How Do You Get People to Open Your Emails?

Last month, I sent an email encouraging subscribers to answer a few questions:

• Why do you subscribe to my list and open these emails?
• What do you hope to learn/accomplish here?
• Any marketing questions/challenges you’d like me to address in future emails?

I got a ton of great feedback and questions, including this one from Ray: “How do you get people to open your emails so they find all the “goodies” inside?”

I promised I would address questions in future emails. Ray’s question is a great one that I hear a lot.

Here’s are the tips I shared with Ray…

• Be consistent in providing value — not just in email, but in social and other channels. When you establish credibility, authority, and trustworthiness people will open your emails simply because they’re from you. The “From…” name becomes more important than the subject line.
• Related to the point above… More content is usually better than less. Most marketers don’t send enough email. If your emails are informative and entertaining, it’s difficult to send too many. If you send too few, your list tunes out. My engagement rates went way up when I increased frequency from once a month to once a week. And they went up again when I increased to three times a week.
• Write better subject lines. I’ll soon release an updated version of subject line tips.
• Engage new subscribers immediately. Send a thank you follow-up email when they subscribe. That immediately establishes rapport and encourages subscribers to tune in moving forward.
• Promote your email in other channels. Mention your emails in social posts, blogs, etc. When you do so, people are more likely to subscribe and people already on your list are more likely to look for your emails.
• Remind subscribers to whitelist you and take other measures to make sure they see your emails.

p.s. The invitation is still open. If you haven’t already, please let me know…

• Why do you subscribe to my list and open these emails?
• What do you hope to learn/accomplish here?
• Any marketing questions/challenges you’d like me to address in future emails?