Best and Worst Email Open Rates

People who are new to email marketing often ask me, “How should I write my subject lines so that more recipients will open my emails?” In order to answer that question, I would like to share with a study based on 40 MIO email sent. Below are the ones with the highest open rates and the ones with the lowest open rates. The “highest” open rates were in the range of 60%-87%, while the “lowest” performers fell in the dismal 1%-14% range. Do you see a pattern below?

>>> Best Open Rates (60%-87%) <<<
[COMPANYNAME] Sales & Marketing Newsletter
Eye on the [COMPANYNAME] Update (Oct 31 – Nov 4)
[COMPANYNAME] May 2005 News Bulletin!
[COMPANYNAME] Newsletter – February 2006
[COMPANYNAME] and [COMPANYNAME] Invites You!
Upcoming Events at [COMPANYNAME]
We’re Throwing a Party
October 2005 Newsletter
>>> Worst Open Rates (1%-14%) <<<
Last Minute Gift – We Have The Answer
Valentines – Shop Early & Save 10%
Give a Gift Certificate this Holiday
Valentine’s Day Salon and Spa Specials!
Gift Certificates – Easy & Elegant Giving – Let Them Choose
[COMPANYNAME] Holiday Sales Event
[COMPANYNAME] for your next dream home.
[COMPANYNAME] Resort – Spring into May Savings
You Asked For More…

Observations
On the “best” side, you’ll notice the subject lines are pretty straightforward. They’re not very “salesy” or “pushy” at all. Heck, some people might even say they’re “boring.” On the “worst” side however, notice how the subject lines read like headlines from advertisements you’d see in the Sunday paper. They might look more “creative,” but their open rates are horrible. It’s as if those email marketers assumed that subject lines have to jump off the screen and “GRAB THE READER’S ATTENTION!” or something. Unfortunately, most people get so much junk mail in their inbox, anything that even hints of spam gets thrown away immediately.

Setting Expectations
So does that mean your subject lines should be really stale and un-creative to get high open rates? We don’t think so. In our study, we actually saw some campaigns that used more “creative” subject lines (like the ones on the “bad” side of our table) but they had pretty decent open rates. The difference seemed to be in the expectations that were set for the emails.

For example, email “newsletters” are for “soft-selling.” They build relationships with your customers, and they’re great if your products have a very long sales cycle. Use them to slowly soften your customers for the sale, or to make them feel really good about your brand. If your recipients signed up for these kinds of emails, don’t expect them to be very enthusiastic when, out of the blue, you send an email with a subject line like, “10% Discount! Open Now!” For newsletters, keep your subject lines simple, straightforward, and consistent.

On the other hand, if your subscribers specifically opted-in to receive “special offers and promotions” from your company, there’s nothing wrong with saying there’s a “10% off e-coupon inside.” They’ll be expecting a “hard sell” from you. It’s when marketers send promotional emails to their entire “newsletter” list when things go wrong. The idea is to create a totally separate opt-in list for those who want to receive promotional emails. Furthermore, segment your promotions list into smaller, more focused groups before you send your campaign (don’t send an offer for purses and high-heel shoes to the men on your list).

The Secret Formula for Subject-Lines
So what’s our advice for email subject lines? This is going to sound “stupid simple” to a lot of people, but here goes: Your subject line should (drum roll please): Describe the subject of your email. Yep, that’s it.

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