Improving Open Rates for E-newsletters

July 21, 2011, 1:15 PM

If yours is like most companies, you work hard to capture a prospect’s email address. Next, you probably start sending the poor unsuspecting potential customer periodic emails; e-newsletters, new product announcements, etc. And thanks to a variety of analytics services, you can see just how many folks have opened—or not opened—your e-communications.

Average open rates for email marketing vary depending on the industry, but an overall solid number to strive for is around 20-22 percent. If your message is not getting the exposure you think it should, then you may want to consider these easy tips to improve your open rates:

1. Make The Subject Line Work Hard

First impressions are everything, and your subject line is no exception to this rule. Your subject line shouldn’t be a last minute thought. It should contain the most pertinent information for your list and be presented in a concise manner. If you can personalize it with the recipient’s name, your open rate will go up! Special offers also entice readers to open, like: “The Perfect Holiday Day Gift” or “Free Shipping on 500 Items.” Also, try A/B testing to determine which different subject lines work best for your audience.

To stay out of the spam filters avoid symbols such as $$$ and !!! and avoid words like cheap, earn, business, income, credit, fast cash, assets, make $, opportunity, order now, promise, weight loss and anything in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS.

2. Timely Distribution is Key

Emails that arrive early on Mondays and late on Fridays typically have the lowest open rates. Midweek emails (Tuesdays, Wednesdays, or even Thursdays) late mornings (11-ish) or early afternoons (1-2-ish) result in the best open rates. If you are not using email to invite recipients to a specific event, experiment with different days and times via A/B testing to see what works best with your specific target audiences.

3. Include Quality Content

The best way to improve your e-mail open rates is to send interesting e-mails that are relevant to the reader’s interests. When subscribers trust that there is something valuable on the other side of the subject line, your open rates will continue to increase. You should always include a tip the reader can use in every e-correspondence. If readers feel they are getting solid, “free” and actionable advice they are less likely to see your e-news as spam and less likely to unsubscribe.

4. Continue to Build and Maintain Your List

Make registering for your e-news easily accessible. Visitors to your website are already interested in you and/or the products/services you offer. Capitalize on this interest by offering an easy way to sign-up for valuable, periodic e-news with special offers or information they’ll find interesting.

Lastly, keep your list up to date. Be sure to remove individuals who opt-out/unsubscribe and check on bounced emails to make sure you do not have people on your recipient list with typos in their email addresses.

If you’ve found additional ways to improve your open rates, please share them with us!

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