Email Marketing Solutions

Studies have shown that we only have a few seconds to grab someone’s attention to get them to read our message.

Whether it’s an ad, landing page, sales page, or email subject line… you need to HOOK your reader immediately.

So how do you hook your subscriber and get them to open YOUR email when they are staring at their inbox with hundreds or thousands of unopened emails?

You’ve got to stand out in the inbox.

I’ve got 21 tips to help you do that. Broken down into 4 sections, each of these tips can help you get more emails opened, read, and clicked.

Part 1 – Your Subject Line 

1. Use a proven framework

There are hundreds of frameworks and templates out there. Tried, tested, and proven.

And there’s no need to reinvent the wheel.

You can even study past emails that you’ve sent to see which ones had the highest open and click rates to create your own list of email frameworks that resonate with your audience.

Using a set of proven frameworks and templates makes generating subject lines easier and more predictable.

2. Curiosity + Benefit

Speaking of frameworks, my favorite is the Curiosity + Benefit framework.

If you can invoke curiosity in your subject line, and provide a benefit for the subscriber to open the email… you’ve got subject line gold.

3. Walk the edge of “clickbait”

Go and review those native ads that you see at the bottom of websites.

The ones you KNOW are clickbait.

What about those headlines makes you want to click?

Duplicate that with your emails. WITH ONE EXCEPTION… make sure your email actually fulfills the promise you made in your subject line.

4. Short and sweet

Most people are reading emails on their phones. Which means you have even less space to create a compelling subject line.

So keep it short and sweet. Make sure that you test it and you can read it on your phone.

5. Personalization

Don’t overuse this one, but seeing your own name in the subject line can definitely grab your attention.

Use it strategically and you’ll see some great results.

6. Emojis

A picture says a thousand words. So in a short space with a limited character count, an emoji can go a long way.

However… make sure you test your email in multiple inboxes (Gmail, Apple, Yahoo, Outlook, etc.) Different email providers may have different emoji settings.

Make sure that the one(s) you’ve selected shows up the way that you want it to.

7. Questions are good

We naturally want to find answers to questions. They are an open loop that we NEED to close.

So asking questions in your subject lines can be powerful.

8. Study what others are doing… and do the opposite

Pay attention to what your competitors are doing in the inbox.

And do the opposite.

It pays to be different. Blending in doesn’t HOOK your reader.

9. Use AI to generate ideas

I’m not a huge AI fan at this point. BUT… I love using it to come up with ideas.

One of the most powerful ways that I’ve been able to use AI is to generate dozens of subject line ideas. You’ll have to filter through some bad ones… but you’ll find some gems that you can tweak and use.

Part 2 – From Name

10. Keep it recognizable

There are some very successful email marketers that like to use unique “from” names.

And I won’t say that they are wrong.

However… your name needs to be recognizable. Otherwise it can come across as spammy.

Often it’s best to just go with the brand name.

11. Avoid “reply-to”

Avoid using reply-to from names and email addresses.

You lose the personal touch that email can bring.

Email is a one-to-one relationship tool. Don’t ruin that with a reply-to email address or from name.

12. Implement BIMI

This is a security and deliverability booster.

BIMI stands for Brand Indicators for Message Identification.

It’s the picture or image that shows up in the inbox next to your email. 

You want to really stand out? Have a clear, bright image that shows up next to your email in the inbox. People will know immediately who the email is from and the image draws eyes like moths to a flame.

13. Stay consistent

The last thing you want to do is to change your “from” name with each email send.

This is especially true early in the relationship.

The more that subscribers get used to seeing you pop up in their inbox with the same “from” name, compelling subject line, and valuable content… the more they are going to be programmed to open.

If you focus on building relationships, providing value, and telling stories… you can get away with more creative “from” names later on with your best subscribers.

But as you get started… keep things simple.

Part 3 – Send Time

14. Use local sending times when possible

You probably have subscribers all across the world. Or at least across the country.

Sending your emails at 10am or 4pm local time might seem great until you realize that’s the middle of the night for some of your subscribers.

Plan ahead and schedule early so that you can send emails at 10am local time.

15. Test AM vs PM

Test sending times. 

You may find that your audience responds better with later sending times. Or maybe they do engaged at a higher level earlier in the day.

Test, test, test.

16. Avoid middle of the day

That being said, I’ve found that it’s best to avoid the middle of the day. Especially during the week.

People are busy and your emails either get lost in the ocean of emails or they get put in the “come back to this later” bucket.

17. Weekdays are best

Finally, weekdays are typically best. If you are only sending a couple times, focus on weekdays.

The more you send, you’ll end up sending a few emails over the weekend as well. But in my experience, Tuesday-Thursday performs best for most brands.

Part 4 – Deliverability

18. Ensure technicals are set up correctly

SPF, DKIM, DMARC.

Make sure these are set up correctly. Otherwise you’ll have a hard time landing in the inbox.

Most ESPs will help you do this. Just access their help documents and follow the steps.

19. Focus on emailing your engaged subscribers

Your engagement metrics (open rate, clicks, replies) are the primary way that email providers determine where your email should land.

The better engagement you get, the more likely you are to land in the inbox.

To do this effectively, focus on emailing your engaged subscribers. People that have opened or clicked on email in the last 90 days at most.

20. Make it easy to unsubscribe

When people decide they no longer want to receive your emails they do one of two things. 

Either they unsubscribe or they mark you as spam.

One of those is good, the other one can be a death sentence.

Make it easy to unsubscribe. Don’t hide the link at the bottom in tiny print with hard to read colors.

That’s just bad practice and will come back around to bite you.

21. Provide value

If you do NOTHING else… provide value.

When you send emails that subscribers want to open, read, and click… then they will.

Value can be educational, entertaining, or inspiration. Whatever best suits your brand.

What Should YOU Do Next?

1. Follow me on LinkedIn for daily email tips and what’s working now
2. Leave a like or a comment on this post to let me know what you thought. 
3. If you need an email list manager for your brand or business, send me an email at ben@henkenmarketing.com or fill out this form and I’ll be in touch.
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