November 11th, 2020 | Updated on June 9th, 2023
We receive an average of 200 emails in our inboxes every day. Your business has a lot of competition when it comes to getting your potential customer’s attention.
You may have important things to share but if you can’t get anyone to click on it, then they’ll never know what they’re missing!
You’re emailing out great content, but are people reading it? Consider these five effective strategies for improving your email open rates.
1. Update Your List Often
The one thing that can instantly ruin your open rate is a ton of email subscribers who are no longer interested. You can improve your open rate by making sure you keep your email list up to date.
This is done by removing inactive subscribers who haven’t engaged with your emails in the past six months or more. But don’t remove them without sending a win-back email campaign. These are emails that have a subject line like, “Are You Sick of Us?” then encourages them to let you know if they still want to receive emails from you.
You can also check in with your lists by sending an email asking if they would like to update their information or preferences. This lets them know that they can select specific campaigns they are interested in. If you want to grow your list of leads, view more on the process of lead generation.
2. Create Segmented Lists
If you aren’t segmenting your lists of email subscribers then you’re losing your audience. Creating segmented lists allows you to send emails that cater to certain demographics of your subscribers.
Sending emails that engage specific people makes them more likely to open your email. This could mean creating newsletters specifically geared towards certain age groups or interests. For example, new moms, dog lovers, or outdoor enthusiasts. The more you can segment your list to meet specific interests, the better!
Maybe you segment your list of dog lovers to specific breeds. Or target outdoor enthusiasts who like to kayak. There are always opportunities to improve your open rate through segmentation.
You can determine their interests through click-thrus and buying behavior. If someone purchases something from your business, you can send them new emails based on their purchase.
You can also see what articles they are clicking on through emails to learn more about your customers’ interests.
3. Master Your Subject Lines
You can’t get leads to open your emails without the right subject line. There are a lot of tricks to creating the perfect subject line but knowing your specific audience is key. Some subject lines work for some people better than others.
There’s no replacement for tracking open rates based on the subject line. This can be done through A/B testing your emails frequently. It’s also important to keep the spam filters happy so that your email actually gets seen. Avoid using words like “free,” “buy,” “discount,” or using dollar signs.
That said there are some tried and true ways to improve your subject line. Use intriguing questions as subject lines but don’t make them too secretive. You want your reader to know that the email has value and isn’t just clickbait. Using numbers is another great method for getting people’s attention.
Use your company’s brand and voice that your customers are used to. This should be a conversational tone. Think of the subject line as a way to show your customer that you have a resolution to their problem. This could be as simple as a question such as “8 Affordable Gifts You Can Find Last Minute.”
Don’t forget the preview line! Your preview line is the first sentence of the email. This should come before the header image of your email otherwise they will see the title of the image.
The preview line appears right below the subject line in your subscribers’ inbox. This is a great way to explain in one sentence what they get out of opening the email.
4. Create Valuable Content
What’s more powerful than the subject line long term? The actual content of your email! That’s because if you can show your subscribers that your email is worth opening, they’ll be looking forward to your next email.
Sure, the initial open rate is determined by an eye-catching subject line. But if your content isn’t valuable then even the best subject line won’t keep your readers engaged. If you want your open rates to continue to improve on future emails, you need to put the effort into your actual content.
This could mean sharing valuable information or linking to interesting blog articles. It may also mean brand new products and deals that they don’t want to miss out on. Ultimately, you don’t want to send an email unless you have a clear call to action.
Sending emails just to push out content without offering any real value is a death sentence for your open rate.
5. Timing Is Key
Your open rates can improve when you find the sweet spot for sending your emails. The best way to figure this out is to segment your email into groups and try sending the same email at different times throughout the day.
You may also be able to look at data on your email account or other platforms that show what times your customers are online and opening emails. Although there are averages of the best times and days of the week, it’s important to find what works best for your specific audience.
Typically it’s best to send emails on weekdays and not weekends. The exact timing can vary depending on a person’s location, age, and occupation. Finding the right time to get your email in front of your audience can instantly improve your email open rates.
Increase Your Email Open Rates Today
Even minor adjustments in some of these methods can help you improve your email open rates on your next email campaign. It’s better to send fewer emails of higher value than to push out emails that your subscribers aren’t interested in.
We hope these tips help you improve your email campaign strategies and open rates. Don’t miss out on more valuable marketing advice from the experts. Check out these must-know marketing secrets next.
