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How to Increase Your Open Rate in Email Marketing

Beefree team
Beefree team
Nov 25, 2020
How to Increase Your Open Rate in Email Marketing
How to Increase Your Open Rate in Email Marketing

Are you trying to increase your open rate in email marketing? Your open rate is important — after all, your customers have to open your email before they can click the CTA or make a purchase! Luckily, with a few key changes, improving your open rate isn’t that hard. Today we’re going to break down how to increase email open rate and make more sales. Read on to learn how to improve your open rate in email marketing.

Your open rate is important — after all, your customers have to open your email before they can click the CTA or make a purchase!

What’s a good email open rate?

A “good” email open rate will vary by niche. In general, though, the average open rate across all industries is 17.8%. If your email open rate is 15% or higher, that’s usually an average or good open rate. Of course, the goal is for your email open rate to be as high as it can be. Here’s how to increase email open rate through a few simple changes to your email marketing strategy.

Clean up your email list

Before you do anything else, try cleaning up your email list to help your open rate improve. Open rate (expressed as a percentage) is calculated by taking the number of emails read and dividing that by the total number of emails sent, then multiplying that by 100. So when you delete inactive email addresses from your email list, your open rate is automatically going to improve.You can clean up your email list by removing:

Once your email list is trimmed down, your open rate is going to improve, even if the same number of people open your emails as before. Revisit your email list every few months to keep it cleaned up.

Focus on deliverability

The next step is to make sure your email deliverability is as good as it can be. After all, your customers can’t open your emails if they don’t receive them! Improve your IP address so your emails won’t go to spam. You should also send emails on a regular basis to improve your email deliverability score. And don't forget to make it easy to unsubscribe so people don’t mark your messages as spam — like this GoMacro email with a clearly visible unsubscribe link in the footer:Subject line: Alexa, order MacroBars!

increase open rate in email marketing

Optimize your message for mobile

85% of users use smartphones to access their email, so it’s essential that you optimize your emails for mobile viewing. Keep your email short and concise with only the most relevant information. Also, make sure your CTA stands out and preview your message before sending to make sure it looks good. BEE’s email templates are responsive on any device, with the BEE editor’s preview tool allowing you to view your message before sending.

optimize email for mobile viewing

Be mindful of your subject line length

Your subject line acts as a preview of your email, teasing what’s inside and sparking your reader’s interest. So it’s important for the subject line to be as good as it can be. Keep your subject line to 50 characters or so with the most important words at the beginning so it can be read on any device. Don’t use spammy words, but do add numbers, percentages and emojis — all of which have been proven to increase email open rates. Here are a few subject lines we love:

  • It’s here! ✨ Our annual holiday sale starts now
  • Last call for an exclusive 15% off
  • The world’s comfiest party dress ??
  • Hot deals from $19.90 go cold tomorrow!
  • Don’t miss out — up to 40% off home ends today!

Perform A/B testing

Run A/B tests to help improve open rate. With A/B testing, you send one version of a certain email to one set of subscribers and a slightly different version of the same email to another set. This allows you to test individual design pieces such as your subject line, CTA or email copy to see which ones perform best. Then you can compile the best-performing elements into one stellar email.

Personalize your sender name

68% of Americans base their decision on whether to open an email on the “from” name. For best results, make sure yours is personal. Here are a few examples of what this looks like:

personalized sender name in email

This personal touch is more likely to make sure your email is opened.

Change your timing

What days of the week and times of day are you sending your emails? Revisiting your schedule might help improve your open rate in email marketing. The best time to send marketing emails will vary from brand to brand, so it will take some testing to see what boosts your open rate the most. In general, though, weekdays in the early afternoon are a good place to start.

Follow email design best practices

Our final tip to improve your open rate in email marketing is simple: Design good emails. Following basic email design best practices is one of the best ways to ensure your emails are consistently opened as your subscribers learn over time to expect high-quality content from you. A few key email design best practices include:

  • Structure your email so it’s easy to read
  • Be strategic with your use of color
  • Provide valuable, relevant content
  • Add dynamic content (GIFs or videos)
  • Write high-quality copy

Here’s a good example from J. Crew. Colorful photos showcase the products that are on sale, and the email encourages shoppers to plan ahead before providing relevant website and social media links. This is a well-designed marketing email that’s a pleasure to read. And when you build a reputation for sending the same, your open rate will improve.Subject line: Cozy on cozy on cozy 

email design best practices

Wrap-up: Increase your open rate in email marketing

Use the BEE email editor to help design emails that will boost your open rate. The BEE editor is a free marketing tool that makes it simple to create responsive, HTML emails by uploading images, adding text and typing directly onto CTA buttons. Use the BEE editor’s user-friendly, drag-and-drop interface to design beautiful marketing emails and increase your open rate!

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email layout with a violet background

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Now, let's be honest—you’ve likely heard about all of these rotating for the last few years. While email marketing has come a long way and is changing faster than ever, there’s only so much you can do within 600x1,500 pixels. However, there are no limits to where your creativity can take you. 

Let’s get into it.  

#1. Unique, tailored experiences 

Damian Grabarczyk, the co-founder and growth marketer of PetLab Co., says, “We faced the challenge of connecting meaningfully with an audience that expects more than one-size-fits-all communication.” 

When we speak about crafting tailored emails we mean going beyond the recipient's first name in the subject line. We’re talking about optimizing your entire email strategy to design multi-stage touchpoints to nurture leads across the customer lifecycle. As well as, leveraging data to send hyper-personalized, relevant, and engaging emails that feel less like a broadcast message and more like a conversation. 

Many are using AI machine learning algorithms and AI automation to analyze customer interactions, past purchases, browsing habits, website visits, and even social media behavior to curate engaging email content that resonates deeply with the real-time needs of recipients.

For PetLab Co this looked like including content such as an individual’s pet health history or product usage timelines. Damian Grabarzyk expands, “This approach transformed the conversion rate and strengthened customer loyalty. As we look ahead, I see brands in 2025 moving beyond generic personalization to adopt strategies that make customers feel truly understood and valued.”

On the other hand, many are leaning into user-generated content (UGC) for crafting tailored experiences. Customers today are more likely to trust the opinions of peers over branded messages. UGC like customer reviews, testimonials, videos, and photos are the best form of social proof depicting real people using and benefitting from your products or services. 

We see the benefits of using both AI and UGC to get the most out of your email conversions ;). 

#2. AI tools as an addition, not a substitution

Experts at NordPass state, "AI-powered content generation tools are not here to replace email copywriters and marketers. These tools make us more efficient. The smarter the tool is, the better equipped we are to create high-performing email content that drives results." 

AI tools can support us by significantly enhancing the speed, precision, and effectiveness of your emails. For instance while traditionally A/B testing has required a lot of time to analyze small variations with AI you quickly implement and test multiple email elements and make adjustments based on real-time engagement data. There are AI algorithms that can even predict which variations are most likely to resonate with different audience segments, leading to more accurate targeting and faster optimization.

In short, AI tools are revolutionizing the way we craft and optimize our email’s deliverability. There are many different types of AI solutions so we suggest finding the right one for your needs. 

#3. Even more transparency around data

With AI continuing to rise, folks are more and more concerned about where their data is going. That’s where zero-party data collection becomes a key strategy in email marketing, allowing you to gather data directly from customers rather than relying on third-party sources. 

Zero-party data includes information that consumers willingly share, such as preferences, interests, and purchase intentions. This data is often collected through surveys, preference centers, quizzes, or interactive content and is highly valuable because it is shared explicitly, ensuring accuracy and deeper personalization without privacy concerns associated with third-party tracking.

As privacy regulations tighten, zero-party data will empower you to deliver hyper-personalized email experiences while respecting user privacy. This approach will help you build trust, as customers feel more in control of their data, and you gain insights that lead to more relevant and engaging email content.

#4. The death of static emails

With attention span getting shorter day after day, digest-format emails are expected to rise in popularity in 2025. Presenting email content in an easy-to-scan, organized, and minimalistic layout will surely help deliver the most relevant information in a fraction of the time. 

Additionally, interactive emails will allow recipients to directly engage within the email without having to visit a landing page or website. Interactive elements like product carousels, polls, and quizzes create a dynamic experience that keeps subscribers engaged, especially in visually driven industries like fashion brands

So what now? 

You’ve heard these strategies before, but now it’s time to actually put them into action. The brands that win at email marketing in 2025 won’t just be sending emails—they’ll be creating experiences. Whether it’s hyper-personalized content, AI-driven efficiency, zero-party data collection, or interactive emails that break the mold, the key is to stay ahead of the curve.

So, what’s the first strategy you’ll finally implement? Your inbox (and your audience) are waiting.

How to Leverage Email Campaigns to Gather Sincere Product Reviews

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Email makes gathering authentic product reviews quick and easy. By collecting sincere feedback, you can build trust, increase sales, boost loyalty, and innovate product improvements. 

That said, requesting reviews via email requires precise timing, personalized messaging, and lots of engagement optimizations. But don’t worry—we’ll walk you through some key steps to create email campaigns that deliver the valuable feedback you need.

Why product reviews matter

Product reviews do more than confirm that you're meeting customers’ needs. Sincere feedback drives loyalty and sales, offers valuable customer insights, and helps you develop a strategic product development roadmap.

  • Fosters customer loyalty: Requesting and listening to feedback makes your customers feel valued and heard. It demonstrates that you prioritize customer satisfaction, which helps you build stronger, long-term relationships. Review requests also act as re-engagement emails by starting new conversations with customers.
  • Increases sales: Social proof drives sales. According to a recent survey by Power Reviews, 90% of potential customers use online reviews to make purchasing decisions. In fact, reviews have more influence over purchasing decisions than product prices. Turning product reviews into customer testimonials and encouraging reviews on third-party sites can significantly boost sales.
Image sourced from powerreviews.com
  • Builds Customer 360 insights: Customer feedback delivers insights into customer needs and sentiments, enriching Customer 360. Exactly what is Customer 360? It’s a unified, 360-degree view of customer data. It empowers you to tailor products and customer experiences to meet individual needs and preferences. 
  • Drives product improvements: Sincere customer feedback reveals what target customers like/dislike about your products. It provides key insight into their value, functionality, and usability, unlocking large-scale development opportunities.

How to create an email campaign to collect product reviews

Want to unlock the power of product reviews? Let’s explore how to create email campaigns that encourage customers to share their feedback.

Segment your audience

Like promotional emails, product review requests shouldn’t be sent to every subscriber.

If subscribers haven’t had the chance to try your product, product review requests will feel irrelevant and may trigger unsubscriptions. So, only send review email requests to customers recently trying your product.

You can do this by segmenting your email list based on where customers are in the buying cycle. Target loyal customers, recent purchasers, and first-time buyers with tailored email campaigns. This ensures that you’re sending emails to customers most likely to respond with insightful feedback.

Write a compelling email subject line

According to Superoffice, 33% of people open an email based on the subject line. 

Image sourced from superoffice.com

To get the click-through rates you want, your email subject lines should be personalized, relevant, and engaging. Here are some examples:

  • Did you love [product]? Or hate it? Let us know!
  • We value your opinion — help us improve!
  • We want YOU to help us make our product better!
  • Up for a discount? Share your feedback for 10% off! 

Learn more > Tips for writing open worthy subject lines.

Optimize for customer engagement

A successful email marketing strategy relies on customer engagement. Here are some key email elements you need to encourage interactions.

  • An attractive email design: With the right layout, color scheme, typography, and images, you ensure easy readability and promote interaction. Use these engagement-boosting email design best practices to help you create a design that boosts conversion rates.
  • Gratitude and value: Thank customers for reading the email and explaining why their feedback is so important. Also, consider including a personalized Gmail email signature with your content details to build trust and encourage customers to engage with your review request. 
  • Personalized, relevant content: Personalized email content motivates engagement. Use customer data platform (CDP) data to tailor messages to individual customers. What is a CDP? It’s a centralized platform that collects and unifies customer information, building comprehensive customer profiles. 
  • Incentives: Offering a small discount can motivate customers to leave reviews, especially first-time buyers. That said, incentives can (sometimes) generate insincere reviews, so stress the importance of honesty. 
  • A strong call-to-action (CTA): Your CTA should direct readers straight to the reviews submission page. Use clear CTAs with bold buttons and typography to make it stand out.
  • Mobile responsiveness: If your emails are slow to load or don’t display correctly on mobile devices, your bounce rate will spike. Leverage solutions that offer advanced mobile optimization features — such as Beefree— to create responsive emails every single time.

Ask specific, concise questions

Complex, drawn-out questions that are too open-ended can disengage customers. So, get straight to the point with concise, direct questions. Here are some examples:

  • What did you think of [specific product feature]?
  • How often do you use our product?
  • What are your favorite/least favorite features?
  • How likely are you to recommend this product?
  • What could we do to improve our product?

Use a mixture of closed and open-ended questions to increase your chances of receiving meaningful responses.

Make it easy to respond

The easier it is for customers to leave a review, the more responses you’ll receive. So, make the process as seamless and convenient as possible. One way to do this is with survey emails.

Email surveys have high response rates. They can be completed within the email with minimal effort, which is a big plus for busy customers. And, they can generate a wealth of quantitative data and metrics that are quick to analyze, leading to faster improvements. BeeFree has an extensive collection of email survey templates to suit every need.

For longer review requests, include a CTA that directly links to the review submission page. Review forms should use simple, clear language, be optimized for mobile, and have a progress bar. 

You could even provide your telephone contact details to allow customers to leave a review via telephone. It’s the preferred communication method for 55% of Baby Boomers according to Hubspot, so it’s worth considering. 

Leverage small business telephone services from Vonage to access call center capabilities like virtual receptionists and CRM integrations, streamlining processes.

Also consider directing customers to leave reviews on popular review sites, such as Google and Amazon.

Optimize email timings

If you send product review requests too early, there’s a chance your customers won’t have tried your product yet. But if you send them too late, your customer might have forgotten their experience. 

So, when’s the best time to request reviews? 

Aim to send review requests within 7-14 days post-purchase. This gives customers a chance to try the product a few times, leading to more sincere, meaningful reviews. Plan for seasonal surges such as Black Friday and incorporate them into your schedules.

Key takeaways

Do email campaigns work for gathering valuable product reviews that drive improvements, boost trust, and increase sales and loyalty? 

Absolutely — but they need to be strategic.

To generate sincere reviews and valuable data, ensure your marketing emails are personalized, engaging, and optimized for convenience. And, use email list segmentation and marketing automation to ensure they’re sent to the right customers at the right time.

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