed at many similar companies.
The guide Multichannel outbound sequences: structure, timing and when to stop has a starting structure and the rules for ending a sequence.