So your list is getting warm, and you’re beginning to get some much needed traction, however although you are getting increases in subscribers, it’s the same few subscribers that open the emails, and your open rate is dropping.

A small drop is normal over time, generally in the early stages of lists, the users who subscribe are your biggest fans, so it’s common for the list open rate to drop over time once less dedicated fans sign up. It cannot be helped. For example, here is the drop on one of my lists over time. The open numbers have gone up though, as that’s the main thing.

Screen Shot 2015-09-08 at 20.49.37

So how can you help increase the open rates? Well there’s a few small tips I recommend you do when you are setting up your list to increase your open rates.

Make Your Email Look as Solicited as Possible

So unsolicited email usually comes from one of two sources: names & companies. Names pique people’s interests, but companies are usually glossed over. However people will respond to a company they know. Chances are your list don’t know you personally (unless you are your own personal brand), but they may know your company. Buffer are great at this.

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So get their attention with your name, followed by where you work. “Yourname” at “Your Company” should suffice.

Include a proper reply-to

Here’s the thing that could affect open rates – your donotreply@ email address. Some email providers (Gmail included) will mark donotreply@ emails with less importance, so try to avoid it.

Encourage users to reply to your emails directly. You can filter them somehow, but it will help increase engagement further.

⭐️ Add Emojis To Stand Out ⭐️

Recently, Emojis have become popular, and many browsers and email clients can display them. Some people have already begun to notice the advantages of displaying Emoji’s in your subject title, so maybe incorporate them.

However, they should be used sparingly, as they can be overused. Furthermore, you shouldn’t be cute and replace words with emojis, just use it to accentuate the content, rather than detract from it. Two maximum per email.

Anyway, they are my suggestions to help increase your open rates. What are yours? Please leave them in the comments below!

 

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