Increase Your Email Open Rates

You’ve started your email list. You’ve figured out how to manage your email system. You’ve been sending your emails. Great job! Now it’s time to step up your game and get strategic. 

You can send the most perfect email to the most ideal subscribers, but if it never gets opened, you’re wasting your time (and money!). 

Here are five easy things you can do to increase your email open rates. 

1. Write amazing subject lines. 

Your subject line is the most important part of the email you can write. A boring, bland subject line will easily get overlooked and deleted. These are some best practices for writing great subject lines: 

• Use the email subscriber’s first name.
• Use a conversational tone, like you would with a friend. 
• Use an emoji or two 😉
• Keep it short and sweet. 
• Use numbers (if it makes sense). 
• Ask a question or use action words. 

Of course, your particular audience may respond differently than others. That’s why it’s important to test different subject lines. Most email management services have a feature to easily conduct A/B testing. You can send two different subject lines to random segments of your list, and then see how each performs. After awhile, you’ll have a good idea of what catches your audience’s eye. 

2. Figure out the best time to send, and then be consistent. 

Much like testing which subject lines get a better response, figuring out the best time to send your emails can be a lot of trial and error. You can research best practices for your industry and try that, then switch things up after a couple of months and compare results. 

Everyone’s audience will be slightly different, but the key is to be consistent and mindful in monitoring your email performance. 

3. Personalize the names. 

No one wants an automated message from an impersonal-sounding business. Be sure you set up your emails to include the subscriber’s first name. You should also make sure your “from” line tells readers who you are! “Lisa from Think Tank” sounds a lot better than “[email protected]” – people are much more likely to open emails from real humans 🙂

4. Write relevant content that speaks directly to your reader. 

You can do everything mentioned above perfectly, but without high-quality, relevant, engaging content, your subscribers will stop opening your emails. Your content should speak directly to the reader – be personal, use familiar language, and address issues that are important to them. Solve their problems and offer loads of value, and you can’t go wrong!

If you’re just sending information they can find anywhere, like a recap of your blog posts or content you post on social media, your readers won’t be motivated to open. Be sure your emails are valuable to your readers! And definitely avoid the trap of just sending promotion after promotion. Your goal should first and foremost be to build relationships and trust with your audience. 

5. Stay out of the spam folder!

Clearly you want your emails to stay away from the spam folder, but what can you do to avoid the dreaded black hole of email marketing? A few tips: 

• Don’t use spammy headlines. If you often send emails that say “Sale! Deal! Promotion! Free!” email filters may start recognizing you as spammy. Another reason why it’s not a good idea to send promo after promo. 
• Use links sparingly. Too many links in your email can look less secure, causing email systems to get suspicious. 
• Choose a reputable email management system. You can research the top providers to learn more about what each does to keep its clients from ending up in spam. 
• Limit photos, videos, and attachments. Emails that are heavy with media take longer to load and can trigger spam filters. Instead, host that content on your website and direct visitors there with a simple link. 
• Check your grammar and spelling! Not only will errors make you seem less professional, lots of mistakes can land you in the spam folder. 
• Make it simple to unsubscribe. Hiding or omitting your unsubscribe option is a huge no-no in email marketing, and it’s actually illegal. Every email must have a clear way to easily unsubscribe. Any reputable email service provider should take care of this for you. Be sure to double check, though. 

Are you happy with your current email open rates, or are you looking for improvement? Share any tips or tricks you have with us in the comments!