17 easy ways to improve email open and click rates

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Making a nice email with the intention of increasing blog traffic or any other purpose always ends in disappointment when no one opens it, or opens it but doesn’t click on the link to your post.

Email open and click rates are somehow a science, but before we go deep into finding out the tips behind increasing them, let’s have a look at their definition first.

Email open rate is an email marketing metric that measures how many people open the emails sent to them.

It is measured according to the number of emails received and not the total number of emails sent since some emails might not be delivered successfully (bounce).

For instance, suppose that you’ve sent 100 emails, and they’ve all been delivered, but only fifteen people have opened the emails they received. This results in a 15% open rate.

The click-through rate is the percentage of people who click through a link or an image in your email that leads to your website or landing page.

Back to the previous example: if ten out of fifteen people who opened your email clicked through a link, then the click-through rate is 66.6% (10*100/15).

Additionally, since email marketing is one of the most successful venues for advertising, you need to make sure that your emails are widely circulated and frequently clicked.

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HOW TO IMPROVE EMAIL OPEN AND CLICK RATES

SEND EMAILS REGULARLY

I prefer to start with this common factor.

Sending emails regularly will keep you in touch with your readers and enhance your relationship. We are not talking about socializing here, but this will set a rhythm that both you and them will get used to.

If you always offer real value and send it on a regular basis, your readers will always expect to receive real value on a regular basis. It’s that simple.

Try to send emails once a week, test them, and find the best time and day that makes the best conversion.

SEGMENT YOUR SUBSCRIBERS

Building an email list is easy, but we need more than that. An email list is like an international school that has students of different ages, races, colors, and cultures. You cannot talk to all of them the same way at the same time.

Segmenting your email list should be done according to the following points:

• Demographics like age, gender, job position…etc.
• Geolocation
• Interests
• Behavior (open and click rates)

Knowing your audience allows you to segment your list and start sending emails according to each group’s data.

As an example, it doesn’t make sense to send emails to recipients in the US and Australia at the same time. The difference in time is about 16 hours. This is why segmenting your list is the best way to increase the success of your campaigns.

READ MORE>> 9 reasons why every blogger needs an email list?

DELIVER REAL VALUE

Although your email list subscribers have willingly allowed you to send them emails, this doesn’t mean that they will accept any kind of content.

Moreover, having them on your list is not always an indication that they are going to open or click through all your emails sent to them.

This happens because not all recipients have the same interests or even ways of thinking.

Some have subscribed to your newsletter for the sake of getting an offer and may not be interested in more than that. Others like to learn new things and are willing to open all the emails you send.

To get the most out of your email campaigns, you need to deliver great value all the time so that your subscribers will always know that your emails are valuable and offer special content, giveaways, and e-books, not just repeated emails in different types and templates.

These repeated, automated emails result in more harm than you expect and lead your subscribers to unsubscribe from your list.

CRAFT A KILLER SUBJECT LINE TO INCREASE EMAIL AND CLICK RATES

When it comes to subject lines, they are the key to your successful campaign open rates. Getresponse recommends keeping your subject line under 60 characters for mobile and under 120 characters for desktop. This is due in part to the fact that more people are opening emails on their phones and other mobile devices. As a result, it’s critical to keep your subject line brief, sweet, and to the point.

GET YOUR FREE EMAIL NEWSLETTER HERE

You’ll also want to make sure that your subject line is relevant to the email itself. This may seem obvious, yet neglecting to do so may result in dissatisfied readers who may believe you are manipulating them.

Email subject lines have the same impact as blog post titles when we talk about efficiency. The more appealing they are, the more clicks you get.

I highly recommend you learn more about how to craft catchy blog post titles.

ADD EMOJIS

Adding an emoji is not just a social media activity; it also has a big impact on the relationship between you and your readers.

A title with an emoji is more likely to be seen as a human act, not a robot, thus convincing readers that they are not looking at a spammy email.

Although this idea seems naive, it adds power and color to your campaign.

Moreover, big companies would never have added this option if it didn’t make sense.

Adding an emoji to your title is vital and gives you a push in terms of increasing your email and open rates.

WRITE A GOOD PREVIEW

The preview text is the text that recipients see right under the subject line. It is also of great significance and plays a major role when deciding if they want to open your emails or not. This text can be longer than the subject line. It can be anything between 40 and 140 characters.

When writing your preview text, make sure it includes a short summary of your email and a call to action (CTA) to encourage recipients to open the email and click on the CTA link.

WRITE AS A FRIEND, NOT AS A SELLER

A blogger should always write for humans first, then for SEO, as is always recommended. This also applies to writing emails.

Although you don’t know your subscribers in person, you should always address them as your friends.

So, write in a friendly way that helps and solves their problems.

Even though you are using their pain points as a way to promote your products (physical or digital), do not deceive them, but rather give them real and honest value to let them open your emails and click on your links whenever they see them in their inboxes.

The best practice, as Neil Patel recommends, is to write a simple text email and avoid using ready-to-use templates. Statistics show that text emails have better chances to convert than templates with images because they have a more human touch than templates that look robotic. This will definitely increase your email’s open and click rates.

CHANGE THE “FROM” DETAILS

One of the mistakes that beginners make unintentionally is that they keep the sender’s name set to default. As a result, the recipients will see something like “no-reply” or “admin,” which will negatively affect their decision to open it.

These impersonal words should be changed to more personal ones, like using your name and the company name as well.

“Zaher from Zeeanswers” is more likely to get opened than “admin” or “no-reply.”

Another tip to consider is that letting your email recipients reply to your emails will create a sense of authority, trust, and friendliness between you and them.

AVOID THE SPAM FILTERS

Most of the subscribers on your list were willing to give you their email addresses. This shows some trust in your content. Building more trust and authority should be your second goal.

Think about this.

If someone willingly gives you his email address, why would you send him a spammy email?

An email is considered spam when it includes words that trigger spam filters and ends up being sent directly to spam folders.

And because spam filters are more advanced nowadays, you have to choose your words carefully.

Avoid using words (in the subject line and content) such as:

• Free
• Urgent
• Take action

You will also avoid spam filters if you stick to the following list as well:

• Include the “unsubscribe” button at the end of your email
• Avoid using uppercase letters in your subject line
• Validate your email
• Ask your subscribers to add you to their contact list

USE A/B TESTING

A/B testing is all about using two versions of the same email and sending them to two groups of subscribers.

The purpose of sending A/B tests is to choose which version is superior, analyze it and discover what works better with your audience.

A/B testing will give you the feedback you need to increase your email open and click rates. You will not only test your subject line but also your content and CTA.

Run A/B testing, wait for two days, analyze your results, and choose the most successful formula for the next emails.

Remember to do A/B testing periodically because there is no “one size fits all.” New subscribers will always have different interests, and new content will always need to be tested.

RESEND UNOPENED EMAILS

Most emails have the best chance of being opened in the first two hours after being sent. For a variety of reasons, your email will be pushed down into the recipient’s inbox and may go unnoticed.

Resending the “unopened” emails is very effective when it comes to increasing email open and click rates. This will also give you a clear idea about who is neglecting your campaign intentionally and doesn’t want to open your emails. Knowing who is inactive is “healthy” for your job and leads directly to the next step: cleaning your list.

CLEAN YOUR LIST REGULARLY

There are many groups of subscribers on your list.

Some have subscribed to get a free offer (group one), and some want to stay in touch and check out what you write from time to time (group two). Some others are really interested in getting every new update you publish (group three).

The first group is more likely to ignore your emails after they get your offer. The subscribers in this group may unsubscribe from your email newsletter shortly. Subscribers in the second group may open your emails in a “moody” way. Group three is the group of active subscribers who will always be loyal to you and improve your email open and click rates.

Always remove inactive users to analyze the results of your campaigns. These users cost you money to send them emails, and while these emails are not opened, they still drag your analytics numbers down.

One active user is better than a million inactive users.

MAKE YOUR EMAIL MOBILE-FRIENDLY

TV, radio, calculator, compass, telephone, camera, and more are all combined together in a small piece of equipment called a smartphone. It is amazing what tasks this little thing is capable of achieving. It’s incredible that modern technology allows us to check social media, look for companies, and read newsletters on such a little screen.

More than 60% of people check their emails using smartphones.

According to Adestra researchers, 68% of customers will discard an email if it does not appear adequately on their phones.

What does this mean?

It means that you have to optimize your emails to be displayed properly on mobile phone screens. Start with a short subject line in order to fit well, and optimize your preview text.

The font size that is proper on desktops will appear larger on mobile phones. Links and buttons should also be optimized. Try to include social media links in your newsletter’s footer because this will increase your email open and click rates by more than 155%.

Before you hit the send button, preview your email and make sure it is responsive. A good practice is to send a copy to yourself, check it out on your mobile, make some changes if needed, and then send it to your subscribers.

MAKE YOUR LINKS OBVIOUS AND EASY TO CLICK

Always write in a simple way so that readers can skim your email and find what they want easily.

This involves creating summary subheads that are unique to your body content as well as using big graphics to break up sections of information. 

Remember that visiting a link on a mobile phone is actually fairly difficult. Consider placing links on their own line to make them easier to click.

Use bold lines for your links to differentiate them from the body text and color them for better results.

INCLUDE CTAs

Whatever template you choose to include in your email, you need to add a link to drive your readers to your original post or landing page. Although adding a link seems like more than enough, it is more efficient to tell them what actions you want them to take. This happens by using a CTA (call to action) that asks them to click on your link.

Be direct and avoid using vague words. For instance, “read this post” is more direct and efficient than “click to know more.”

Use words like:

• Download now
• Get your e-book here
• Continue to get the rest of the tips
• Discover the benefits
• Read this post

DON’T INCLUDE TOO MANY LINKS

It is obvious that an email must include at least one link to a landing page. But what if you need to add more?

Adding too many links may distract your readers and harm your email open and click rates.

Every email differs from the others.

Sometimes you may find that one link is not enough. In this case, adding another link will add more value and give your readers more choices.

If they are not interested in the first one, why don’t you give them another choice? Isn’t it better than keeping them from clicking? Of course, yes.

But adding more than two links, in my opinion, is also critical. You don’t want to show up as a salesman, right?

IT’S NOW YOUR TURN

Which of the tips above were you not aware of? Which ones are you going to add to your coming email campaign?

Do you know any more tips that we can add?

Let me know in the comments section below.

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