My email open rates and click-through rates are low. What can I do to increase them?

Email open rates will vary depending on your niche (ranging from 15 - 30%), so make sure you are measuring against a relevant benchmark. 

An increase in your open rates and click-through rates will greatly depend on a few factors: 

  1. How compelling and relevant your content is to your subscribers. If you’re not creating content that is perceived as valuable to your ICA, they will not open it.
  2. Do you have truly engaged subscribers on your list? If not, and you have many inactive subscribers. They will bring down your open rate.  
  3. Do you have subject lines that demand to be opened, or are they just… meh? Test out different headlines (think: fun, intriguing, compelling, enticing, time-sensitive, specific, and direct) and see which gets opened. Check out subjectline.com for more guidance. 

To figure out what’s going on based on historical data, take a look at your metrics and do a bit of detective work. 

  • What type of content did get opened? Is there a theme that has emerged over the last several months/years?
  • If you tested out different days of the week to send emails, did one day outperform the others? 
  • Are you sending your emails at optimal times for your audience?
  • If you haven’t tested much, try to do some A/B testing and see what works best for your audience. 

In order to increase your click-through rates, you’ve got to continue to offer valuable content in your emails with multiple opportunities to click through. 

It’s in your best interest to also become a student of copywriting. I wrote my own copy for years and now have the luxury of hiring out some a lot of that work, but the time I spent learning and writing my own copy was invaluable.  

For your listening pleasure and to learn more about copywriting, check out the following episodes: 

Episode 229: The Power of the P.S. Strategy

Episode 231: “I’m Terrible At Writing My Own Copy” And Other Copywriting Lies That Are Killing Your Sales with Marie Forleo

Episode 266: The Little Known (Easier Thank You Think) Copywriting Method That Boosts Conversions

Episode 269: Small List Superhero: How to Have a Profitable Launch Without a Big List with Tarzan Kay