10 Effective Ways to Improve eMail Open Rates

1. Segment your lists if you aren’t already doing so.  It is proven to dramatically increase both open rates and clicks.
2. Ensure your lists are optimized for mobile – 68-79% of people will delete them if they are not
3. Personalize your subject line
4. Brainstorm a list of subject lines that could pique a readers interest – but ensure this can connect easily to the copy you have planned.  For example, if I included some image/examples, could I increase my open rate by writing a subject line like “Why People Click on These Marketing eMails”?
5. Consider asking your readers a question in the subject line to draw them in
6.  A/B Test your subject lines to ensure they stand out in readers inboxes
7. Optimize your pre-header text (the text that appears as a preview in many inboxes)
8. Revisit your timing.  Consumer behaviours change and you might need to re-assess the best day / time to deploy your eMails
9. Clean up your list.  Your open rates may just benchmark low as you’ve fallen behind on your list maintenance and have a lot of bounce backs / undeliverable eMail addresses on your list.
10. Seeing a declining open rate trend? Revisit your eMail plan to evaluate if you are offering customers value on a consistent basis.

Of course, each campaign will be different, but across the board, these are our best tips to improve your eMail Open Rates.

If the pandemic has you re-assessing what benchmarks to use – Check out this recent post that highlights the impact in the NFP sector as it includes a sector on eMail.