So, you’ve sent out your E-Newsletter to your email list, and now you’re sitting back waiting to review your Open and Click rates…and the response comes back, and it’s not quite what you were hoping for.

While every campaign and organization is different, and there is no “magical” Open rate, the industry standard often quoted is between 20 – 30%. Anything greater than 30% is often reserved for organizations with smaller lists or recipients who are deeply invested with the organization sending the E-Newsletter.

So, how do you improve those numbers and get readers to Open your campaign? This is part one of a five-part series on variables you can experiment with to increase your readership – and results – from email marketing campaigns.

1) Your Subject Line is Vital!

If no one opens your email in the first place, then it doesn’t matter how valuable, timely, or eye appealing your E-Newsletter is on the inside.

So with your next issue, why not try a different style of subject line than what you have used before, and see which type of subject works the best with your recipients? That way, when you look at the analytical reports provided by most vendors for previous campaigns, you can see what type of subject lines your recipients are responding to, and use a similar offer or call to action in the subject line of future E-Newsletters.

Another angle is to break down your list into smaller pieces and try different subject lines for the same issue, and compare them head-to-head. This provides an even better comparison, since Click rates for different subject lines will be based on the exact same copy and design once the E-Newsletter has been opened by the recipient.

Did a question compare favorably to a statement? Did including a special offer or discount work better than a more general or broad subject line?

And once you figure out what works best with your readership, you can continue to tweak subject titles in ongoing issues…to continue incremental increases and overall success going forward.

For more information on email marketing, E-Newsletters and other online communication tips visit www.hattrickassociates.com.

NEXT TIP: Your Offer