10 Simple Email Marketing Tips to Boost Open Rates

When it comes to email marketing, the devil is in the details. Word choice can mean higher click-through rates or a spam report. But whether it’s your first email campaign or you’re a long-time marketer, a few changes to your email copy can help you cater to customers’ interests, improve consumer loyalty, and, in turn, grow your business.

1. Have an Eye-Catching Subject

Subject lines are like the headline for your email and are one of the first things people look at before they open it (or decide to delete it). And on most mobile devices, deleting is just a finger swipe away.

You have to give your subscribers a reason to open your email and take the time to read it. Appeal to them by telling them what they’d be missing if they didn’t open the package. Is there a limited-time sale? Are there special updates about your company?

2. Be Mindful About the Preview Text

Next to the subject line is the 35-140 character sneak peek into what the email contains. This is the preview text. Here, something warm or exciting should make the subscriber want to click on your email. If you hide a link or unfavorable instructions in your email, ensure it’s not visible in the preview.

3. Think of it Like a Web Copy

When it comes to your layout, it’s best to be straightforward. The information should be arranged in a hierarchy. The necessary information should be in a bigger font at the top, and the less important information should be below it.

Your content should have short, focused paragraphs that won’t overwhelm readers. Each paragraph should only have one topic. The more precise you are, the better.

4. Keep it Lowercase

Sometimes, marketers want to sound excited and use all caps and seven exclamation points. Don’t do that! Trying to shout at your readers, especially in the subject line, can come off as spam, and it can get you reported. And if enough users report you, email clients will mark you as spam, possibly blacklisting you.

5. Learn About Your Audience

You can better learn about your audience's interests using audience intelligence tools. The more you know about them, the more persuasive and appealing you can be.

6. Don’t Sound like a Robot

While you’re personalizing your email copy, try to make it fun and conversational. Who said emails have to be boring? Just write how you would talk, and your audience will be able to relate to the voice of your email more. Connecting with readers in this way will make you more memorable and build greater customer loyalty.

7. Choose Your Words Carefully

Along with being more personable, you can be more imaginative, too. Use imagery that engages your readers’ senses. They’ve opened your email; you have their attention. Now, you can keep it by building a world they can enter.

This rousing, powerful language can give a narrative to your company and end in a call to action (CTA) that has your reader wanting to follow your instructions.

But don’t get too carried away and overpromise something you can’t follow through with. Your audience can tell when you’re being fake, and it will disassemble all your hard work to strengthen the relationship with them.

8. Build in Psychology

Marketers can use the human brain to their advantage in some fundamental ways. There are inherent things built into the brain that people respond to, like how red and orange convey a sense of urgency.

Or, you can use pictures of faces that clearly express a specific emotion so the viewer will empathize.

The biggest thing you can leverage is the fear of missing out or FOMO. This is done by having time-sensitive offers or having an exclusive product.

9. Personalize Your Emails

No one wants a generic company email. Consider audience segmentation, where you group different demographics and send more personalized messages. You wouldn’t approach subscribers who signed up yesterday like you’d talk to subscribers who have been with you for years.

10. Have a Goal

When you go to write a copy, have one goal in mind, one focused goal. If you have multiple, you’ll be scattered, trying to fulfill them all and, ultimately, less effective. Your goal doesn’t always have to be sales. It can be to send updates about fun business developments.

Email copies don’t have to be complicated. Simple and focused copies can be the most effective. They get your point across to your reader in an easy way. You must be mindful about what you want and how you will pursue it. With these tips, you can increase click-through rates to grow your sales.