Have you started email marketing? You’ve gotten your recipient details either by a lead magnet or cold emails, and you’ve sent your email waiting for clicks to start jumping in, but after checking the outcome of your email, you were depressed by the low open rate you had despite the fact of you doing everything right. Now you wish to know How to increase open rate in email marketing.
You are in the right place because, in this tutorial, I will tell you the little secret I discovered on increasing open rates after 7 years of trial and experience.
I’m going to dive deeper into how you can increase your open rate in email marketing and possible reasons why your email open rates can be so low, and you will get to know the marketing activities you can use to increase your email open rates rapidly
Read our guide on “Do email open rates matter?”.
Are you ready? Let’s start with the exact problem of why your email open rates are low.
Why are email open rates so low
Email open rates may be low for a variety of reasons, including:
1. Irrelevant content: If your email does not give the receiver relevant and important information, they are less likely to open it.
2. Poor subject line: A boring, ambiguous, or deceptive subject line might diminish the probability that your email will be opened.
3. Oversending: Sending too many emails might result in email weariness and lower open rates.
4. Timing: Sending emails during inconvenient times of day or week might also result in low open rates.
5. Poor email list management: An out-of-date or incorrectly managed email list may also result in low open rates.
6. Filtered as Spam: If receivers often flag your emails as spam, they may wind up in the spam folder, limiting their chances of being noticed and read.
Now that you’ve to know why your email open rate is so low let’s look at what a normal email open rate is, so you can tell whether your email is genuinely low or just ordinary.
What is a typical email open rate?
A number of factors, including industry, target market, and email list quality, influence the average email open rate.
The average email open rate is between 21 and 22%, according to a study carried out by Mailchimp.
It’s important to remember that these are only estimations and that your real open rates might differ significantly.
The quality of your email list, the applicability of your subject line, and the content of your email are just a few of the variables that may have a significant impact on open rates.
Additionally, if you make modifications, the open rates of your email campaigns might change over time.
To gain a better sense of your effectiveness, track your email open rates and compare them to industry averages. This will provide you vital insight into what works well and needs improvement, allowing you to make the most of your email marketing efforts and get greater results.
Here’s a look at the typical email open rate breakdown per industry. According to the Ultimate Email Marketing Benchmarks
| Industry | Open Rates |
| Advertising & Marketing | 20.5% |
| Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing, Hunting | 27.3% |
| Consumer Packaged Goods | 20% |
| Education | 28.5% |
| Financial Services | 27.1% |
| Restaurant, Food & Beverage | 18.5% |
| Government & Politics | 19.4% |
| Healthcare Services | 23.7% |
| IT/Tech/Software | 22.7% |
| Logistics & Wholesale | 23.4% |
| Media, Entertainment, Publishing | 23.9% |
| Nonprofit | 26.6% |
| Other | 19.9% |
| Professional Services | 19.3% |
| Real Estate, Design, Construction | 21.7% |
| Retail | 17.1% |
| Travel, Hospitality, Leisure | 20.2% |
| Wellness & Fitness | 19.2% |
| AVERAGE | 21.5% |
Does reducing email frequency increase open rates?
I know you might be wondering if reducing email frequency could increase your open rate. Yes, you are right. Reducing the number of emails you send may be an effective method for increasing open rates, but it is just one piece of the issue.
Think about this: you don’t want to inundate your subscribers with emails, but you also don’t want to under-deliver and leave them wanting more. Finding the correct balance is critical.
You can make each email count by reducing the frequency you send them. Each email becomes a unique opportunity to grab your recipients’ attention and leave a lasting impression.
Your subscribers will welcome the break from the inbox noise and are more likely to read your emails when they arrive.
Of course, reduced frequency is just the beginning. To properly increase the open rate of your emails.
Let me show you the 8 ways I successfully increase my email marketing open rate.
How to increase email open rates
Your email marketing efforts can only be successful if they are opened in the first place. If your email open rates are lower than you would want, here are some suggestions:
1. Personalization:
Personalizing your subject lines is a quick and easy approach to boost the relevancy of your emails and raise their open rate.
You may establish a feeling of familiarity and make your emails stand out in the inbox by using your subscribers’ names or other personal information.
Instead of using a generic subject line such as “News from Our Company,” you may use a customized subject line such as “Hi [Name], check out our newest news.”
This tiny tweak may significantly impact engagement since it demonstrates that you’ve made an effort to adapt your content, particularly for each member.
Personalized subject lines may also help you develop trust and a connection with your readers. You can encourage subscribers to read your emails and connect with your company by making them seem more personal and less impersonal.
So, if you want to increase your open rates, experiment with customizing your subject lines and observe what effect it has on your audience.
2. Segment your email list:
Segmenting your email list is an effective approach to sending highly targeted and relevant messages to your subscribers.
You may send particularly suited emails to each group by segmenting your email list based on interests, activity, or other factors.
For example. If you operate a clothing store, you might segment your email list based on recent purchases.
You might send a promotional email to individuals who bought winter coats, giving a discount on winter accessories.
This customized message would be much more relevant and attractive to this set of subscribers than a generic promotional email promoting all of the store’s items.
You may also personalize your message to various phases of the consumer journey by segmenting your email list.
Send a welcome email to new subscribers, a win-back email to inactive subscribers, or a customer loyalty email to your most engaged subscribers, for example.
By sending highly tailored content, you can enhance your open rates, boost engagement, and develop closer connections with your subscribers. Consider segmenting your email list and delivering targeted messages to each group if you want to take your email marketing to the next level.
3. Timing:
Optimizing your send time is important in ensuring that your emails are opened and read by your recipients.
By experimenting with various send times, you may determine when your subscribers will most likely be engaged and check their mailboxes.
Think about this: if you send an email in the middle of the night when most people are sleeping, the likelihood of it being opened is minimal.
However, if you send it during the workday when individuals are more likely to check their email, the odds of it being opened increase dramatically.
You may utilize email marketing software that gives data and insights to discover the optimal send time for your audience, or you can execute A/B tests to compare the performance of various send times.
You should also consider your subscribers’ time zone and adapt your send schedule appropriately.
Once you’ve determined the optimal time to communicate to your audience, adhere to it to create a regular schedule and instill a feeling of anticipation and expectation in your subscribers.
Optimizing your send time can maximize the likelihood that your emails will be opened, read, and acted upon.
Read our full guide on “When to send emails.”
4. Make a strong call to action:
Incorporating a clear and eye-catching call-to-action (CTA) in your emails is critical in enhancing engagement and conversion open rates.
A call to action (CTA) is a button or link that urges your subscribers to do a certain action, like purchasing something, downloading a resource, or signing up for a webinar.
To create a good CTA, make it clear, simple, and enticing. Use action-oriented language, and make your CTA stand out visually by using contrasting colors or making it bigger than the rest of your email’s content.
You may also test various CTAs to evaluate what works best for your audience. You could, for example, use a button CTA, a text link CTA, or even an image CTA. It would be best if you also experimented with varied positioning and wording to discover the perfect mix for your audience.
By including an effective CTA in your emails, you may increase engagement and conversions without decreasing your total return on investment. If you want to take your email marketing to the next level, incorporate a clear and appealing call to action in your emails.
5. Experiment with different incentives.
Incentives might be an effective approach to encourage your subscribers to open and interact with your emails.
You may raise the attraction and urgency of your emails by giving a reward or incentive for doing a certain action, such as making a purchase or downloading a resource.
For example. You may, provide a discount or a free trial to entice your subscribers to make a buy. You might also provide a complete resource or early access to a new product to encourage your subscribers to interact with your emails.
When experimenting with incentives, think about what will be most appealing to your target audience. What kind of reward will they find most appealing and valuable? What will spur them on to action?
Consider trying several forms of incentives to determine what connects most with your target demographic.
To test what works best for your audience, consider giving discounts, free trials, exclusive access, or other forms of incentives.
Incentives may be a great tool for increasing email open rates and engagement, but they must be used wisely. Too many incentives or rewards that are too substantial might seem desperate or inauthentic and may actually reduce your open rates.
So, to increase email engagement, try experimenting with incentives to see what works best for your audience.
You may boost the attractiveness and urgency of your emails and generate more engagement and conversions by delivering intriguing and relevant incentives.
6. Text subject lines:
Subject lines are critical in influencing whether or not your subscribers open your emails. A strong subject line will encourage recipients to open your email, but a weak subject line will lead your email to be ignored or deleted.
That is why it is critical to test various subject lines and determine which ones perform best for your audience. This will assist you in optimizing your email campaigns and increasing email open rates.
When subject line testing, keep in mind your subject lines’ tone, length, and relevancy. You may experiment with questions, comedy, customization, or urgency to find what works best for your audience.
It’s also a good idea to experiment with various lengths of subject lines. Some subject lines may work better when brief and to the point, while others may do better when lengthier and more detailed.
In short, ensure that your subject lines are relevant to the content of your emails. Subject lines should appropriately represent the content of your communications and should not make any false or misleading claims.
You can enhance your emails’ open rates and engagement by testing multiple subject lines and discovering the ones that perform best for your audience.
So, if you experiment with and optimize your subject lines, you’ll be well on your way to developing more effective and successful email campaigns.
7. Mobile optimization:
As more consumers read their emails on mobile devices, it’s critical that your emails be optimized for mobile consumption.
This includes using a responsive email design that adapts to various screen widths, employing bigger text sizes, and avoiding huge pictures that may slow down mobile device load speed.
8. Consistency:
Sending emails on a regular basis allows you to create a connection with your audience and keep them interested in your material.
Create and stick to a plan that works for you. You may also utilize automation to ensure that your emails are delivered at the appropriate time and to the appropriate recipients.
Following these suggestions will increase the likelihood of your emails being opened, read, and acted upon by your receivers.
What marketing actions increase open rates?
There are several marketing actions that enhance email open rates, but these are the ones that have shown to be the most effective for me.
1. A/B testing:
A/B testing is sending two different versions of the same email to a subset of your email list to see which version performs better.
You may test various aspects of your emails, including the subject line, sender name, and call-to-action, to see what connects with your audience and increases open rates. The winning version may then be used for your whole email list.
Find out more about A/B testing here.
2. Re-engagement campaigns:
Re-engagement campaigns are intended to reach out to inactive subscribers who have not read your most recent emails.
These campaigns might feature unique offers, exclusive material, or a reminder of the value your emails can provide. The idea is to get them to re-engage with your content and stay on your email list.
3. Lead magnets:
A lead magnet is a valuable item you provide in return for an email address. This may include an eBook, webinar, or other material that is relevant to and valuable to your audience.
You may grow the size of your email list and enhance open rates by enticing new subscribers with a lead magnet.
Learn more about lead magnets by clicking here.
4. Personalization:
Adding the recipient’s name, location, or other pertinent information to your emails may make them seem more personal and appealing.
Personalization may also assist in raising open rates by making the receiver feel important and appreciated.
5. Customer referrals:
Encouraging happy customers to suggest people to your email list is a great strategy to expand your email list and enhance open rates.
Referrals might be rewarded with a special offer or incentive for both the referrer and the new subscriber.
6. Interactive content (Gamification):
Quizzes, polls, and surveys are interactive content that may make your emails more interesting and appealing.
In addition, interactive material may give useful information about your audience, which can be utilized to better your email marketing strategy.
Learn more about Gamification and how to use it here.
7. Relevant content:
Sending relevant, useful, and timely material is critical for increasing open rates. Make sure your emails include relevant and valuable material for your target audience. Consider your audience’s requirements and interests, and customize your material appropriately.
You can boost the visibility and attractiveness of your emails by executing these marketing strategies, resulting in increased open rates and more engaged subscribers.
What tests could you run to increase the open rate?
There are several tests you could run to increase the open rate of your emails:
Here are the 3 best test I use whenever I have a low open rate, and works like magic.
1. Subject line testing:
Because the subject line is the first thing your subscribers see in their inbox, getting it properly is critical. You may test with various subject lines to see which ones get the most opens. You may, for example, use customized subject lines, create a feeling of urgency, or pose a question.
2. Send time testing:
The time you send your emails might greatly influence their open rates. Because various audiences like to receive emails at different times of day,
it’s critical to test and determine the ideal send time for your subscribers. You may utilize your email marketing platform’s analytics to determine when your subscribers will most likely read your emails and change your send timing appropriately.
3. A/B tests:
A/B testing compares two versions of an email to see which one performs better.
You may test several aspects of your email, such as the subject line, sender name, or call-to-action, and use the findings to improve future emails.
You could, for example, test two alternative subject lines and send each to a random subset of your email list to see which one gets the most opens.
These tests can help you figure out what works best for your audience and gradually boost your open rates.
Conclusion
After learning the basics, you need to know about increasing your email open rate.
You can develop more successful and engaging emails that drive greater open rates and conversions by implementing these best practices like customization, utilizing intriguing subject lines, giving incentives, and testing and tweaking your methods.
Remember that understanding your audience and crafting messages that connect with them are the keys to success in email marketing.
You can build emails that get opened and generate engagement and conversions by having a customer-centric approach to your email marketing and regularly testing and improving your methods.
So begin testing to find which techniques perform best for your target audience. You can raise the open rates of your emails and produce greater success for your organization with the correct methodology and a dedication to continual development.
Wish you a great day ahead
