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Boost your email open rate with these five proven strategies

  • January 23, 2024
  • ~5 min read

Boost Your Email Open Rates with These 5 Proven Strategies!

Have you ever wondered why some emails are opened eagerly while others languish in the inbox, unopened and ignored? Well, you're not alone! In this blog, we're going to explore the key elements that influence your email open rate, and we'll even sprinkle in some data to help you better understand the science behind it. So, if you want to boost your email open rate and make sure your messages are being read, keep reading to uncover the secrets!

There are black beads inside the white bowl in the basket.

What Is an Email Open Rate?

An email open rate doesn't mean physically opening an email. Instead, it comprises two metrics:

  1. When the recipient allows images to load in the email.
  2. When the receiver clicks on a link within the email.

The average email open rate across all industries is 21.73%, while the average click-through rate is 3.57%. Logically, to achieve this average click-through rate, your email should be opened in the first place. This is the critical part of email marketing.

Explore how Notifly can help you maintain a smooth email delivery process.Try Notifly!

How Email Open Rate Is Calculated?

An email open rate is a way to see how many people actually looked at an email you sent them. It's like checking to see if someone read a letter you sent in the mail. The open rate is shown as a percentage, so if 100 people received your email and 20 of them opened it, your open rate would be 20%. But if 10 out of 100 failed to deliver, then the percentage would be calculated for 90 emails. This helps businesses and marketers know if their emails are interesting to people or if they need to make them better.

Most Emails Are Not Opened; Why?

Eplison studies show that 59% of new subscribers will never open and read their emails. But what about the other 41% of users?

Well, it can be:

  • Overloaded Inboxes: People receive a large volume of emails daily, making it difficult to open and read all of them.

  • Spam Filters: Emails can end up in spam folders, reducing their chances of being seen.

  • Unappealing Subject Lines: Poorly crafted subject lines can fail to capture recipients' attention.

  • Irrelevant Content: Emails that do not contain relevant or interesting content are often ignored.

  • Lack of Personalisation: Generic emails may not resonate with recipients, leading to lower open rates.

  • Timing: Emails sent at inappropriate times may get lost in the inbox or buried under newer messages.

  • Trust Issues: People are cautious about opening emails from unknown or untrusted senders due to phishing concerns.

  • Mobile Devices: Emails that are not mobile-friendly may be disregarded, as many users check emails on smartphones.

  • Overuse of Email Marketing: Frequent promotional emails can lead to email fatigue and reduced open rates.

  • Technical Issues: Emails may not display correctly due to technical glitches, discouraging open rates.

Five Strategies to Improve Your Email Open Rate

Here are the most popluar ways to improve your email open rate:

1. Segmentation:

Mixpanel studies show that sending emails to a small group can generate a high open rate. It's because mass emails are less targeted than mass emails for segmented groups.

Divide your email list into smaller, more targeted groups based on demographics, behaviours, or preferences.

2. Personalisation:

Customise your emails by using the recipient's name and addressing their needs or interests. Personalised emails are more likely to grab attention and foster engagement. Personalising the subject line can increase the email open rate by 20%.

Use an email service provider such as Notifly that offers customisation and personalise features for your emails. Plus, it lets you can test them before sending them to your users.

3. Optimised Subject Lines:

Similar to a blog title or ad tagline, your email subject line is meant to draw the user’s attention. It gives users an idea of email. Therefore, make sure you don’t use spammy or tricky subject lines. Lying to users just to get them to open the email can push you out of their inbox.

Further, keep the subject line clear and short, as it is the first text that the user reads.

4. Email Name:

SuperOffice studies show that 45% of their emails are opened because they involve the sender’s name. Even now, the market trend has changed. Marketers are switching to a genuine email address from "no-reply" emails. Read more on this in our blog. Use a sender name that recipients can easily associate with your brand or organization.

5. Best Time to Send Emails

More than 10 studies have shown that Thursday is the best day to send emails. If you send two emails a week, add Tuesday to your automated emails, and for the third one, Wednesday.

Besides that, on weekdays, morning hours (8 a.m.–12 p.m.) are considered best as that’s when users scan their email. However, evening hours from 8 p.m. to 12 a.m. are more productive for receiving replies from users.

Finally, keep your emails timing aligned with users' time, especially if there is diversity in the user base.

Conclusion

So, go ahead and put these strategies to work for you, and watch as your emails start to receive the attention they deserve. As you continue to refine your email marketing approach based on the insights shared here, you'll find that more and more people are not only opening your emails but also engaging with your content.

Book a demo today with Notifly