Tips to increase email open rates

Email marketing can be very effective, but one of the main hurdles is just getting people to open the emails in the first place. You can provide them with a lot of valuable information, write a compelling message and use a call to action that you know is going to create conversions, but it all becomes irrelevant if no one is reading the email.

One key thing to remember is that the majority of people on your email list are not ever going to read the messages. If your open rate is between 20% and 25%, that is typically quite good. So understanding what to strive for is the first step in figuring out how to increase this rate. Below are a few tips that can help.

Sell yourself in the subject line

Many people just scan their email messages in the morning, so all they are reading is your subject line. It has to be compelling. One could argue that this is more important than the content of the email message itself. Understand your target audience and what makes them click. Write a headline that is going to get their attention and encourage them to take action.

Consider the length of your subject line

Similarly, some reports indicate that a good subject line should be no fewer than 20 characters and no more than 40 characters. If it is too short, people may just scan right over it. If it is too long, they may not take the time to read it.

Test multiple ideas

In some cases, you may have two subject lines that you think could work. It can help to run an email marketing campaign using both of them. This can give you concrete data demonstrating whether one worked better than the other. Over time, you can refine your approach.

Consider different segments of readers

One issue that can happen is that you have a certain segment of readers who respond positively to a specific type of messaging, such as telling them about sales, deals or ways they can save money. But you may have another segment of potential readers who are not as influenced by these tactics.

In other words, having one email list where you send the same message to everyone may result in a relatively low open rate. But by creating separate marketing campaigns for different types of readers, you can often get better results.

Consider your target audience

Naturally, it is very important to think about what your audience will respond to. For instance, some reports indicate that you can get higher open rates by using emojis. But that really depends on who you are sending the email to. In a casual context, where you are emailing past customers, emojis might work. In a more professional setting, emojis may not be well received at all.

Create more urgency

Finally, if possible, try to create a sense of urgency for your readers. Show them why it is important that they open the email right now. For instance, if your email is informing them of a one-day sale, it is clearly important for them to read that message as soon as they can if they want to take advantage of the deal. If it is simply informing them of an upcoming product, they may still be interested, but they know there is no urgency to read that information today.

Here at Content Customs, we can help with all aspects of email marketing. This includes conducting marketing analysis, writing content and much more. Please reach out to our team today to learn more about how we can help you get better results from your next email marketing campaign.