Writing emails is a great asset, and it is still the marketing campaign that brings the highest ROI.
However, how many times have you sent an email and never received any feedback? I feel you. This is the biggest malady for marketers & affiliates all over the world.
But let’s change that.
Creating an email campaign can be easily edited. Achieving a higher ROI from a campaign can be structured with the right techniques & tools. That’s exactly what you’ll find in this post: how to more effectively engage your readers and subscribers through robust email marketing.
This is a list of 18 expert tips to increase email engagement.
Don’t wait, let’s dive into the details.
1/ Great Email Subject Line is a Must
The whole game of email marketing starts with the email subject line.
You can create excellent content and reach out to thousands of subscribers, but if the email title is messed up—there won’t be any good outcome.
The subject line must be:
- Precise.
- Personalized.
- Short (1–5 words).
- Signaling the upcoming message.
- Encouraging readers to take the action (call to action).
Many marketers make the mistake of writing the email title at the very end—as just an addition to the content. Don’t do that.
The email subject line is the introduction, a prologue to the further content that the reader will find in the email body.
Short (1–5 words), personalized (to whom, why), precise (provides a specific message), signaling the upcoming message, and contains a CTA.
This is the recipe for a perfect & answerable email marketing campaign.
2/ Segment Your Audience
Let’s face it—you need to target the right people for the campaign to be effective.
Undoubtedly, creating an ideal customer profile (ICP) will help you with this.
Determine the details. Here are some of them:
- Their age & gender.
- Who your recipient is.
- What they do in their free time.
- Their income and where they live.
Proper segmentation of your recipients will increase the open & response rate. And that is our primary goal. Then we fight for conversion.
Do you want to increase the open rate right away? Choose your segment audience by creating the right ICP.
3/ Always Personalize Your Email Body
Personalizing the email body is the second and final step to closing a sale.
Indeed, the email title is the first step. It opens the door and engages the reader.
However, the real work is done by a good and personalized email body.
In personalization, basic information must be included, such as the prospect’s name, company name, job title, and reference to the prospect’s latest event (LinkedIn can help with this).
But you can’t forget about the key issue; benefit language.
Your prospect reading the email must feel that they are winning the game. You need to make them feel that by reading the email, they’ve already made a good decision. The purchase is just an obvious confirmation of a good decision.
So, speak the benefit language. Personalize the email through the prism of the benefits that your prospect will receive by choosing your solution.
Personalization & benefit language are the definition of a well-written email body (and almost a guarantee of conversion).
P.S. If you struggle to find the right prospect’s data, use Apollo.io. This tool will do the job for you.
Get more data & leads: Apollo.io
4/ Place the Key Message in the Center of the Screen
Once I heard this advice and felt that it changed my approach to writing emails. The main message of the email must be literally placed in the center of the screen.
Notice that regardless of what you’re reading or watching, the key content is always more or less in the center of the screen—on your computer or phone.
The main part of the image or the key content of the message you’re reading is always in the center of the screen. It’s explicit, easy to understand, and you’re sure nothing will be missed. And I’ve A/B tested that element many times; it always brings the same outcome.
In the case of writing emails, there are similar 3 rules that were taught to us in school:
1/ An introduction to the further content (introduction).
2/ Discussing the key topic (development).
3/ Writing summary (conclusion).
Don’t forget to make the whole email coherent & lead to making a decision (CTA).
5/ Delete Inactive Subscribers
Nobody likes inactive users, especially if you have to bear the costs of keeping them in your database.
Eliminating inactive subscribers is pure cost optimization, focusing on truly valuable users for the organization.
ConvertKit, one of the best email automation & marketing tools worldwide, does this regularly. They also explain how to clean your list quickly & without repercussions.
I know that at first glance, you might be surprised. After all, removing subscribers is like throwing money away! But this couldn’t be further from the truth.
If your email database has, let’s say, 2,000 subscribers, but only 200 are active, it means that 90% of your base is pointless. You have the feeling that your base “is large, and you potentially have 2,000 customers.” Wow! In reality, it’s a chance for 200 customers. Which is still a lot.
Nevertheless, don’t take drastic steps.
Start removing contacts from your list in these 3 steps:
1. Re-engagement Campaign: Check who is really engaged among your readers.
2. Opt-in Confirmation Email: Allow your users to stay or leave the list.
3. Deleting Subscribers Without Sending Any More Emails: Remove all inactive subscribers.
6/ Apply FOMO: Fear of Missing Out
We hate losing.
We just can’t stand the thought of missing out.
That’s the essence of killer copywriting—tapping into that fear of missing out to spur action.
Who’s the master of this game? Booking.com, hands down.
So, why not sprinkle a little FOMO magic in your content?
Shine a light on what others are getting in on.
Leverage social proof to crank up the FOMO levels —> “Look who just snagged this deal!”
Show off how popular your offer is —> “This one’s flying off the shelves!”
Craft content with an air of exclusivity —> “This isn’t for just anyone, it’s tailor-made for you!”
That’s the secret sauce—FOMO gets people moving and shaking, leading to conversions.
Make your offer too tempting to resist with a dash of FOMO.
Just remember to keep it real—balance your FOMO tactics with genuine, proven examples. The more believable, the better.
7/ Use Automated Sequences in Your Emails
Everyone loves automated processes. They are especially effective in emails.
Choose the right sequence for a specific group of recipients. Dividing into groups plays the most crucial role here.
Let’s say you have 5 groups of recipients:
- Inactive
- Those who only open the email
- Those who click on links
- Those who spend more than 30 seconds reading the email
- Finally; brand advocates (the cherry on top!)
Of course, this is just an example; you can divide groups based on engagement, location, customer segment, and many more.
In any case, each of these groups must receive an appropriate sequence. It’s mandatory. You can’t just lump every reader together, thinking they behave similarly. That won’t work.
By choosing the right message for a specific group of readers, you’ll meet their needs. They will feel that you treat them individually, and that is the essence of marketing.
Create the right sequences, and then select your group of recipients. This will definitely pay off.
If you’re just about to start the story with email automation, try Apollo.io.
8/ Ensure Your Emails Offer Valuable Information
Remember—every email must contain a precise benefit for the customer.
Sure, if you’re doing another follow-up, there’s nothing wrong with writing something like:
Hey Rita,
Do you still remember me? 🙂
Or
Hey Rita,
I’m missing you… How can I get in touch with you? 😉
However, if you’re sending an email with a specific message—avoid clichés and unnecessary words.
Be unique in your words, and always give the customer a reason why they should choose your solution & your company.
9/ Use Storytelling
People love stories.
Storytelling is a fundamental principle in marketing and sales. People don’t buy a product; they buy its marketing narrative and its benefits.
Regardless of the product being sold, a well-formulated story will always convince you.
Take McDonald’s, for example.
None of their ads show greasy, artificial meat, right? Every McDonald’s advertisement shows a smiling family spending time together in a clean and cozy restaurant. Haven’t you ever been swayed by one of these ads and dashed out for a quick cheeseburger?
This is the very definition of storytelling. Its effective application in marketing and sales generates huge profits.
Who else is a master of storytelling?
> Coca-Cola: 80% marketing, 20% drinks.
> BMW: 80% marketing, 20% car production.
> Apple: 80% marketing, 20% manufacturing.
10/ Write Sweet & Short Email Titles
A few years ago, the ideal email subject line length was considered to be between 6 and 10 words.
Let’s face it—that’s not the case anymore.
Short and sweet email titles are the way to go now.
These days, the sweet spot for email length is considered to be 1–5 words.
So, the perfect scenario is exactly 3 words.
However, remember, this isn’t the only approach.
But keep in mind, too many words just don’t cut it. Your client will feel like you’re trying to sell them something and that you’re not up to snuff. And that’s what we want to avoid.
Plus, a long email title will never display properly, especially on a phone, let alone a desktop.
Campaign Monitor suggests writing about 41 characters.
That way, the email title displays correctly on all devices.
11/ Treat Your Readers as Close Friends
A common problem for bloggers is a lack of interaction with their readers. Let’s change that.
Receiving feedback or a question in a comment should be treated like the best gift! It means your work is about to resonate and have fans.
Always interact with your readers; respond to their messages in comments on your blog and on social channels. This way, you turn a reader into a customer, and then into a brand advocate. Isn’t that a great solution?
People love interaction because they feel like your full attention is directed at them. Everyone loves that feeling.
12/ Enhance Your Emails with Visual Elements
Just text isn’t enough. Especially if you send an automated sequence of many emails.
Make sure your email includes visual content. It can be an image or use emojis.
Of course, don’t overdo it and use them adequately.
Match the visual content to the entire content of the email, and appropriately to its purpose.
A good photo can amuse the customer or positively influence their emotions. Emojis make your recipient feel more connected to the message’s content.
13/ Incorporate Social Proof
“My neighbor got one, so I had to have it too.”
Ring a bell? I bet it doesn’t shock you.
That’s the magic of social proof: winning over your audience.
Think testimonials, reviews, and big thumbs-ups.
Sprinkle them everywhere in your marketing.
Make social proof the star of your marketing show.
Nothing beats user-generated content for solid social proof. Get your clients to drop some glowing reviews.
It’s a game-changer in terms of buying choices.
Weave social proof into all your interactions with clients to bump up that trust factor.
14/ Run A/B Tests
Regular A/B testing should be an integral part of your marketing campaign.
To determine which element most effectively boosts conversion, you need to test many variables.
These can be:
- Image
- Email body
- Personalization
- Email subject line
- Email sending time
- Link (added vs. not added) & longer vs. shorter, etc.
Conduct A/B tests as often as you notice a change.
Open rate dropped? A/B test your email subject line.
Response rate increased? Apply the same strategy to a different audience.
Remember the main rule: always test one variable at a time.
Why? Otherwise, how would you identify what caused the change?
15/ Plan Your Emails in Advance
With emails, as with your entire strategy, you need to plan it in advance. Writing ad hoc won’t pay off.
In preparing your strategy in advance, I don’t just mean writing the content of the email, but planning what you’d like to write about.
A common question in email marketing strategy is: how often should you send emails to your readers? Once a week, or perhaps every day?
There’s no one-size-fits-all answer to this. Why?
It all depends on what you’re writing about and how essential your content is to your audience.
Tim Ferriss sends an email once a week with thoughts and advice he encountered during the given week.
Meera Kothand sends an email daily with suggestions and tips on creating good content for email marketing. She’s been doing this for a while, so I assume it pays off.
So, there’s no golden rule for the frequency of sending emails to your subscribers. You’re the only one who sets the schedule and frequency.
However, one thing is certain: your emails must be juicy. Make sure each one carries a specific message. Your reader opening it should feel, “This is exactly the email I wanted to read!”
Don’t make the mistake of sending too many meaningless emails. You’ll quickly see your subscriber list dwindle.
16/ Get the Right Email Data with the Right Tools
Let’s start with the basics, which is acquiring adequate email data.
Working as an email marketing specialist, BDM & SDR, or sales specialist, you must use proven tools to acquire reliable data.
Personally, I use 3 tools for this purpose:
1. Apollo.io
In my opinion, it’s the best tool for this purpose on the market.
It’s simple, compatible with many browsers, and provides really reliable email addresses.
All you need to do is install the plugin in your browser (available for Google Chrome & Mozilla), and you will be able to download data without any problems.
That’s not all. Then you can create individual dashboards and email sequences for your clients.
I like using this tool because it’s well-designed, fast to use, and really effective.
Wanna try? Check it out for free 👇
2. GetProspect
My definite number 2.
Sometimes Apollo doesn’t provide all the data, or it shows the email of an employer where my prospect no longer works. It happens. That’s when GetProspect comes to the rescue.
Also, a very effective tool that delivers data of your clients from all over the world.
A dedicated dashboard, the ability to refine sequences, and ease of use—something every marketer loves.
And as the cherry on top: there’s a free trial that allows data gathering for up to 50 prospects!
Try it out for free 👇
3/ ZoomInfo
ZoomInfo is a comprehensive tool for building an email database.
You can gather data on your leads, create candidate databases for recruitment, set up sequences, and use it as an individual CRM—all within this one tool.
However, I personally use it as support in acquiring leads & necessary contacts.
If you’re an agency (even a startup) or a bigger player in the market—I can recommend ZoomInfo to you.
By the way, if you’re a freelancer or blogger (like me!) who’s looking for the right tool—try out ZoomInfo for free.
Check it out 👇
17/ Impress Your Audience Using Relevant Statistics
Nothing surprises people quite like numbers, even if math isn’t your strong suit.
You can use numbers in headlines:
“Already 10,000 People Bought This SEO Course!”
You can also use them in the body of an email:
Personalized email content increases conversion. That’s not new. My latest A/B test proved that adding my lead’s appropriate name, vs. not adding it at all, increased my sales by 36% compared to the previous quarter. Consequently, we achieved sales of 680 new leads by the end of June!
Each of these methods is effective if you use the data correctly.
However, don’t base your content mainly on numbers. Numbers help, but overusing them can make your content lose its good taste.
- Add numbers regularly.
- A/B test your prospects’ behavior.
- Keep writing with the right pattern.
18/ Always Include an Explicit Call to Action (CTA)
Not adding a call to action is like navigating without a map; you might be on the journey, but you’re unlikely to reach your desired destination.
Indeed, having a call to action in your email is essential—whether you’re aiming for a sale closure or another action from your reader.
However, WoodPecker has proven that emails with more than two CTAs perform worse than emails with no CTA at all. And this is a very relevant conclusion.
Therefore, when writing an email to your reader, never add more than two CTAs.
One in the middle of the email body — awesome.
An additional one at the end of the email, suggesting a decision — excellent.
One more slightly suggesting a choice — don’t try it.
Always include a CTA, but do so judiciously.
This is it—now you’ve got a list of 18 expert tips to increase email engagement.
What’s your experience? What techniques do you use to boost your email engagement?
Let us know in the comments, it would be great to get new methods!
P.S. Thank you for your engagement & reading.
Simon
Author Profile
- Simon Gorlak is a Digital Marketing Expert with over 8 years of experience. He specializes in 3 areas: SEO, Copywriting, and Email Marketing. Simon's blog gathers knowledge that helps Marketers & C-level to increase profits from their online businesses. Also, his content helps to reach the most difficult customers, make others' content to be read & purchased. Besides digital marketing, Simon speaks 4 languages: English, Spanish, Portuguese, and Polish & works as a Head of Business at an Indian Start-up.
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