Improve Open and Clickthrough Rates with These 5 Tips

One of the top questions I get from new clients is – “How the heck can I increase our open and click rates?!“

You wonder why some emails get opened and others sit idly by in people’s inboxes, never to be seen again. Well, friends, I’m here to tell you that there’s no magic bullet when it comes to email open rates but there are a few things you can do to improve your chances of getting your emails seen, read, and interacted with!

Here are five tips for improving your open and clickthrough rates:

Keep Your Subject Lines Short and Sweet

You know what they say: the shorter, the sweeter. When it comes to email subject lines, this couldn’t be more true.

According to Email on Acid, the ideal subject line length is between 6 and 10 words. Why? Because long subject lines tend to get cut off in people’s inboxes, and no one wants to have to click “view more” just to see the rest of your subject line.

Your subject line is also one of the first things people will see when they receive your email, so make sure it’s attention-grabbing and relevant to the rest of your email content. No one wants to feel like they’ve been tricked into opening an email, so avoid being too clever or cutesy in your subject lines.

Just give people a taste of what they can expect from your email without giving too much away.

Personalize Your Emails Whenever Possible

You might be thinking, “I don’t have time to personalize every single one of my emails.” And you’re right, you probably don’t have time to do that. But there are small ways you can personalize your emails that can make a big difference in how likely people are to engage with them.

One way to do this is by using merge tags to include each recipient’s first name in the subject line or body of your email. This makes recipients feel like you’re speaking directly to them, which can increase both open and click-through rates.

You can also segment your email list so that you’re only sending relevant information to each individual subscriber. There’s nothing more frustrating than receiving an email about something you have no interest in, so make sure each person on your list is getting content that’s relevant to them.

Email programs like Klaviyo capture SO MUCH subscriber data naturally, like browsing history on-site to know what content interests them most. Imagine sending an email on a product that was browsed in the last 5 days to that user. They are much more likely to click through.

Use Rich Media Whenever Possible

Gone are the days when a plain text email was enough to capture people’s attention. These days, people want visuals. According to HubSpot, including images in your emails can increase clickthrough rates by as much as 42%. So if you haven’t been using images in your emails up until now, it’s time to start!

In addition to using images, try using other forms of rich media like videos or GIFs. These types of content can help break up lengthy paragraphs of text and add some personality to your emails. Just make sure not to go overboard–you don’t want your email to come across as cluttered or overwhelming. A good rule of thumb is to use one image per every 250 words of text.

Write Compelling Copy That Converts

Even if you have all the right elements in place–a short, attention-grabbing subject line; personalized content; and beautiful visuals–none of that will matter if your copy doesn’t convert.

So what makes good converting copy?

First and foremost, good copy is clear and concise. No one wants to wade through paragraph after paragraph of dense text just to find out what you’re trying to sell them (or worse–what they need to do next). So get straight to the point by making your call-to-action (CTA) clear from the outset and using strong action verbs throughout the body of your email (think: buy now, download here, etc.). You should also avoid using jargon or overly technical language –write as if you’re speaking directly to another person. The goal is for recipients to understand exactly what you’re trying to say without having to take a second to read it over again–so keep it simple!

Final Thoughts on Improving Open and Clickthrough Rates

There’s no magic bullet when it comes to rating email open and click-through rates. However, by following these five simple tips, you can stand out in people’s inboxes and increase your chances of getting people to read(and engage with)your emails. So go forth and conquer those email open rates, friends! And don’t forget to personalize, use rich media, and write compelling copy while you’re at it!