5 Simple Ways to Increase Your Email Open Rates
Email open rates are a tricky business.
After all, they’re one of the most commonly used standards of email marketing. (You could say they’re the reason we send our emails in the first place!) But the question is: how can we increase our email open rates with minimum effort but maximum impact? Luckily, we have 5 easy ways to do just that!
1. Upgrade your first impression
Catchy subject lines are the best (and most obvious) way of making your subscribers click – so make them count! Use active language, and find that golden area between being quirky and using TOO MANY CAPITALS. Also, why not include some of your email content in your subject line? It will give your readers a taste of what lies inside, and instantly motivate them to open the email itself. You can also use your preheader for an expansion of this content tasting - just don’t repeat what you wrote in the subject line!
One last tip: keep your sender name the same in all your sendings. Consistency and clarity will make your subscribers trust them - which means they trust you too.
2. Pay attention to timing
The question we get most often from our customers is: “When should I send my newsletters?” And it’s a risky one: now that everyone has constant access to their email through their smart devices, the old rules are all out of the window. The key to success? Testing your sending times and examining the habits of your subscribers. That will let you target your marketing efforts and segment your email lists to make sure your sendings are hyper-relevant to each recipient you have. Although this means that you’ll need to collect more information from your subscribers, your efforts will definitely pay off. We promise.
3. Pretty up your emails
Outdated graphics. Tired stock images. Cluttered columns. Your newsletter template needs constant care, or else it will end up with one or all of the above. When it comes to email design, you shouldn’t write it off as being less important than your website or social media marketing. Keep track of your competition, and set your standards high! If you lack the resources to pour design hours into your newsletter template, our tip is to keep it clean with a clear and simple layout to make sure you don’t overwhelm your subscribers. Focus on three or so pieces per sending, which your recipients can view without needing to scroll too much on their screens.
4. Tell your own story
A compelling brand identity will help build the excitement around your newsletters. Instead of using generic words and clichés like “free” or “offer”, make your news stand out by being original. Convince your subscribers to open your newsletters by providing them with engaging, personal and relevant content that draws them in and makes your emails the highlight of their inbox! Don’t be afraid to have fun and break the mold. Every story is unique, so treat your own accordingly.
5. Test, test and test again
Whether it’s the timing of your sending, its subject line, or the content within it, split testing (also called A/B testing) different options will really give your emails the edge over others! For example, our own tool APSIS Pro A/B Split test will let you send a variety of test sendings to a certain percentage of your mailing list, then choose the newsletter that performed best and send that one out to the remaining subscribers on your list. This way you can be sure that your emails suit your audience as much as possible - which will increase your chance of them opening your sendings, of course.
