Why Your Emails Aren’t Getting Opened. And How to Fix It Fast

cathtidd
Jun 16
3 min read

I am fully aware that email marketing can feel like a grind. In fact, I just spent several hours scheduling out my email marketing for the next few months, so I know it can be a painful process.

But...it's necessary. People reply back to my emails. The traffic to my website increases on the days they're published. More people see my emails than they see my social media content. So, I know I need to keep doing it.

It can be doubly frustrating when you create emails or newsletters that you don't think anyone is reading. If you're in the 17-25% range on an open rate, you're actually doing about average.

So, how are Social Seed Marketing clients getting a 50-60% open rate?

Here's what we do.

We're Thoughtful About What We Create

I have monthly meetings with my clients and during at least 30 minutes of that meeting we're talking about content. I want to know what issues clients are asking about right now. I want to know where the advisor thinks financial education is lacking with their audience so we can address it. I want to know their clients' interests - do they have vacation homes, like to do community service, or do they love to cook?

We never, ever send out white paper content that's general and because of that, their newsletters are considered valuable and maybe even a little fun. We are ALWAYS doing some deep thinking about the client.

We Are Consistent

Newsletters go out the third week of every month. That's just my schedule, but the client expects it and now their clients expect it. I do have one advisor who does a weekly newsletter and it's extremely popular.

We're Not Afraid to Have Fun

Even my most "professional" clients will still occasionally put in a post about fun local events or maybe even a team picture at a golf tournament or something. Most of my clients' newsletters are conversational and have personality. The less afraid you are of having a little fun, the more your numbers will rise - I can almost guarantee that.

Here are a few more tips that might help:

Make Your Subject Line Work for You

Think of your subject line like the headline of a newspaper (remember those?). If it doesn’t grab attention, the rest of your newsletter might as well not exist.

Try this:

Ask a question: “Worried About a Summer Slowdown?”
Use curiosity: “This One Chart Might Surprise You”
Create urgency: “3 Moves to Make Before Year-End”

Send at the Right Time

Tuesday mornings around 10 AM tend to be a sweet spot, but the real magic happens when you pay attention to your audience’s behavior. Review past campaigns to spot trends. If your readers tend to open emails on Friday afternoons, lean into that.

NOTE: One client's MailChimp constantly advised us to send out their newsletter at midnight. Weird, but it worked.

Add a Clear Call to Action

Don’t bury the lead—tell your readers exactly what you want them to do. Whether it’s scheduling a call, reading a blog, or watching a 2-minute video, guide them with a button, bold text, or even a friendly “P.S.”

Also, be careful about having TOO MANY CTAs. If the purpose is for them to download a guide, don't muddy the water by including a bunch of links to blog posts.