Getting More People to Open Your Emails

It’s All About Email…

As an online marketer, you're probably aware that email marketing is extremely important. If you don't have an email list, you're going to be left behind.

But just having an email list isn’t enough. You can build one by giving away something awesome, but how do you convince them to open your emails in the future, which is what you wanted to happen when you asked them to sign up.

So now, you’re ready to learn what it takes to nurture that list to improve your open rates. It's frustrating to send an email out, only to find that next to no one opens it. What's the point of that?

One of two things tends to consistently happen to email marketers. There are those marketers who just don't know how to reach their audience. They’ll send an email only to be met with dismal results— their open rates are terrible.

There are other marketers who seem to have the golden touch when it comes to email marketing. People salivate when one of their emails comes into their inbox. Their open rates, click through rates, and conversion rates are out of this world. That's the position you want to find yourself in.

So, how do you get more people to open your email? It's not as tricky as it sounds, actually. When you really get to the heart of it, it's all about understanding people and developing relationships.

What do the people in your niche, the people on your email list, really need and want? If you can figure that out, you're as good as gold.

Your marketing message isn't worth anything if no one's going to see it. And no one will see your marketing message if you can't get them to open your email. Understanding how to get more people to open your email is one of the most important things you can do as an online marketer.

Building a Relationship with Your Audience

People buy from those they know, like, and trust. The same holds true for who opens your emails. If people know, like, and trust you, they're going to open your emails more readily.

It's getting to that place that can be tricky. It's especially tricky if you're pretty new to this and you're an unknown quantity in your niche. That's okay – you can quickly build a relationship with your audience even if you’re new.

It's really as simple as understanding what they need and want and delivering that. Pay attention to them. Immerse yourself in the culture of that niche by browsing and posting on related forums, social media, blogs, and more.

You should be everywhere the people in your niche hang out. They should find you being helpful in every way. Don't be afraid to share your opinion and become a thought leader within your niche. Yes, some people will disagree with you but others will agree with you. You'll be respected as a leader.

In addition to positioning yourself as an authority, expert, and someone to listen to within your niche, it's also a good idea to work hard to communicate individually with the people who join your list. There are some marketers who take this as far as paying attention to who has subscribed that day. They drop them a quick line to welcome them – a one-on-one welcome message, not just the standard follow up welcome message.

Even if you don't want to (or can’t) take the time to do that, and it’s really next to impossible once your list really starts to grow, you can respond to those who ask you questions. There will be those who reply to your emails. Answer them, and answer them yourself and with respect.

In fact, encourage communication. Open the lines of communication. You don’t want to be a faceless, cold marketer at the other end of a computer screen. Help people and be present—be “real.” That's what a relationship is all about – there's the give and the take.

If you want to get more opens and make more sales, then you need to pay attention to that relationship and nurture it from the very start. Just be there for people – help them in every way you can. Give more than you could ever expect to receive.

Getting People Addicted to Your Content

It's also important to stand out as an email marketer. You don't want to do the same old thing everyone else is doing. This means finding a unique angle for your brand and showcasing your personality.

Make your content interesting in addition to that. People won't want to open your emails if they aren’t going to be entertained or informed in some way. Your emails shouldn't be dry and boring – there should truly be something in it for the person who reads the email. They have to get something out of it.

And, just because they open one of your emails doesn’t mean they’ll open subsequent emails. You have to constantly be on your toes.

You can play around with this. Consider creating series of emails where you include cliffhangers from one email to the next. Get people excited, give people great information, and let your personality shine through. Do things that will make them anxious to hear from you.

Researching What Your Audience Needs and Wants in the First Place

I touched on this already, but it's so important that it bears having its own section. As a smart marketer, you have to know what your audience needs and wants.

Keep your finger on the pulse of what's going on in your niche. You should know what the latest news is. You should know what the latest developments are. You should know what other marketers are doing in your niche.

Remember that there are real people at the other end of the computer screen. If you want people to open your email, then people have to feel that connection. They have to know that you have their best interests at heart.

When you write an email, imagine the typical person who will be reading your email. Find a picture that could represent them. Create a little background history of them – the reader avatar.

Craft your email directly for that person. They’re representative of your niche as a whole, so it will add that humanity to your writing. You’ll naturally make more of a personal impact on those who read your email.

Crafting a Great Subject Line

How crowded is your email inbox? Go ahead and take a look right now. If you regularly clean out your email inbox, then it might not be crowded at all. Still, you probably receive dozens or even hundreds of emails every single day from marketers, businesses, friends and family, colleagues, and so on.

If you're like many people, then more, more, more land in your inbox every day. It's completely overwhelming, right? How can a marketer stand out?

Now, browse through the promotions section of your inbox if you have them separated out that way (like they do with Gmail tabs). Do any of those emails stand out to you? Which do and which don't? Take notes on what you find.

Every day, you're compelled to open some emails and to delete or ignore other emails. Put yourself in the shoes of those who are going to open your emails (or who you hope will open your emails). What's going to get them to open? What’s going to catch their attention?

It's important to craft a great, eye-catching subject line. Consider this to be the headline of your email. You have to capture their attention even in the midst of hundreds of other emails.

There is no one way to craft a great subject line. Play around with what works in your niche. Try including a little mystery within the subject line. Don't make it too long and wordy. Make sure it calls out to your audience and intrigues them in some way. They should see your subject line in the midst of hundreds of other emails and instinctively think, “This email is for me… I have to open it!”

Again, it can really help to study how others in your niche craft their subject lines. This is a skill you can grow over time.

Put This into Practice

Hopefully, you’re really excited to put these steps into practice. If you get more people to open your emails, you can make a lot more money and grow your business in incredible ways.