Good Email Open Rates: How Do You Achieve Them?


Do you want to reach good email open rates? Then your email list needs to be full of a well-targeted and interested audience.

In this article, I will share with you the different ways you can entice your subscribers to open your emails so that they can receive the value of what you have to offer.

But first things first…

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What is a Good Email Open Rate?

If you think that you have to reach an 80% email open rate to be considered successful then here’s the good news…

Well according to Campaign Monitor, the average email open rate is 21.5%. To be considered ‘good’, you will have to achieve between 17 – 28%.

That doesn’t sound too bad now, does it?

To calculate it, your email service provider simply divides the number of subscribers that open your email by the number of emails sent. That does not include the emails that failed to reach the recipient or bounced.

How To Get Your Emails Opened

So now that you know what good email open rates are and how to compute them, below are some ways you can achieve your goal:

Create Personalized and Actionable Subject Lines

The reality with email marketing is that everything begins with a subject line.

Imagine if you are the person receiving the email and it seems to have come from a stranger or someone you don’t know or trust, will you open it? Or will it go straight to spam/trash?

It’s the same with your audience. If your subject line does not resonate with the subscriber receiving your email, they will simply not open it.

Here are some tips to help you come up with effective subject lines to achieve good email open rates:

  • Ensure Your Subject Line Matches Your Email Content

Nothing turns people off more than a ‘click-bait’ title so don’t trick your subscribers into opening an email with a subject line that does not match the content.

  • Be Clear Not Clever

When creating an effective subject line, ensure that it is clear while conveying a sense of urgency.

The more you personalize it the better. Also, unless it works with your audience, avoid the use of puns because you want them to know what’s in the email.

  • Ask A Question

This type of subject line is effective because it gets your readers to think about how your email relates to them.

Overall, email subject lines that are not only relevant but also personalized and actionable are more likely to be opened compared to those that are dull and misleading.

You can learn more about crafting subject lines in this blog post.

Build Relationships and Trust

Once your readers join your email list, you have to use every opportunity to not only promote your expertise but also establish trust and build a relationship with each of them.

To accomplish this, you can start by understanding the process your audience goes through once they provide you with their information.

You can then utilize each step of that process to reinforce what your promises are.

  • Thank You Page

Let’s say you offer a ‘free ebook’ as your opt-in incentive. Depending on how your system is set up, your audience may be taken directly to a Thank You or Download page to download the ebook.

Along with the download instructions, this is where you can express how much you appreciate them for joining your list.

By showing respect and appreciation to your audience, you can slowly build a trusting relationship.

  • Double Opt-in Message

Some email service providers require a double opt-in message.

This means your readers may be taken to instructions about opting in for your list for them to receive the download instructions.

By explaining that the double opt-in is for their security and safety, you can begin to build trust with your subscribers.

  • Welcome Email

When someone first joins your email list, you will need to send a ‘welcome email’ or a ‘newbie series’.

This will help build trust as this is where you can set expectations, promote your content, and encourage engagement.

You can find out how to craft the best welcome email for new subscribers here.

Overall, you can build trust by telling your subscribers exactly what to expect, how it will work, when to expect it, and then follow through.

It helps to get emails opened if your readers know how often you’ll send them emails, the type of information they will include, and other essential information.

Send Emails Regularly

Did you know that sending too many emails can annoy your subscribers and may lead them to unsubscribe?

On the other hand, sending emails rarely may cause them to forget about you.

That said, knowing the right number of emails to send is critical to your success.

According to Keap, sending 2 to 4 emails per month would be a good approach, unless you have regular promotions or ever-changing offers that would require you to send emails 2 to 3 times per week.

Here are some tips you can apply when sending emails regularly:

  • Your emails must be for a reason, and they should be focused on your audience’s needs, not yours.
  • Whether you plan to email your audience weekly or bi-weekly, you should inform them in advance.
  • Stick to your planned schedule.
  • Make at least one of every three emails a resource-based or non-promotional email.

Overall, make sure you are consistent in sending emails.

If you are running out of ideas to send, then get to know your subscribers more.

You can send them worksheets, cheat sheets, or ebooks if you think it might help them.

Remember that the more exclusive your email list feels, the more likely your emails will be opened.

Keep Your Subscribers Interested

The best way you can keep your audience interested is by sending relevant content. The more your subscribers remain interested, the better chances you have at achieving good email open rates.

Here are some tips you can apply:

  • Know Your Products or Services – It is essential that you know what products are best for your target audience and how these can solve their problems.
  • Know Your Audience – You can easily match your products if you know your audience. One way to do this is by sending out a survey.
  • Use the Right Vocabulary – Be consistent in using the right vocabulary in your content as it shows how knowledgeable you are in your chosen niche.

Everything considered, the most important thing is to remember why your readers signed up for your list.

So if a topic comes to mind that has nothing to do with your audience’s needs, then you’ll know that it’s not the right email to send.

Always keep it narrow and on point in order to get the best responses to your email messages.

Recap on Achieving Good Email Open Rates

So to sum up, here are some tips to follow if you want to get your subscribers to open your emails:

  • Create personalized and actionable subject lines
  • Build relationships and trust
  • Send emails regularly
  • Keep your subscribers interested

If you can do some of these strategies then you are on your way to becoming successful in building your list!

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