Some emails get the dreaded ‘swipe-and-delete’ before they’ve had a chance to load their tracking pixel.
Humans spend just 3.3 seconds deciding whether to engage with an email.
Not read it.
Decide whether it deserves their brainpower at all.
Our brains subconsciously scan for signals of effort – like the rhythm of your subject line or the placement of your line breaks. Emails that feel like they were written by a pulse tend to survive the cull.
So, let’s see how you can sound like someone worth listening to.
Why your grandma could have better open rates than your company
When Grandma’s email pops up with “Thought of you” in the subject line, you’re opening that faster than a bag of chips during a Netflix binge.
There’s a human connection there. You know she genuinely thought of you (and probably attached a weird forward with dancing cats).
Meanwhile, “Don’t miss out!!!” campaigns are getting eye-rolls.
Companies with consistently successful email campaigns understand this instinctively.
They’ve moved beyond the spray and pray approach of the early 2000s and into what I call “conversational commerce.”
Let’s talk metrics
- Forwards and shares: When someone cares enough to pass your email along, you can pat yourself on the back. This “advocacy rate” is possibly the most valuable metric you’re not measuring.
- Reply rate: Yes, replies can be a nightmare to manage, but they’re marketing intelligence. People who take time to respond are engaged enough to have a conversation.
- Secondary conversions: Not just whether someone bought something, but whether they stayed on your site and explored. Did they browse three other products after clicking through? That’s an engagement worth cultivating.
- Reading time: Are people consuming your content or just clicking through mindlessly? Email platforms with certain analytics can tell you if someone spent 30 seconds or five minutes with your message.
The marketers getting 40%+ open rates aren’t writing better subject lines – they’re creating content worth consuming and then measuring how it’s being consumed.
What makes us open emails?
We’re essentially digital Pavlovian dogs, conditioned to respond to certain triggers while developing impressive immunity to others.
Take the “curiosity gap” technique. When Upworthy was driving millions of clicks with headlines like “You’ll never believe what happened next,” they weren’t being annoying on purpose (well, maybe a little). They were exploiting a psychological phenomenon where humans feel discomfort from incomplete information.
Your brain craves closure. It’s why Netflix automatically starts the next episode before the credits finish rolling, and why you can’t stop reading a mystery novel right before the killer is revealed.
In email marketing, this translates to subject lines that hint at information without revealing it completely.
Not “Our May sale is here” but “The one thing we’ve never discounted before…”
- This only works when there’s trust.
- If your previous emails have delivered value, people will give you the benefit of the doubt and click.
- If you’ve been sending clickbait followed by disappointment, no psychological trick in the universe will save your open rates.
The elements that make people click
We all know the basics:
- Clear call-to-action buttons.
- Benefit-focused headlines.
- Compelling images.
But the email marketing elements that drive engagement boosts often possess:
- Deliberate imperfection: A hand-drawn arrow pointing to an important element or a casual postscript that seems added as an afterthought can sometimes make an email feel more authentic.
- Negative social proof: While testimonials are great, acknowledging problems can be even more powerful. “Last time we ran this workshop, three people told us the first hour was too basic – so we’ve redesigned the introduction” creates more trust than pretending everything’s always perfect.
- The unexpected GIF: A financial services company increased their click rate by 103% with a GIF of a dog knocking objects off a table to illustrate “clearing away unnecessary fees.” No one expects financial humor, which is precisely why it worked.
- Ultra-specific numbers: “Get started in 7 minutes” outperforms “Get started quickly.” “Save $137 on your next order” beats “Save $140.” The specificity contains real-world experience rather than marketing approximation.
How the most convincing email sequences work
The best sequences aren’t linear – they branch and adapt based on recipient behavior. If someone clicks on a particular topic in email #1, they might receive a different version of email #2 than someone who showed interest in something else.
This behavior-based sequencing creates the impression of relevance. “How did they know I was interested in precisely that?” Because they paid attention to what you responded to previously.
The most well-developed campaigns I’ve seen use a “choose your own adventure” approach. Early emails contain multiple potential interest points, and subsequent messages are tailored based on which ones generated engagement. By email #3 or #4, recipients are receiving content so aligned with their interests that not opening feels like missing out on something personally relevant.
Why slightly weird emails outperform professional ones
The highest-converting email campaigns feel like they follow the ‘interesting person at a party’ rule.
Would this email be something an interesting person might say at a party? Or does it sound like a corporate announcement being read from a teleprompter?
The former gets attention.
The latter gets ignored.
This doesn’t, however, mean being unprofessional. Using phrases like “You left this behind…” creates a different reading experience than “We are pleased to announce.”
There should be no yawns in sight
The beauty of email marketing lies in its immediacy. Unlike SEO or social media algorithm changes that can take months to show results, you can implement your email approach today and start seeing different results tomorrow.
The recipe is simple:
- Ask questions.
- Invite responses.
- Adjust based on feedback.
- Slip in strategic joy (a surprise discount, an unexpected thank-you, or a meme that’s just the right amount of unhinged).
As someone who’s spent way too many years obsessing over open rates while my friends developed hobbies, I’ve discovered it’s less razzle-dazzle and more mad science.
Picture this: You’re at a wedding reception, when someone asks what you do for work. Do you recite your company’s mission statement verbatim? Or do you tell them what makes your job interesting with a slightly embarrassing story thrown in?
Email is the same way.
Frequently asked questions and answers
How many emails should be in a campaign sequence?
Testing shows that five to seven emails typically provide enough touch points to generate action without causing fatigue. Space them appropriately – more frequent at first, then tapering to avoid annoyance.
Is plain text better than HTML for deliverability?
Not necessarily. What matters more is engagement history. Emails from senders with good engagement records reach the inbox regardless of format. That said, plain text often feels more personal and less ‘marketing-like.’
How do I reduce unsubscribe rates?
Segment, segment, segment.
Most unsubscribes happen because the content isn’t relevant. Better targeting beats clever copywriting every time. Also, consider offering frequency options.
What’s a good open rate benchmark?
It varies by industry, so don’t obsess over industry averages. Try to focus instead on beating your previous results. A trend of improvement matters more than hitting an arbitrary benchmark.
Should I clean my email list regularly?
Absolutely. Subscribers who haven’t opened in six months or more are hurting your deliverability. Consider a re-engagement campaign before removing them, but don’t be afraid to let go of unengaged subscribers.
What’s the ideal subject line length?
Mobile optimization suggests keeping it under 41 characters, but factor in that relevance can matter more than length. A perfect 30-character subject line about something the recipient doesn’t care about will still get ignored.
