Do you want to know the secret to getting more engagement from your emails? Do you feel like it's impossible to cut through the clutter and get people interested in what you have to say? If so, then this post is for you! 

 

We'll be exploring strategies that can help skyrocket your email open rates - helping ensure that readers actually see, interact with, and take action on your message. 

 

Whether you're an experienced marketer who has seen it all or a complete beginner just starting out, these tips are sure to give your next email campaign the boost of energy it needs. So read on and get ready to drive results by skyrocketing those open rates!

 

 

What is Email Open Rate?

 

Email open rate refers to the percentage of recipients who open an email out of the total number of emails delivered or sent in an email marketing campaign. It is a metric used to measure the effectiveness of email campaigns and gauge the level of engagement from the recipients.

 

The open rate indicates how many recipients found the subject line and sender information compelling enough to open and view the email's content. It provides insights into the effectiveness of the subject line, sender reputation, and the relevance of the email to the recipients.

 

 

How to Calculate Email Open Rate?

 

To calculate the email open rate, you need to divide the number of unique opens by the number of emails delivered, and then multiply by 100 to get the percentage. Here's the formula:

 

Email Open Rate = (Unique Opens / Emails Delivered) * 100

 

To calculate it step by step:

 

Determine the number of unique opens: This refers to the total number of recipients who opened your email. It is typically tracked using a tracking pixel or a tracking code embedded in the email. The email marketing platform or software you use should provide this information.

 

Determine the number of emails delivered: This represents the total number of emails successfully delivered to recipients' inboxes. It excludes bounced emails or emails that were not delivered due to invalid email addresses or other delivery failures.

 

Divide the number of unique opens by the number of emails delivered: Take the number of unique opens and divide it by the number of emails delivered.

 

Multiply the result by 100: After dividing, multiply the result by 100 to convert it into a percentage.

 

Here's an example:

 

Let's say you sent out 1,000 emails, and out of those, 250 were opened.

 

Email Open Rate = (250 / 1,000) * 100

Email Open Rate = 0.25 * 100

Email Open Rate = 25%

 

So, in this example, the email open rate would be 25%.

 

Calculating the email open rate allows you to measure the effectiveness of your email campaigns and track engagement with your email content. It provides valuable insights into the performance of your subject lines, sender reputation, and the relevance of your emails to your recipients.

 

 

Average Email Open Rate

 

The definition of a "good" open rate for an email can vary depending on various factors, including the industry, the type of email being sent, the target audience, and the overall goals of the email campaign. Generally, average open rates for email marketing campaigns tend to range between 15% to 25%. However, it's important to note that benchmarks can differ significantly based on the specific context and audience.

 

To determine what constitutes a good open rate for your email campaigns, it is recommended to compare your results against industry benchmarks and track the performance of your own campaigns over time. Additionally, focus on improving engagement and conversions rather than solely relying on open rates, as the ultimate goal of an email campaign is to encourage recipients to take the desired action.

 

What is a good email open rate by industry?

 

1. Nonprofit: 20% - 25%

2. E-commerce/Retail: 15% - 20%

3. Travel/Hospitality: 15% - 20%

4. Technology: 10% - 15%

5. Financial Services: 10% - 15%

6. Media/Entertainment: 10% - 15%

7. Healthcare: 10% - 15%

8. Education: 10% - 15%

9. Real Estate: 10% - 15%

10. Food and Beverage: 5% - 10%

 

 

How to Check Email Open Rate?

 

To check your email open rate, you can use an email marketing platform or software that provides analytics and tracking features. Here's how you can check the email open rate using such tools:

 

1. Email Marketing Platform: Log in to your email marketing platform or software account. Popular platforms like Mailchimp, Constant Contact, or Campaign Monitor offer built-in analytics and reporting features.

 

2. Navigate to Campaign Reports: Find the specific email campaign for which you want to check the open rate and navigate to the campaign reports or analytics section.

 

3. Locate Open Rate Metrics: Look for the metrics related to email opens or open rates. The platform will typically display the open rate as a percentage, along with other relevant data.

 

4. Review the Open Rate: Take note of the open rate percentage displayed. It represents the percentage of recipients who opened your email out of the total emails delivered.

 

5. Explore Additional Data: Most email marketing platforms provide additional insights, such as unique opens, total opens, open time, and open location. These details can offer further understanding of how your recipients engage with your emails.

 

Remember, the steps to check email open rates may vary slightly depending on the email marketing platform you use. Consult the platform's documentation or support resources for specific instructions tailored to your chosen tool.

 

 

How to Increase Email Open Rate?

 

To increase your email open rates and achieve better results from your email marketing campaigns, there are several proven strategies that you can implement. 

 

✅ First, it is crucial to craft an attention-grabbing subject line that compels readers to open your email. You can achieve this by using personalization, urgency, or curiosity-inducing language that entices readers to click through.

 

✅ Another way to improve your email open rates is by segmenting your email list based on demographics, interests, or past behaviors. By tailoring your message to each audience segment, you increase the chances that your email will resonate with the reader and lead to higher engagement and conversion rates.

 

✅ Timing also plays a critical role in email success. You should test and analyze when your audience is most active and responsive to your emails and then schedule your campaigns to align with their behavior. This could mean scheduling your emails to be sent on specific days of the week or times of the day, depending on what works best for your audience.

 

✅ Finally, it is essential to optimize your email content for mobile devices since the majority of people access their emails on smartphones. This means using responsive design that adapts to different screen sizes and keeping your message short and to the point. You should also ensure that your call-to-action buttons are easily clickable and that your content loads quickly.

 

 

What is important to understand?

 

In the past, email open rate was considered to be a strong indicator of the success of an email marketing campaign. However, in recent years, the usefulness of open rate as a quality indicator has been called into question.

 

One of the main reasons for this is that open rate doesn't take into account the entire customer journey. Just because someone opened an email doesn't mean they took the desired action - whether that be making a purchase, signing up for a newsletter, or attending an event. In other words, open rate doesn't measure the effectiveness of the email content itself or its ability to drive results.

 

Another factor that has limited the usefulness of open rate is the widespread adoption of preview panes and images being blocked by email clients. Even if a recipient does open an email, they may only view it for a brief second before deleting it or moving on. This can lead to inflated open rates that don't reflect actual engagement with the email.

 

Instead of relying solely on open rate, email marketers are now using a variety of other metrics to measure the success of their campaigns. Click-through rate, conversion rate, and revenue generated are just a few of the metrics that are more closely tied to the actual impact of the email on the recipient and ultimately, the business.

 

Overall, while open rate is still a valuable data point to track, it shouldn't be the only measure of success in email marketing. By looking beyond open rate and focusing on the complete customer journey, marketers can more accurately gauge the effectiveness of their campaigns and drive the results they're looking for.

 

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📜 Related article:

◾ A Guide to Email Campaign Performance Indicators

◾ How to increase Click to open rate (CTOR)?

◾ Boost Your Email Click-Through Rate and Skyrocket Engagement