It doesn't matter how big your list is if nobody is actually opening your emails.
It's much more effective to have a smaller list with a good open rate than it is to have a huge list with a bad one.
Let's look at a few things you can do to improve your open rate.
Probably the most important factor is to actually provide value so your subscribers want to read your emails.
If all you're sending is one pitch after another, and your emails are all full of hype, your open rate is not going to be very good.
Lots of people don't bother to unsubscribe from email lists that they don't read, but they just hit the delete button whenever they see something from those people.
This is worse than unsubscribing in some ways because you never really know how many people your emails are ultimately reaching.
Another critical issue about getting your subscribers to open and read your email is to avoid using tricks.
You've likely received a lot of emails with a subject that says something along the lines of "You've got a commission!" but when you open it, it's just another pitch for something.
Using these kinds of tricks won't work for long - if at all - and it's just going to make your subscribers tune you out.
Building a list should be a long-term project, not just a one- or two-time hit that dies off after that.
Your email's subject line will also have a bearing on how many people open it.
Think of it as similar to the headline of a salesletter - it should convince people to open and read your email.
Make the reader curious about the subject so they read your email to get more information.
Just make sure your subject is actually related to the contents of the message itself! And finally, make sure that your messages are reaching your subscribers, not getting flagged as spam by the major email services.
Some markets have a bigger problem with this than others, since certain words can trigger spam filters.
But you should always test your emails with the major services like Gmail, Hotmail and Yahoo Mail.
If your email provider offers a spam rating, you should also keep an eye on that.
eg.
Aweber and Imnica give you a spam rating for every email you write.
When the rating is under a certain point, your email shouldn't have any problem getting delivered.
It also tells you exactly what is being flagged as a problem, so if the rating is too high you can correct the things that are causing it.
It's much more effective to have a smaller list with a good open rate than it is to have a huge list with a bad one.
Let's look at a few things you can do to improve your open rate.
Probably the most important factor is to actually provide value so your subscribers want to read your emails.
If all you're sending is one pitch after another, and your emails are all full of hype, your open rate is not going to be very good.
Lots of people don't bother to unsubscribe from email lists that they don't read, but they just hit the delete button whenever they see something from those people.
This is worse than unsubscribing in some ways because you never really know how many people your emails are ultimately reaching.
Another critical issue about getting your subscribers to open and read your email is to avoid using tricks.
You've likely received a lot of emails with a subject that says something along the lines of "You've got a commission!" but when you open it, it's just another pitch for something.
Using these kinds of tricks won't work for long - if at all - and it's just going to make your subscribers tune you out.
Building a list should be a long-term project, not just a one- or two-time hit that dies off after that.
Your email's subject line will also have a bearing on how many people open it.
Think of it as similar to the headline of a salesletter - it should convince people to open and read your email.
Make the reader curious about the subject so they read your email to get more information.
Just make sure your subject is actually related to the contents of the message itself! And finally, make sure that your messages are reaching your subscribers, not getting flagged as spam by the major email services.
Some markets have a bigger problem with this than others, since certain words can trigger spam filters.
But you should always test your emails with the major services like Gmail, Hotmail and Yahoo Mail.
If your email provider offers a spam rating, you should also keep an eye on that.
eg.
Aweber and Imnica give you a spam rating for every email you write.
When the rating is under a certain point, your email shouldn't have any problem getting delivered.
It also tells you exactly what is being flagged as a problem, so if the rating is too high you can correct the things that are causing it.
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