It’s disheartening to spend hours finessing your email marketing campaign or newsletter only to find that a handful of people are actually reading it.
Whether you’re sending out discount codes to entice buyers or sending niche advice to build rapport, you need those people to actually open your emails for any of your smart content creation to be put to good use.
Fear not; there are some fairly simple solutions if you’re dealing with a low open rate…
What Is An Open Rate?
Ok, you probably already know what an open rate is – the amount of times your email is opened.
But did you know that the average email open rate is about 22%? That’s right – just over a fifth of your list.
But how do you calculate your open rate? Well, you divide the number of opens by the number of subscribers (not tracking your opens? It’s time to start!) and multiply it by 100. That’s your open rate.
For example, if you had 60 opens from an email list of 300, your open rate would be:
60/300 = 0.2 x 100 = 20%
But my advice is don’t get too bogged down by the numbers. If you’re anywhere near even 18%, you’re doing great. But you can definitely do better with a few tweaks.
Your Subject Line
This is the first stumbling block. If you’re sending your newsletter out with the subject line, Autumn Newsletter, then you’re likely going to get a low open rate.
It’s not enticing or interesting. Someone has to have lots of time to spare or be stuck on a really boring Zoom meeting to open an email with a non-descript subject. You need something with a little more intrigue.
Here are my tips for an engaging subject line:
- Be funny (everyone likes a pun!).
- Be relevant (by reacting to current news or topics)
- Use numbers (people love a good number fact – see the 22% open rate above!)
- Use curiosity to entice (maybe something odd or unexpected)
- Use a tone that resonates with your audience (read the virtual room!)
On top of that, don’t forget to test different lines. By using split testing , you can much more quickly figure out which of these tips works best for your specific audience and your audience segments within that.
Your Tone
Be personal in your tone, even if you do nothing else. By using someone’s name AND speaking directly from you, you bring a reader into your inner circle.
An email that uses phrases like ‘we’ and ‘at Company Name’ can disengage because it creates a barrier between the reader and the person they’re interested in.
Let’s be honest; we’d all rather read a friendly, ‘Hey, how are you?’ email than a dull corporate round-up. Work this into your subject line by choosing more casual wording, or even the kind of phrases you’d use in real life to start a conversation in real life.
If you had something interesting to share with a friend, you’d probably say something like, ‘Heard the latest about Elon Musk?’ Instead of ‘Discover The Recent Entrepreneur News’.
Your Consistency
More people will be inclined to open your emails if you’re a regular visitor to their inbox. People are creatures of habit, and if you regularly send an email, it’ll be absorbed into people’s routines.
But there’s a caveat: You can’t be SO routine you become white noise. Your emails need to be expected but compelling. You need to be able to break the routine of their day with your routine email.
Simple, huh?
Your Content
Possibly the least shocking on your list. Your content will be one of the main factors in your open rate.
People might open one email, and if it’s dull, they won’t bother again. With more interesting content, you’ll be able to entice them to open your next email.
Unsubscribing is often too many steps in a busy day too, so they’ll remain on your list, but the unread emails will mount up.
It’s bad for your list to have dead ends, as you could be spending your time on real leads rather than languishing in someone’s junk folder.
What should you include? Keep your content engaging, relevant and interesting to keep those opens coming.
Your Housekeeping
If you do have subscribers that aren’t opening your emails, start the unsubscribe process.
Getting rid of dead ends is a good thing, and every healthy email list needs a background level of unsubscribers. That way, you can focus your attention where it’s actually wanted.
You can help this clean-up process along by sending out a ‘would you like to stop receiving my emails’ style email. This can be automated for anyone on your list who hasn’t opened in a while.
Plus, you can make sure the unsubscribing process is easy by making buttons clear and easy to find at the bottom of each email. Overall, you want an email list that’s constantly engaged and eager to hear from you.
Ready For Those Juicy Open Rates?
Taking care of your tone, content, consistency, and subject line will undoubtedly improve your open rate. But if you’re low on time or not sure exactly how to put any of this into practice, get it done for you and reap the rewards with none of the effort! Get in touch with me today and see how we can improve your email marketing results…
