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Email Marketing is still the marketing channel with the highest ROI. Marketers and salespeople love it.

However, we often make mistakes we’re not aware of. The open & conversion rates dropped, and we don’t know how to change it.

What happens?

Here’s a list of the 7 worst mistakes in email marketing. 

Start avoiding these mistakes today.

1/ Too Long Email Subject Lines

Writing excessively long email titles is the first and most significant issue.

Everything starts with a good and clickable email title; if it’s not sufficiently interesting, your recipient won’t even click on it and will delete it in less than 3 seconds.

Avoid this.

Adjust to these 2 rules:

1. Mobile Devices

The number of characters should not exceed between 20 and 30. Writing fewer than 30 characters ensures that every word will be fully displayed to your reader.

2. Desktops

The maximum number of characters is 70. You can go beyond this limit, but shorter titles are better.

In the case of e-mail subject lines, less is more. Shorter titles always convey more meaning and sound less salesy.

Coherence and being straight-to-the-point are crucial in capturing the reader’s attention.

2/ Using Spammy Words

Financial Lures	Enticing Offers	Urgency & Exclusivity
Bargain	Beneficiary	Big bucks
Billionaire	Cash bonus	Cheap
Congratulations	Costly	Deal
Debt	Discount	Dollars
Earn	Exclusive deal	Expire
Exclusive deal	Free	Fantastic
Funds	Giveaway	Guaranteed
Huge	Income	Incredible offer
Jackpot	Junk	Lifetime
Loans	Luxury	Make money
Million	Miracle	Money
No fees	Offer	Once in a lifetime
Loans	Luxury	Make money
Million	Miracle	Money
No fees	Offer	Once in a lifetime

“Free offer!”

“Buy it now!”

How many times have you seen these and made a purchase?

0: That’s the correct answer.

Avoid words that sound salesy and cheap; they only deter your reader.

I know it may sound intriguing, but only to you. Moreover, using spammy words in e-mail titles automatically sends them to the spam folder. Email servers are sensitive to this point, and such words are not tolerated.

Instead of “free,” use the word “affordable.”

Instead of the phrase “Buy it now!” use “[Name], I’ve got something for you!”

I know that not every equivalent is suitable, but play word games.

If you’ve changed your strategy and noticed an increase in your open rate, it means you’re heading in the right direction; continue with that strategy.

3/ Neglecting Mobile Optimization

Inadequate optimization of e-mails for mobile devices is one of the major sins in email marketing.

Creating emails that don’t display correctly on mobile devices is like building a car without an engine; it won’t succeed.

Firstly, the number of characters displayed on phones and tablets is less than on desktops.

Secondly, ensure that your e-mails are responsive and easy to read on mobile devices.

In 2023, mobile devices were used to open 41.9% of emails, while desktop opens accounted for only 18.2%.

That’s quite a notable difference, isn’t it? It’s even a double result. Twice as many users read e-mails on their phones instead of computers.

This trend will continue; people want to find information without delving into details.

Do you want to increase the ROI of your emails? Adapt them appropriately for mobile devices.

4/ Ignoring Personalization

Your readers love it when you personalize your emails.

Why?

It gives them a sense that you care about them and that you’ve done the right research before sending the message.

It all starts with the correct name, [Prospect’s Name], and then goes into addressing their specific purchase needs.

How can you better personalize your emails?

Start by choosing the right target group, often referred to as the ideal customer profile (ICP).

Once you establish who and what you’re selling to, you’ll maximize e-mail deliverability and open rates by up to 50%. When your reader sees that you’re writing to them based on their interests and expectations, they’ll be more inclined to open and read the email compared to one written generically.

Personalize your emails not only based on the recipient’s [name] and [job title], but also take into account their product expectations, interests, and plans.

Selecting the target group may not be easy, but it increases your chances of making sales from day one.

5/ Adding Too Many CTAs

A common mistake for marketers & salespeople is that they don’t add CTAs (Call To Actions) throughout emails.

When it’s taken too literally, the resulting emails have too many CTAs—at least more than two.

And this is counterproductive.

Woodpecker has proven that using more than 2 CTAs within a single email performs worse than not using CTAs at all. This statement could not be truer.

This is a common mistake that shouldn’t come up.

As a result, potential customers don’t move forward.

Imagine being bombarded with CTAs in a single email:

> Join me here

> Book a meeting now

> Here’s the link to the calendar

> Buy now here

Now compare this to a content-rich email where there is literally just one (or possibly two) CTA at the end:

>> Book the meeting [here] 

>> Buy through this [link]

Which one would be more effective? You already know the answer.

Adding too many CTAs makes you take aback, and you don’t want to keep reading it.

In every email, apply a maximum of 2 CTAs, never more.

6/ Skipping A/B Testing

A/B testing should be a must in your marketing strategy.

To figure out what ramps up your conversions, you need to play around with different elements. This could be anything, but mostly focus on these 6 elements:

• Picture
• Email title
• Email body
• Adding Links
• Personalization
• Email sending time

Keep running A/B tests every time you see a shift in your results.

Did you get more replies than usual? Try that winning formula with another group of people.

Noticed a drop in how many people open your emails? Time to A/B test different subject lines.

Here’s a golden rule: Always test just one thing at a time.

Why is it so important?

Because if you change multiple things at once, you won’t know what made the difference.

7/ Lack of Segmentation

Lack of Segmentation

Sending emails to all your recipients right away is just a waste of your time and money.

Segment your audience based on their past behaviors.

Choose your target group based on:

• Geography
• Engagement
• Made purchases
• Number of clicks
• Reading time spent
• Interaction with you (asking questions, etc.)

Then, prepare an appropriate email base for each of these groups. 

Of course, the choice of group depends a lot on your product or service. For instance, if you’re selling agricultural machinery and most of your clients are farmers, you’ll consider different parameters than a store selling winter clothing.

However, select the right customer segment and, having planned your next steps, send appropriate emails to each of the selected groups.

What are the worst email marketing mistakes you have committed?

Let me know in the comments. I’m curious about what I’ve missed and what more I could write about.

And don’t forget to add me to your network on LinkedIn & X (ex-Twitter).

Thank you for reading!
Simon

Author Profile

Simon Gorlak

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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