Getting better open rates

Description

Your sender ("From") name, subject line and preheader text are the key to getting subscribers to recognize and, ultimately, read your messages. In this article, we will show you tips on how to increase open rates.

Why this is important

Interaction with your subscribers begins with your subject line; it is the foundation upon which the engagement is built. Keeping these suggestions in mind will help you improve and grow your opening rate.

How to improve your open rates

Subject lines

Attention-grabbing subject lines are crucial. They should generate interest in the email's content. A good subject line answers the question “why should I read this email?” and a clear, specific description of the email’s contents usually works best. Keep it as short as possible, while still conveying what you need to say.

Personalized Subject lines

Your subject lines can be personalized with recipients' names or locations using merge tags.  As always, the best approach is to always try out different strategies. You might want to try teasing lines, questions, or subject lines of different lengths.

By using the first name of your reader in the subject line of your email, you make them feel appreciated. Subject lines should make readers aware that the email contains information they will find useful. Make email subject lines relevant to readers based on their local surroundings.

Adding merge tags to a campaign

Keep these points in mind:

• Don’t capitalize everything.
• Don’t use a lot of exclamation points.
• Try to avoid words like “Free” and most things related to gambling.
• Subject lines should make readers aware that the email contains information they will find useful, according to their interests.
• Make email subject lines relevant to readers based on their location.
• People are more likely to open messages with subject lines that create a sense of urgency, provided these are used sparingly. A sense of missing out on the best deal for example.

Also, be sure to test your emails, with the built-in tools and by sending emails to yourself, to see where they land.

Sender information

Sender From Name

Ensure that your sender name is recognizable and consistent. This typically means using the name of your company or brand. It can also be a good idea to include the name of a person or specific role.

Sender From Address

Try to avoid ambiguous “from” addresses, like “Newsletter” and “no-reply@”. Keep in mind that people tend to skip (or send to the junk folder) emails from unknown senders.

Preheader

The preheader is a one-line snippet of text placed at the very top of your message that you can use to complement the subject line. Some email clients show the snippet even before the email is opened, so you can use it to remind people where they signed up, to ask people to add your name to their contact or to display images in your email. Here's how you add and customize a preheader for your campaign on the email designer: Customizing the preheader of your campaign