how do i get more people to open and read my emails?

There are several factors that contribute to whether or not your subscribers will open and read your emails, but, quite simply, none of them matter if your emails do not offer value. Consider the emails you readily open – they most definitely contain information you want. This is why the single most important piece of your email marketing program is the value proposition you’re offering subscribers. As a result, taking the time to plan the content of your emails with the value proposition in mind will pay significant dividends over the life of your email marketing program.

Setting Expectations

Happy subscribers do not opt out of your emails, and the key to keeping subscribers happy is fulfilling the expectations they have when they opt into your emails. The opt-in stage is critical to the success of your campaign. Regardless of the method you’re using for opt-ins, whether it’s on a Web site form or during a conversation with a customer, take the opportunity to explain the benefits of receiving your emails so your subscribers know what they are signing up for. In fact, it can be very useful to show an example of an email and even establish the frequency that they can expect to receive the emails – both of which will help cement the value of your emails in the mind of your subscriber.

“From” Line and Subject Line

Generally, the “from” line (the name that you see in your inbox next to the email subject line) is what the subscriber uses to determine whether or not to immediately delete the email. A good “from” line will clearly show who the email is from, and is often simply the name of the company. This in itself also helps build your brand and keep your business “top of mind” for subscribers.

The subject line is what the subscriber uses to determine whether or not to open the email. There are many schools of thought on what makes a good subject line, including character counts and using personalization (such as the subscriber’s name or business name), but each business and industry and geographic area has its own nuances that require a certain amount of testing to determine the criteria for developing an optimal subject line. However, the general rule of thumb is to keep subject lines brief and specific about the content the email will contain. A vague or misleading subject line might create a high open rate once or even several times, but eventually these methods have a detrimental impact on your email marketing program. Therefore, it is best to use the subject line to demonstrate the value of opening your email.

Clean, Simple Design

Once a subscriber opens your email, he or she should be quickly able to ingest the information. Studies show email marketers have 6 seconds (and that may be a generous number) to capture the attention of the reader. You don’t want that 6 seconds to expire because your subscriber was searching through a mélange of unorganized information. Instead, your email’s design should be consistent with your brand’s other print and online materials and provide a clear hierarchy for the information it contains.