TL;DR – Three quick ways to lift email open rates
- Align subject + preview: Treat preview text as a continuation of the subject so the promise is crystal clear.
- Focus on reputation, not “spam words”: Modern filtering leans on sender/domain trust and engagement—test what works with your audience.
- Embrace unsubscribes: Make it easy to opt out to keep a smaller, more engaged list that boosts average open rates.
- Always test: A/B subject lines, sender names, and send times; keep what moves your baseline.
Ready to turn your email campaigns into open rate beasts? Awesome, because below we’re going to dive into some simple yet incredibly effective strategies to get those email opens soaring. And guess what? You shouldn’t lose sleep over unsubscribes either. Let’s roll!
Get the subject line and preview text right
First things first – your subject line is your email’s ticket to the inbox party. It’s like the bouncer who decides if your email gets in. So, make it epic!
Include phrases that indicate you know who that recipient is beyond an email. Pepper in their industry, job title, pain points, etc. A little curiosity, humor, or a sprinkle of urgency can work wonders. For instance:
- “Four Things Every Purchasing Agent Does Wrong”
- “The Two Reports Your Boss Wants Now”
- “AI Keeping You Up At Night? Fight Back With These Six Tips”
See what we did there? Intrigue and excitement are your best friends here. Speaking directly to your customers and not about yourself is also key. And adding in steps or list numbers also works on the human psyche to pique interest.
Whatever your subject line is, continue the concept and intrigue with your preview text. Treat it as an extension of your subject line—because it is. These two items are your one shot to get your email opened, don’t hold back!
Everything you know about spam filters is wrong
Let’s talk about the email equivalent of the dark side – spam filters.
You’re probably twisting yourself into pretzels trying to avoid ending up in your customers’ junk folder. Don’t worry, everything that probably has you worried hasn’t been relevant in 15 years.
That’s right, most spam flags are antiquated and no longer a factor.
- All caps or exclamation marks in your subject line? GO FOR IT!
- Want to use emojis? We ❤️ ’em!
- [Brackets], (parenthesis) and *asterisks* work. They are get attention and opens.
- Afraid to use the word “free?” It gets a 34% open rate on average.
- Ellipsis… can get B2B a 21% increase in open rates.
- Above all test, test, and test some more.
In fact, most spam flags you’ll read about are not really enforced anymore. Your email ending up in a spam folder has more to do with the provider’s sending reputation, if the domain you’re sending from is trusted, how many times the user has engaged with your email in the past, and whether or not you send out an attachment to hundreds or thousands of people at once (don’t do that) among other things.
You want a healthy sending reputation basically, and your subject line has little to do with that.
Don’t believe us? Check out what email guru Jay Schwedelson has had to say on this topic. He’s a genius and we love him.
Unsubscribes are not a crime, embrace them!
Dread seeing a dozen unsubscribes on every email send? Don’t sweat it. It’s natural, and more often than not has nothing to do with you or your email.
People unsubscribe for lots of reasons. Maybe they changed jobs (and industries), maybe they’re no longer in the market for what you’re selling, or maybe they’re just having one of those days and unsubscribed from every marketing email that landed in their inbox that day.
It’s okay. Really.
As long as you’re not seeing big spam reports (that’s a whole other story), unsubscribes are actually a good thing. People that aren’t into you right now probably aren’t opening, let alone clicking, anything you’re sending them, and that’s just dragging down your overall open rates. Say goodbye to them for now, and when the time is right they’ll be back on your lists.
Bonus: They have to open your email and click a link (both count!) to unsubscribe, giving you one last metric boost before they ride off into the sunset.
So, make unsubscribing easy. Include a clear ‘unsubscribe’ link, and if they want out, let them go gracefully. It’s better to have a small, engaged list than a massive one with disinterested subscribers.
Relax, you got this
Of course, it can be a complex series of events when getting a marketing email out the door. Time spent on landing pages, email copy, images, and CTAs, plus list management and segmentation can all add up to a lot of work.
But none of that hard work will matter if your customers don’t open your email. Try some of these tips above to make sure you occupy their inbox and their attention. And be sure to test what works with your audience and what doesn’t.
Email open rates FAQs
What are the fastest ways to increase open rates?
Pair a curiosity-driven subject with supportive preview text, maintain a trusted sender/domain, and prune disengaged contacts.
Do words like “free” or emojis hurt deliverability?
In most modern systems, content alone rarely decides placement. Sender reputation and engagement signals matter more—test in your own list segments.
How long should a subject line be?
There’s no universal length. Write for clarity first, then A/B test shorter vs. longer variants on mobile-heavy segments.
What should I put in the preview text?
Extend the subject’s promise with a reason to open—benefit, urgency, or specificity—without repeating the subject verbatim.
Are unsubscribes bad?
No. Easy opt-outs improve list hygiene and can lift overall engagement; focus on reducing spam complaints instead.
How do I know if changes worked?
Run A/B tests with statistically meaningful samples and track open rate lift vs. your baseline over several sends, not just one campaign.
