Did you know that the average email open rate reached 21.5% in 2021? This 3.5% increase over the previous year shows that more and more companies are improving their email marketing strategies.

But here comes the interesting part. The numbers vary drastically depending on your industry. While education enjoys an impressive 28.5% openness, e-commerce barely reaches 15.66%. The email marketing open rate 2023 reveals even more specific data: emails sent on Fridays get 22% of opens, while on Sundays they drop to 20.3%.

Wondering what a good open rate is? The answer is not simple. Automated emails can skyrocket up to 46.53% of opens, while regular newsletters remain at 20.92%. Fun fact: emails sent on Tuesdays receive 20% more opens than the weekly average.

There are additional factors you need to consider. 80% of users consider spelling errors to be the most serious mistake in email communications. In addition, with 48.3% of emails in Spain consulted from mobile devices, optimizing for these devices becomes essential.

In this guide, you’ll learn the strategies that experts rarely reveal to double your open rate. We’ll show you proven techniques that will transform your email marketing results immediately.

Remember that improving your open rate not only increases your reach, but also improves your domain’s reputation and optimizes the return on investment of your campaigns. Started!

What is open rate and how is it calculated?

Open rate is a critical metric for measuring the performance of your email marketing campaigns. Mastering this concept will allow you to optimize your strategies and achieve superior results in each shipment.

Definition of open rate in email marketing

The open rate represents the percentage of recipients who open an email out of the total number of emails successfully delivered. You should note that this calculation only considers emails that actually arrived in the recipient’s inbox, excluding those bounced by invalid addresses.

This metric helps you evaluate two key elements:

• The effectiveness of your subject lines
• The quality and engagement of your contact base

However, keep in mind that this metric can be misleading. An email is counted as “opened” only when the recipient downloads the embedded images, and many users keep the images locked in their email clients.

Formula for calculating open rate

Here’s the exact formula for calculating this metric:

Open Rate (%) = (Emails Opened / Emails Delivered) × 100

A practical example: if you send 1000 emails and 200 are opened, you get an open rate of 20%. Remember that “delivered emails” are those that actually arrived in the recipient’s tray, not the total sent.

To apply this formula correctly, follow these steps:

1. Calculate delivered emails (sent minus bounces)
2. Determine how many emails were opened
3. Divide the openings among the delivered ones
4. Multiply by 100 to get the percentage

A good open rate ranges from 20% to 22%, although it varies considerably depending on your industry. Government emails reach up to 40.55% opening, while other sectors maintain lower averages.

Difference Between Single and Total Open Rate

You need to understand the distinction between these two types of openings to correctly interpret your results:

• Unique opens: Count every individual contact who opened your campaign, no matter how many times they opened it. If 3 users open your email out of 10 delivered, the single rate would be 30%.
• Total opens: Add up all the times your campaign was opened, including multiple opens from the same user. If those 3 users opened the email 1, 2 and 4 times respectively (7 total opens), the total rate would be 70%.

Both metrics offer different perspectives on engagement. Unique opens reveal how many different people interacted with your message, while total opens can indicate high interest from specific subscribers who review your content repeatedly.

We recommend using open rate as a benchmark between similar submissions to the same audience. This will allow you to assess whether interest in your messages is increasing, decreasing, or remaining stable.

Factors Affecting Open Rate

The results of your email marketing campaigns don’t depend on chance. There are specific elements that determine whether your emails are opened or ended up in the spam folder. Below, we’ll explain the most important factors you can control to improve your open rate.

Database quality

Your database represents the heart of any successful campaign. Incorrect, duplicate, or outdated addresses generate a high percentage of bounced emails, damaging both the user experience and the reputation of your domain.

A quality list is measured by its accuracy, not its size. Getting subscribers through buying or renting lists, co-registrations, and similar practices virtually guarantees very low open rates. Each contact must have shown genuine interest in your content and expressly confirmed their permission to receive your communications.

We recommend using email validation systems to verify that each address is valid and active. These tools identify errors in real-time and purge existing databases, significantly improving the deliverability of your campaigns.

Sending frequency

Determining the right frequency requires constant balance and analysis. More than 26% of consumers would abandon a brand for receiving too many communications, while 10% would do the same for receiving too little.

Your subscribers’ preferences vary considerably: 34% want to know about promotions immediately, 25% prefer a maximum of daily communication, and 26% opt for weekly updates. This diversity shows that there is no universal formula.

To find your optimal cadence, run A/B tests with different frequencies and analyze metrics like open rates and cancellations. Establishing predictable regularity helps your subscribers know when to expect your communications.

Audience segmentation

Segmenting your list allows you to send personalized and relevant messages to specific groups, dramatically increasing the chances of opening. 25% of consumers would cut relationships with brands that send irrelevant content.

Divide your list based on criteria such as interests, buying behavior, or geographic location to tailor your content to the specific needs of each group. This strategy improves both the open rate and the overall engagement with your brand.

When you segment correctly, your subscribers receive information they truly value, strengthening their relationship with you and fostering long-term loyalty.

Mobile Optimization

With more users checking email from mobile devices, your templates need to be responsive and display correctly on any device, browser, or email client.

To optimize your emails on mobile, follow these recommendations:

• Implement a responsive design that adjusts automatically
• Keep font sizes readable: 14px for text and 22px for headlines
• Ensures that links and buttons are at least 44×44 pixels
• Reduce image sizes to speed up loading

Avoid spam filters

Spam filters can ruin your efforts by preventing your emails from reaching their destination. To avoid this situation:

• Use recognizable and reliable sender names, avoiding generic addresses such as “non-reply@”
• Take care of your content and avoid words that trigger filters such as “free”, “urgent” or “offer”
• Maintain a balance between text and images, as too much of these can lead to suspicion
• Moderate the use of links in your emails

The reputation of your domain and sending address is critical. If you’ve sent campaigns marked as spam or to lists with a lot of non-existent emails, you’ll need to actively work to rehabilitate this reputation.

Remember that each of these factors works together. Optimizing just one while ignoring the others will limit your results. The key is to address all aspects holistically to maximize your open rate.

Common mistakes that reduce open rate

Identifying the mistakes you make in your campaigns can be the difference between success and failure. We’ll show you the most frequent failures that may be sinking your open rate without you even realizing it.

Generic or misleading matters

The subject line represents the first contact your subscribers have with your message. A generic subject line like “Monthly Newsletter” doesn’t add value and misses a crucial opportunity to capture attention. To avoid the spam folder, you should avoid spam-sounding words like “buy”, “offer” or “click”.

80% of users consider spelling and grammatical errors to be the most serious mistake in an email. Not only do these mistakes detract from professionalism, but they also work as spam triggers, drastically reducing your open rate.

Impersonal senders

Using generic addresses like “Admin” or “[email protected]” shows a lack of interest in making a real connection with your subscribers. 70% of millennials are annoyed by irrelevant or impersonal marketing emails.

We recommend that you configure each email with a real first and last name instead of generic addresses. A personalized sender improves deliverability and increases trust, making emails perceived as genuine human interactions.

Not respecting the casualties

Omitting a visible link to unsubscribe not only violates regulations such as the GDPR in Europe, but also damages your brand’s reputation. When users can’t easily unsubscribe, they’ll mark your email as spam, negatively impacting the deliverability of future campaigns.

The process should be simple and transparent. Additionally, offering alternatives such as reducing the frequency of sending can help you retain subscribers who simply want fewer communications.

Excessive use of images or links

Newsletters overloaded with images frequently end up in the spam folder. An email that contains only images has three times less impact than one with the right balance between text and images. We recommend that you maintain a 60/40 ratio of text and images, respectively.

Missing or over-linking can backfire. Emails without links waste opportunities to redirect traffic to your website or products, while too many links trigger spam filters. Balance is essential to maintain a good open rate in your email marketing campaigns.

Effective Techniques to Double Your Open Rate

Below, we’ll show you the techniques that actually work to significantly increase your open rate. These strategies, tested by thousands of specialists, will help you stand out in crowded inboxes.

Step 1: Customize the subject and sender

Personalization increases open rates by up to 26% when you include the recipient’s name in the subject line. Emails with personalization also register 27% more unique clicks. By using the subscriber’s real name in the subject line, you immediately grab their attention among dozens of generic emails.

We recommend setting each email with a first and last name instead of generic addresses like “noreply@.” When the email comes from a real person, it creates a more human connection that is hard to ignore.

To implement this technique correctly:

1. Use the subscriber’s name in the sender field
2. Include your name in the subject line where relevant
3. Avoid generic addresses like “admin@” or “info@”
4. Maintain sender name consistency across campaigns

Step 2: Use Attractive Preheaders

The preheader is that little text that appears after the subject line in the inbox. It works as a second subject line that you can leverage to amplify your message. Well-designed preheaders can significantly increase the open rate.

Here’s how to optimize this element:

• Concentrate key content in the first 35 characters
• Include a clear call to action
• Experiment with emojis to stand out
• Create curiosity without just summarizing content

Remember that you have between 100-110 characters available, so take full advantage of them.

Step 3: Create urgency with calls to action

Incorporate elements of urgency through words like “now,” “today,” or “limited time.” This strategy encourages subscribers to act immediately because they don’t want to miss out on the opportunity you offer them.

To apply this technique effectively:

1. Include clear calls to action at least three times in the email
2. Place them in the first three-quarters of the mail
3. Use colored buttons that contrast with the background
4. Vary the format of calls to action

Step 4: Forward unopened emails with variations

An effective but underused technique is to forward your campaigns to those who didn’t open the first email. To implement it correctly, we recommend:

1. Wait 1-3 days after original shipment
2. Modify the subject or send at a different time
3. Keep the same main content with small tweaks
4. Segment only non-openers

This strategy can recover seemingly lost contacts and significantly increase the reach of your campaign without additional effort.

Step 5: A/B Tests and Measure Results

A/B testing is critical to optimizing your shipments. We recommend experimenting with different elements such as subjects, preheaders, shipping days and times.

To obtain statistically relevant results:

1. Submit each version to a minimum of 5% of your database
2. Modify only one item per test
3. Send both versions at the same time
4. Analyze results after 24-48 hours
5. Roll out the winning version to the rest of your list

Remember that only by modifying one item per test will you be able to identify exactly which factor influenced the results. If you have any questions about implementing these techniques, our team will be happy to help.

How to maintain and scale a good open rate

Once you’ve managed to improve your open rate, the real challenge is to maintain those results in the long term. We recommend that you implement a system that allows you to monitor and optimize constantly, because good results do not stand alone.

Monitor key metrics like click-through rate

Do you know what metrics you should keep an eye on in addition to open rate? To understand the real impact of your campaigns, you need to look at a whole set of indicators:

• Click-through rate (CTR): Indicates the percentage of subscribers who clicked on at least one link
• Conversion rate: Percentage that took the desired action
• Bounce rate: Emails that didn’t reach their destination
• Cancellation rate: Percentage of unsubscribes after receiving your email

If you notice a high open rate but few clicks, you should review and adjust your calls to action. Remember that opening the email is only the first step in the process.

Update and clean your list regularly

Reviewing your database is essential to maintain a good open rate over time. After every 3-4 campaigns, it removes confirmed and hard bounces.

If you have a high percentage of unopened emails, you can separate them into a different sub-account and design specific campaigns to reactivate them. An effective strategy is to invite inactive subscribers to reconfirm their subscription before deleting them permanently, using an attractive subject line that encourages them to open your email.

Automate campaigns based on user behavior

Automation allows you to send personalized messages at the right time without manual effort. Set up automated flows that are triggered by specific actions such as a purchase, subscription, or download of content.

Automated emails achieve up to 199% higher open rates than bulk mailings, especially when based on specific user behaviors such as cart abandonments or birthdays.

Tailor content to the subscriber lifecycle

Each subscriber is in a different phase of relationship with your brand. Tailoring your emails to the customer lifecycle is crucial for better long-term results.

For growing customers, send regular newsletters that keep them engaged. For loyalty, offer exclusive content or special benefits. When you spot signs of disinterest, implement revival strategies with personalized offers before they are lost for good.

Conclusion

Doubling your open rate is no coincidence. It is the result of applying the right strategies consistently. Throughout this article, we’ve gone from the basics to the advanced techniques that make a real difference in your campaigns.

Knowing the average open rate for your industry helps you set realistic goals. However, remember that you can always beat those averages by applying the techniques we’ve shared with you.

The quality of your database is critical to success. We recommend using services to validate emails such as verificaremails.com. This tool removes incorrect or inactive addresses, improving your reputation as a sender and increasing your open rates immediately.

If you need to process large volumes of emails, you can automate the entire process by using the email validation api. This will allow you to keep your list clean consistently without manual effort.

The personalization techniques we’ve looked at can increase your opens by up to 26%. Well-optimized preheaders and strategic calls to action are elements that you should continuously test through A/B testing.

Regularly analyze not only your open rates, but also clicks, conversions, and bounces. These metrics will give you a complete view of how your campaigns are performing.

Successful email marketing is based on providing genuine value to your subscribers. Take care of your list, segment correctly, personalize your messages and adapt the content to the specific moment of each user.

Get started by applying these strategies today. Experiment, measure the results, and adjust based on what you learn. The dedication you invest will be rewarded with better open rates and higher return on investment.

If you have any questions about how to implement any of these techniques, our team will be happy to help you. The investment in improving your open rates pays off from the first optimized campaign.

The end result? More effective campaigns, greater engagement of your subscribers and sustainable growth of your business through email marketing.

FAQs

Q1. What is open rate in email marketing and why is it important?
Open rate is the percentage of recipients who open an email in relation to the total number of emails delivered. It’s important because it indicates the relevance of your issues and the quality of your contact list, helping you evaluate and improve the performance of your campaigns.

Q2. How can I improve my email open rate?
To improve open rate, personalize the subject and sender, use attractive preheaders, create urgency with clear calls to action, optimize your emails for mobile devices, and run A/B tests to identify what works best with your audience.

Q3. What is a good open rate for email marketing?
A good open rate generally ranges from 20% to 22%, although it can vary significantly depending on the sector. For example, government sector couriers can reach rates of up to 40.55%, while other sectors average lower rates.

Q4. How does database quality affect open rate?
The quality of the database is crucial for the success of your campaigns. Incorrect or outdated addresses can increase bounces and negatively affect your sender reputation. Keeping a clean and up-to-date list improves deliverability and, therefore, the open rate.

Q5. What mistakes should I avoid so as not to reduce my open rate?
Avoid using generic or misleading subject lines, impersonal senders such as “noreply@”, not respecting unsubscribe requests, and excessive use of images or links in your emails. These errors can cause your emails to be marked as spam or simply ignored by recipients.