How To Increase E-Mail Open Rates

You can write the most persuasive e-mail ever know to man, but it doesn't do much good if nobody opens to read it, right?

So, how do you increase your open rates?

Here are a few suggestions:

1. Start with writing a compelling subject line that entices your readers to open. The 3 most obvious (and common) types of subject lines are urgency, curiosity, and controversy.

2. Segment your list. Dividing your subscribers into sub-lists will allow you to tailor your messages directly to their interest AND since you're mailing to a smaller number...you'll likely see an automatic increase in your open and click-through percentages.

3. Prune your list of inactive subscribers. You should be able to monitor bounced e-mail addresses and separate additional, inactive subscribers from those that are active.

The biggest thing to remember is not getting caught up with what you hear everyone else saying.
Someone might get a 50% open rate compare to, say, your 5%...but they're likely mailing to a FRACTION of the amount of subscribers.