One of the biggest questions I receive is… ”Ashley, how do I increase my open rates?” Before we dive in, I want to make it clear that there are a couple different variables to take into consideration. This is why I take a different approach! You need to learn how to create a solid relationship with your email subscriber. (As opposed to quick fix tactics that don’t work for the long run.)

Let’s set the stage. According to Campaign Monitor’s 2020 report, the average open rate is 17% for US senders.  Different industries have different open rates, so don’t feel like 17% is the best it can get. I’ve seen clients with 40%+ open rates because they have solid relationships with their subscribers. The potential to stand out and dominate in your space with email is there. Let’s dive into how you can do this for yourself.

How to Create a Relationship With Your Email Subscriber (and skyrocket your open rates!)

Consistency is key

Every time I used to hear this, I would roll my eyes. Well, duh, of course consistency is important when you want to create a relationship with your email subscriber. But at that point, I wasn’t being very consistent with anything in my business. Now that I have shifted into being more consistent across the board, massive shifts have happened in the past few months. The same can happen for you in email. 

Consistency for you can mean whatever you want it to mean. If that looks like sending one campaign a month, awesome. Maybe it is once a week, perfect. You set the pace and run that race. When you’re building a relationship with someone, creating those key touch points are crucial.

You don’t start dating someone and reach out sporadically… there is usually a pace you are communicating at to keep it going. Do the same with your list. Focus on batching your campaigns in order to get ahead and keep it flowing. This creates an expectation and your subscribers will start to pay more attention if you consistently show up in their inbox.

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Tone makes all the difference

For many of us, we come from a corporate background. I know when I first started writing emails, they were very bland. No personality. Just straight to the point and quite boring. Listen, even though we are taught to write that way, nobody wants to read those types of emails. 

Instead, focus on writing as if you are writing to your best friend. Even as I write this blog post, I’m focusing on writing as if I was sitting down with my BFF Diana and sharing this information with her. All in all, make sure you show your personality, keep the tone conversational, and focus on talking TO your subscriber and not AT them.

If you have a major writer’s block surrounding your tone, use the voice note option. Record yourself saying the things, transcribe it, and clean it up for your email. This can usually help get your brain going with the extra mindset drama that comes with it.

Subject lines that pique interest (but are not misleading!)

Want my #1 subject line hack? Keep it simple. Seriously, so often we try to think of these super clever subject lines. We use generators, do hours of research, and quite frankly, my best subject line ever was “hey.” It can be THAT simple. 

Keep an open loop with your email subject line. Another idea is, “you won’t believe this…” and it could be about an event that happened such as your toddler putting ketchup on your new white pants. 

On the flipside, I always mention the importance of never being misleading. I’ve seen companies send out emails that reference an appointment or an invoice that doesn’t actually exist. It frustrates the subscriber and can create a ding in your integrity. Be creative, funny, and clever, but always relate it back to the content in the email.

Building a relationship with your subscriber really boils down to being consistent, creating a conversational tone, and using subject lines that pique their interest. We always want to put our best foot forward and by following these three tips, you can easily skyrocket your open rates in no time!

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