Whats a Good Email Open Rate? Easy Tips for Improvement

Email marketing is one of the most powerful and cost-effective ways to grow your business and connect with your customers. In this blog, we will explore email marketing best practices, why email open rate is crucial, the benchmark of email marketing, and how to improve it with the best strategies. So, let's get started.

What is an Email Open Rate and How do you calculate it?

The email open rate is a measure of how many people open your emails after receiving them.

It’s calculated by dividing the number of unique opens by the number of emails delivered and multiplying by 100 to get a percentage.

For example, if you send 100 emails and 20 of them are opened, then your email open rate is 20%.

What is a good email open rate?

Email open rates are important because they indicate how interested and engaged your audience is with your email content.

The average open rate for email marketing across all industries is between 17% and 28%, but this number can vary significantly depending on your niche.

Here are benchmarks of email marketing for different industries to give you a rough idea

• E-commerce: 15%–20%
• Nonprofit: 20%–25%
• Healthcare: 20%–25%
• Marketing/Advertising: 15%–25%
• Media and Publishing: 20%–25%
• Real Estate: 15%–20%
• Technology: 15%–25%

The average open rate for email marketing and the effectiveness of your email campaigns depend on various factors, including your audience engagement, the relevance of your content, the frequency of your emails, and the quality of your email list.

Simple Strategies to Increase Your Email Open Rate

It’s not enough to just send out emails and hope for the best. You need to make sure that your emails are opened and read by your subscribers. Otherwise, you are wasting your time and resources.

The key is to craft emails that are not only informative and valuable but also irresistible to open. Here are some simple yet effective strategies to boost your email open rate.

Segment audience to increase relevance

The best way to improve your email open rates is to segment your audience and send them relevant and personalized content.

Email segmentation is the practice of dividing your email list into smaller groups based on shared criteria, such as demographics, behavior, interests, or preferences.

By segmenting your email list, you can tailor your messages to each group's specific needs and expectations and create content that truly resonates with them. That increases your email open rate.

Time of the Day

One of the most common questions that email marketers ask is: When is the best time to send an email?

The answer is not as simple as you might think. There is no one-size-fits-all solution that works for every industry, audience, or campaign.

The best time to send marketing emails depends on various factors, such as your goals, your content, your subscribers, and your competitors.

However, this does not mean that you have to rely on guesswork or intuition to decide when to send your emails.

According to a survey of over 300 U.S. email marketers, the majority reported the highest engagement for their marketing emails was between 9 a.m. and 12 p.m. and 12 p.m. and 3 p.m.

Additionally, another study found that 8 AM and 10 AM yielded high open rates, while 1 PM and 4 PM also performed strongly.

You can use data and analytics to find the best time to send marketing emails when your subscribers are most likely to open and engage with them. By doing so, you can increase your email open rate and improve your email marketing performance.

Personalized email subject lines

The subject line of your email is the first thing that your subscribers see when they receive it. It is also the main factor that influences their decision to open or ignore your email.

Personalized email subject lines, such as including the recipient's name, have been shown to boost open rates by 10%–14% across industries.

Your subscribers aren't just part of a list; they are unique individuals. By tailoring subject lines to individual recipients and incorporating their names or relevant details, marketers create a sense of relevance and connection that captures recipients' attention.

By using personalized subject lines, you can increase your email open rate and improve your email marketing performance.

Improve email deliverability

Email deliverability is the ability of your email to reach your subscribers' inboxes without being blocked, bounced, or marked as spam.

However, email deliverability is not a given. It is influenced by various factors, such as your email content, your email list quality, your email service provider, and your email sender's reputation.

Regularly clean and update your email list to remove inactive or invalid addresses. Craft your emails to avoid common spam triggers, and implement email authentication protocols like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC to verify the legitimacy of your emails and improve deliverability.

Do not purchase email lists!

One of the biggest mistakes that email marketers make is purchasing email lists. Email lists are bought from third-party sources, such as brokers, vendors, or websites.

They may seem like a quick and easy way to grow your email list and reach more potential customers. But in actuality, it is a waste of money and a risk to your email marketing success.

Focusing on the quality of your email list is far more valuable than its quantity. They won't be interested in your message, and they'll quickly mark your email as spam. This will damage your sender's reputation.

Building an organic email list ensures that your subscribers have willingly opted in to receive your communications, making them more likely to engage with your content.

Conclusion

Email open rates are the foundation of your email marketing campaign and vary across industries, audiences, and goals. By implementing the right strategies, such as segmenting your email list, choosing the right time, using personalized subject lines, and improving email deliverability, you can work towards increasing your email open rates and effectively engaging your audience.

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