12 Ways to Increase Email Open Rates

Your customers are inundated with emails; here’s how to get them to open your important messages.

Question: What is one tip for getting more customers to open emails containing important account information?

Use Funny Titles

"We've found that we get a 30-40 percent increase in open rates when we write funny titles for the emails. This causes people to want to open the important information that you have inside the emails. This works wonders when we HAVE to have them open the emails because of security issues, etc."


Give Them a Deadline

"If you want people to open emails containing account information, put a deadline in the subject line. People take deadlines seriously and they will be much more likely to open your email if they feel like they will miss out if they don't quickly take action."


Communicate a Strong Sense of Urgency

"To avoid getting stuck in inbox purgatory, make sure your emails suggest a strong sense of urgency so they take action immediately. The worst thing that can happen is they open it, mark it as unread and save it as a reminder for later, then forget about it entirely. If they know the email is time sensitive, your users will be sure to listen."


Get the Timing Right

"If you run a business that deals with a worldwide client base, getting the timing of your (email) communication right becomes essential. Use tools such as MailChimp and take advantage of their recipient time zone feature. This enables you to make sure that your clients get your important messages at the same time, based on their own time zone. Aim for early morning or lunchtime for big wins."


Perform an A/B Test

"Always be testing. Test a variety of different subjects and see which one gets the highest open rate. Keep trying to beat the best subject, and over the long run your open rates will consistently increase."


Send the Email from YOU, Not the Company

"When we need an email opened, we make it clear that it's from a person at Modify. It sounds silly, but seeing "Aaron" instead of "Modify Watches" is a stark contrast. Folks who are used to marketing emails when it's from our brand find it jarring to see a note addressed from an actual individual. When you really need something from your fans, you should make it about a personal connection."


Do a Drip Email Campaign

"When it comes to important account information, you may not reach everyone on the first try over email. Make sure you implement a drip campaign strategy so that anyone who doesn't open the email on the first send can be sent a reminder a week or so later. If you use certain marketing automation tools, you may be able to set up these kinds of drip campaigns to run on autopilot, too."


Mention "Important Account Information"

"I always open an email when it says "Important account information" or "Important information concerning your account." It's straightforward and tells me immediately that it's important, so I open it. But be careful not to go over-the-top to get people's attention because it will look like spam or something suspicious."


Resources

12 Ways to Increase Email Open Rates

Your customers are inundated with emails; here’s how to get them to open your important messages.

Question: What is one tip for getting more customers to open emails containing important account information?

Use Funny Titles

"We've found that we get a 30-40 percent increase in open rates when we write funny titles for the emails. This causes people to want to open the important information that you have inside the emails. This works wonders when we HAVE to have them open the emails because of security issues, etc."


Give Them a Deadline

"If you want people to open emails containing account information, put a deadline in the subject line. People take deadlines seriously and they will be much more likely to open your email if they feel like they will miss out if they don't quickly take action."


Communicate a Strong Sense of Urgency

"To avoid getting stuck in inbox purgatory, make sure your emails suggest a strong sense of urgency so they take action immediately. The worst thing that can happen is they open it, mark it as unread and save it as a reminder for later, then forget about it entirely. If they know the email is time sensitive, your users will be sure to listen."


Get the Timing Right

"If you run a business that deals with a worldwide client base, getting the timing of your (email) communication right becomes essential. Use tools such as MailChimp and take advantage of their recipient time zone feature. This enables you to make sure that your clients get your important messages at the same time, based on their own time zone. Aim for early morning or lunchtime for big wins."


Perform an A/B Test

"Always be testing. Test a variety of different subjects and see which one gets the highest open rate. Keep trying to beat the best subject, and over the long run your open rates will consistently increase."


Send the Email from YOU, Not the Company

"When we need an email opened, we make it clear that it's from a person at Modify. It sounds silly, but seeing "Aaron" instead of "Modify Watches" is a stark contrast. Folks who are used to marketing emails when it's from our brand find it jarring to see a note addressed from an actual individual. When you really need something from your fans, you should make it about a personal connection."


Do a Drip Email Campaign

"When it comes to important account information, you may not reach everyone on the first try over email. Make sure you implement a drip campaign strategy so that anyone who doesn't open the email on the first send can be sent a reminder a week or so later. If you use certain marketing automation tools, you may be able to set up these kinds of drip campaigns to run on autopilot, too."


Mention "Important Account Information"

"I always open an email when it says "Important account information" or "Important information concerning your account." It's straightforward and tells me immediately that it's important, so I open it. But be careful not to go over-the-top to get people's attention because it will look like spam or something suspicious."


See Also: 5 Bad Habits to Break on LinkedIn

If you have insights like this to share,

and join us!