What is Email Open Rate: 10 Steps to Improve Yours Using Email Campaigns!

An email open rate is the percentage of subscribers on your email list that opened the email campaign you sent. There are two main factors that will determine this. The first is: did the emails make it to the inbox or did they end up in the spam folder? The second is: were your email subscribers interested in the email you sent?

If you are struggling with a low open rate for your email campaign or you are simple looking to improve, I have put together 10 easy steps that you can start doing today to increase your open rate!

Step #1 Send Emails Your Subscribers Will Open

I know this sound like a total no brainer right? But I put this as number one on the list because it is by far the most important. It sounds like a total paradox, chicken or the egg but, getting a high open rate on your email campaigns is going to lead to better deliverability. With this being said, you have to know your subscribers and really cater your emails to them. Try to put yourself in the mind of your subscriber. Think to yourself: if you received the email your are sending would you open it? What would make you open the email?

Step #2 Send Test Emails Before Sending a Campaign

Always test your email campaigns before sending them out. This is a must! I personally like to send two test emails just to be sure. This is a great way to catch grammatical errors in your title and your actual email. Bad grammar and spelling mistake can make your appear to be unprofessional. This can hurt your customer confidence in your product or service which can lead to them losing interest in your emails. The next thing I like to check in my test emails are the links. Most likely, the main reason your sending the email campaign is to get your subscribers to click on a link. Make sure it works and you have enter it correctly. Your subscribers aren’t going to take the time out to contact you if a link doesn’t work, and they might never open an email again from you. Test, test and then TEST!

Step #3 Build Your Own List Don’t Purchase One

Resist the temptation of buying a list. If someone will sell you an email list for a good price you can almost be sure that it isn’t worth anything. Email lists are super valuable and take a lot of time and hard work to build. I can tell you right now, I wouldn’t be willing to sell my list! You are going to waste money on the email list, the marketing platform you are using to send it, and you will most likely get your email/domain blacklisted. If you take the time to build your list, your subscribers have taken the time to sign up and are way more likely to open emails from you on a regular basis because they are genuinely interested in what you have to say/offer.

Step #4 Clean Your Email List on a Regulars Basis

Cleaning your list is basically the process of removing subscribers that are never opening any of your emails. If you getting a zero percent open rate from a subscriber, this is going to drive down your open rate which in turn will decrease your deliverability over time. You can do the math if you have a lot of subscribers not ever opening anything. The first way to keep your list as clean as possible is to have an easy-to-see unsubscribe link. This will make it easy for subscribers that are no longer interested, to unsubscribe. The second practice you can use is to search your subscribers activity on your email campaign provider. This will allow you to easily see who hasn’t ever opened any emails or has stop opening emails and clear them off.

Step #5 Write Good Subject Line and Avoid Common Spam Phrases

Writing a great subject line is the way you are going to get your subscribers attention in the sea of email that they have in there inbox. Use catchy, triggering words that will entice your subscribers to click on the email. Make sure your tile isn’t too long and wordy. You want your title to be punctual and to the point. Avoid using too many emojis or extra punctuations (!!!???). You also want to avoid Common spam phrase, like FREE, Buy Now etc. things of this nature.

Step #6 Use Double Opt-In to Collect Your Emails

Using a double opt-in for adding emails to your list can drastically increase your open rate on your campaigns. A Double Opt-In means that the subscriber has filled out your form to join your mailing list. After they complete this form they will receive an email where they have to confirm that they have joined the list. This prevents subscribers that have entered the wrong email by accident from being added to your email list. The double opt-in also makes sure the subscriber was serious about receiving the emails, and lets face it, if they won’t open a confirmation email, what are the chance they are going to open yours?

Step #7 Write Enticing Preview Text

Preview text is a short description that is shown in your subscribers inbox. Writing a great preview text can dramatically increase your open rate. This should include information that is important about the body of the email. You have got your subscribers attention with that great title you wrote, now bring it home with the preview text and get that open!

Step #8 Choose the Right day of The Week

Days of the week can play a big role in your open rate. In my personal experience, I get the best open rates on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. There is a lot of research out there on this subject and you can read different studies and opinions until you pass out. My advice would be to test every day of the week and track your stats. It is always going to depend on your subscribers and what you are emailing about. So track your stats!

Step #9 Choose The Right Time of Day

Now that you have determined what the best day or days of the week are to send your campaigns we need to determine what is the best time of the day. Again, this is going to depend on your subscribers. Is this something your subscribers will want to read first thing in the morning? Will they want to check it on there Lunch Break? Is it something they will want to relax and read at night? This is something you will need to test over time and see which time works the best for you. It could be more than one time too.

Step #10 Track your Stats on Your Campaigns

Track your stats of your email campaigns. These days email marketing platforms offer great insights that you need to become familiar with. Having a great open rate is not as simple clicking send. You need to know your subscribers and tracking your stats is one of the best ways to get to know your subscribers and understand their behavior.

Conclusion

If you are new to sending email marketing campaigns, theses 10 steps might sound a little overwhelming and like a massive job, but don’t worry. I have been successfully sending email marketing campaigns for over a decade now. Trust me when I say it is not as complicated as it sounds and you can do it! Its like anything new – it helps to start with a template like the one I have provided. In time you will find your own tips and tricks that work for you. I would love to hear in the comments if anyone has any new hacks that I have left out?