How to improve low email open rates

We know that low email open rates can be disheartening, but don't worry! Here at theMarketer, we're dedicated to supporting you on your email marketing journey.

We've gathered some proven tips and in-depth explanations to help you boost your email open rates and foster lasting connections with your audience.

Implementing Sender Policy Framework (SPF) and DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM) can improve your email deliverability by proving to email clients that your messages are legitimate. Validating your domain helps prevent your emails from being flagged as spam and increases the likelihood of landing in the inbox.

Sending campaigns too often can lead to subscriber fatigue, causing them to ignore or unsubscribe from your emails. By limiting your campaigns to 2-3 times a week, you can maintain a healthy balance between engaging your audience and not overwhelming them.

Personalized subject lines create a sense of familiarity and relevance, catching the reader's attention. Using variables in your subject lines, such as the recipient's name or a recent purchase, can lead to higher open rates and deeper connections with your subscribers.

Different subject lines can resonate with different subscribers. A/B testing allows you to experiment with various subject line variations and identify the most effective ones, leading to higher open rates and better overall email performance.

Using smart product blocks with personalized product recommendations in your campaigns can dramatically improve open rates. The products displayed are automatically determined by the AI based on each subscriber’s individual preferences, interests, and purchase behavior. As a result, most emails will have different products with different URLs, making them appear unique. This means that the email client won’t consider your campaigns as bulk newsletters, so they will appear in your subscribers’ inboxes instead of the Promotions tab.

Segmenting your audience allows you to create targeted campaigns tailored to specific groups of subscribers, increasing relevancy and engagement. By sending targeted content based on factors like demographics, interests, or purchase history, you can significantly improve open rates and overall campaign success.

Sending your campaigns at the right time can greatly impact open rates. theMarketer's platform identifies the best time within 24 hours when users are more likely to make a purchase from your email marketing campaigns. By sending emails at these optimal times, you can increase the chances of your subscribers engaging with your content and improve overall campaign performance.

A high spam rate or presence on blacklists can negatively impact your sender reputation, leading to lower open rates. By keeping your spam rate low and staying off blacklists, you can maintain a good account reputation and increase your email deliverability.

Purchased email lists often consist of uninterested or unengaged subscribers, leading to low open rates and high spam complaints. By building an organic list of genuinely interested subscribers, you can improve engagement and maintain a clean email reputation.

Double opt-in ensures that subscribers are genuinely interested in receiving your emails, leading to higher open rates and engagement. This process requires users to confirm their subscription, reducing the risk of uninterested subscribers and spam complaints.

Plain-text emails can sometimes bypass spam filters and feel more personal to recipients, leading to higher open rates. By sending plain-text emails from time to time, you can connect with your audience on a more intimate level and prevent your emails from being flagged as spam.

A clean email list is crucial for maintaining high open rates and a good sender reputation. If your subscribers haven’t opened 45 consecutive newsletters, consider sending them plain-text emails. If they didn't open 45 consecutive plain-text emails either, it's time to remove them from your list. Regularly cleaning your list ensures that you are engaging with interested subscribers, resulting in better overall email performance.

A familiar or recognizable "From" address can improve open rates, as subscribers are more likely to trust and engage with emails from known senders. Experimenting with different sender addresses can help you find the most effective one for your audience.

By understanding and implementing these in-depth tips, you can work towards significantly improving your email open rates.

Keep in mind that optimizing your email marketing strategy is an ongoing process, and it's essential to continually analyze, test, and refine your campaigns to achieve the best results. And remember, theMarketer team is always here to help you every step of the way!