How to Improve Email Open Rates: Strategies for Getting Noticed
How to Improve Email Open Rates: Strategies for Getting Noticed
In the fast-moving world of digital marketing, open rates remain one of the most reliable indicators of email performance. They serve as the first line of engagement – if recipients aren’t opening emails, they’re not clicking, converting, or connecting with the brand.
But open rates are more than just a metric. They reflect the trust and interest a subscriber has in a brand’s communications. They also impact sender reputation, deliverability, and long-term list health. For marketers looking to get more from every send, improving open rates is one of the highest-leverage tactics available.
Why Open Rates Still Matter
Email marketing continues to deliver one of the highest ROIs among digital channels, but success begins with visibility. According to recent benchmarks, average open rates across industries range between 20% and 30%, with top-performing campaigns reaching upwards of 40%. These numbers may seem modest, but a small percentage increase can translate into significant gains in traffic, revenue, and retention.
Even with Apple’s Mail Privacy Protection (MPP) obscuring some open-rate data, the metric still plays a valuable role in guiding campaign performance – especially when paired with other indicators like click-through rates and revenue per recipient.
To improve visibility and performance, marketers need to take a strategic approach. Here are nine best practices that can help lift open rates and build stronger engagement, one message at a time.
1. Write Subject Lines that Spark Curiosity
The subject line is the first (and sometimes only) thing recipients see before deciding whether to engage. It’s no surprise that subject line quality is strongly correlated with open rates.
Best practices
- Keep subject lines concise: 40-60 characters tends to perform best
- Ask a compelling question or tease a benefit
- Use personalization when relevant (first name, location, etc.)
- Avoid excessive punctuation, all caps, or spam-triggering phrases like “FREE”
Example: Instead of “Big Sale Starts Now,” try “Hey [Name], Ready for 20% Off Just for You?”
Tip: Use A/B testing to trial different formats — curiosity-driven, benefit-led, emoji-included — and see what resonates with each audience segment.
2. Focus on the “From” Name and Sender Reputation
Recipients scan both the subject line and the “from” name when deciding whether to open an email. A recognizable, trustworthy sender name can improve open rates significantly.
Consider the following tips:
- Use a real person’s name or brand + individual (e.g., “Sara at WhatCounts”)
- Maintain consistency so subscribers become familiar with the sender
- Avoid generic addresses like “noreply@brand.com”
Additionally, sender reputation plays a behind-the-scenes but critical role. Poor reputation can send emails to the spam folder where they’re unlikely to be opened at all. To protect sender reputation:
- Monitor bounce rates and spam complaints
- Authenticate email domains (SPF, DKIM, DMARC)
- Send only to engaged, opted-in audiences
3. Send at the Right Time
Timing can make or break a campaign. Even the best subject line may go unnoticed if it hits the inbox at the wrong moment.
While optimal send times vary by audience, general research suggests:
- Tuesday through Thursday mornings typically perform best
- Mid-morning (around 10 a.m. local time) tends to yield higher open rates
More advanced strategies involve send-time optimization tools, which use historical data and machine learning to send emails when individual users are most likely to open them.
4. Keep Lists Clean and Engaged
Low engagement can drag down open rates and affect deliverability. That’s why list hygiene is essential.
What to do:
- Regularly remove hard bounces and inactive subscribers
- Use double opt-in to confirm new subscribers are genuinely interested
- Create re-engagement campaigns for inactive users (e.g., “We Miss You” series)
Engaged lists result in better performance across the board. If someone hasn’t opened an email in 6–12 months, it may be time to suppress or sunset them.
5. Segment for Relevance
Open rates improve when content feels relevant. Segmentation helps ensure the right message reaches the right audience.
Segmentation best practices to consider:
- Purchase history
- Browsing behavior
- Demographics or location
- Engagement level
- Lifecycle stage (e.g., new subscriber vs. long-time customer)
Even basic segmentation – such as separating new subscribers from repeat buyers – can lead to more targeted subject lines, better timing, and higher open rates.
6. Use Preheader Text Wisely
The preheader is the short summary that appears next to or below the subject line in many inboxes. Think of it as a second chance to convince the reader to open.
Tips for effective preheaders:
- Complement, don’t repeat, the subject line
- Include a clear benefit, offer, or reason to open
- Keep it under 100 characters to avoid truncation
Example:
Subject: “Back in stock – your favorites await”
Preheader: “Just for you: Top picks that sold out fast.”
7. Personalize with a Purpose
Personalization isn’t just about using someone’s first name — it’s about showing that the message is meant for them. Personalized emails have consistently outperformed generic ones in open rates.
Ways to personalize:
- Reference previous purchases or preferences
- Send triggered emails based on behavior (e.g., cart abandonment)
- Use location data or loyalty status to tailor offers
Tip: Personalization should enhance the email and not feel forced. Relevance beats novelty.
4. Avoid Over-Sending
Too many emails can cause list fatigue, unsubscribes, or being marked as spam, all of which hurt open rates over time.
To maintain the best balance possible:
- Let users set preferences for frequency and content type
- Monitor open and click-through trends for signs of fatigue
- Use frequency caps to avoid overwhelming users with too many emails in a short period
More isn’t always better. Focus on quality over quantity.
5. A/B Test Often (and Strategically!)
Improving open rates requires ongoing experimentation. Subject lines, sender names, send times, and content snippets can all be tested.
Best practices for A/B testing:
- Test only one variable at a time
- Use a statistically significant sample size
- Analyze results beyond just open rate — include clicks and conversions
Over time, testing builds a deeper understanding of what motivates each segment of your audience to open.
Final Thoughts: Make the Open Worthwhile
Open rates are the gateway to engagement. Improving them requires a mix of creativity, data, and discipline — but the payoff is worth it. When a subscriber opens an email, they’re signaling trust and curiosity. The job of the marketer is to earn that trust by delivering value inside the message, not just in the subject line.
Getting the open is only the beginning. But it’s where momentum starts and where smart strategy pays off.
Smarter, More Effective Email Marketing Starts Now
Even the best marketers can fall into these traps, especially when juggling tight timelines, multiple campaigns, and evolving business goals. But fixing them doesn’t require a complete overhaul. With the right strategy and support from a capable email service provider, brands can build smarter, more effective campaigns that truly connect with their audience.
By segmenting thoughtfully, optimizing for mobile, perfecting subject lines, focusing on meaningful metrics, and keeping your list clean, you’ll not only avoid these common mistakes – you’ll outperform brands still stuck in the old habits.