Eight tips to increase your email newsletter’s open rate
by Edward Touw , Jeroen Bizot
When you send email newsletters, of course you want the recipient to open and read them. So not only will you need to create good content, you’ll also have to do everything in your power to increase your open rate.
Use these eight tips to help you achieve that goal:
Tip 1: Make it perfectly clear who the sender is
Before recipients see the subject line of your newsletter, they check the sender information. Make it perfectly clear to your readers who you are. Using just an email address is the worst mistake you can make.
So don’t just use info@company.com, rather go for Company X if you don’t want your newsletter to end up in the trash can (also, identifying yourself is crucial to lower your spam rating). Of course you can also use a combination:
“Company X” <info@company.com>.
Tip 2: Write an appealing subject line
Make sure your newsletters stand out with an appealing subject line. A well written subject line invites the recipient to open the email. At the same time it also informs him about its content.
So when sending an email aimed at jobseekers, don’t choose a title like:
- “Job hunting news”
Rather go for a more appealing subject line:
- “Recruiters might ask your Facebook password”
The ideal length of a subject line is no longer than 45 characters, longer subject lines will be cut off by most email clients.
Tip 3: Compose a strong snippet or pre-header
A snippet or pre-header is the first text that’s displayed underneath or next to the subject line. A lot of newsletters contain standard lines like:
- Can’t read this email? Open the web version.
- You are receiving this email because you signed up for…
Do better. Write an appealing introduction that invites the reader to open your email and to read on.
Tip 4: Find the right moment
The day and time you send an email is of great influence to your open rate. If you send out B2B newsletters, it probably won’t be a good idea to send out emails on a Saturday, as most of your target audience won’t be at work that day. Also consider the time you send an emailing. Just after lunch time for example, a lot of employees will still be a little distracted from their work and probably more likely to open your newsletter.
Tip 5: Only get the right opt-ins
What is someone signing up for? Make it obvious from the start. What kind of information can he expect? How many times will he receive your emailings? You might scare of some opt-ins this way, but that’s no loss to mourn. You’d rather have one opt-in that reads your newsletter, than ten that discard it without even opening it.
Tip 6: Don’t be afraid to lose subscribers
Don’t make it too hard for your recipients to unsubscribe from your newsletter. Not only are you required by law to offer an opt-out possibility, there’s little point in sending people emails they won’t ever bother to read. In the worst case, they might even report your emailings as spam.
How often should you send a newsletter? What is the ideal send frequency? Find the answer at one place only: the opt-in. Give your subscribers the option to choose how often they want to receive your newsletter when they sign up.
Tip 8: To measure is to know
Not every target group is the same. That’s why you should only use these previous seven tips to get started. From there, the best way to improve your open rate is by testing various strategies and to keep measuring the results.
Test emailings with A/B tests, send moments and try out different subject lines. Keep tweaking and molding until you find the right format and the open rate you’re aiming for.
