An email newsletter allows you to deliver a message directly to your customer. It’s a marketing strategy that works—you can expect $36 for every $1 spent. Not seeing that ROI yet? You likely need to improve your click-to-open rate (CTOR).
An effective newsletter includes an intriguing subject line, eye-catching graphics and images, compelling copy, and a clear call to action (CTA). These elements influence the recipient to open and act upon your email. By tracking and improving your newsletter’s CTOR, you can increase the value to your readers. This will boost customer engagement and loyalty and, as a result, your bottom line.
Let’s look at 12 ways you can actively improve your click-to-open rate.
What the Click-to-Open Rate Is and Why It Matters
The click-to-open rate is a metric that reflects the number of recipients who open your email and click on one of its links. To calculate it, divide the number of unique clicks by the number of opens and multiply that by 100.
The CTOR tells you how effective your newsletter content is. This is crucial because you need subscribers to go beyond opening an email to run a successful newsletter. They must also read and find the content compelling enough to take the next step.
Tracking your CTOR gives you valuable insights into your newsletter strategy, such as the level of engagement in your email list.
Click-to-Open Rate vs. Click-Through Rate: What’s the Difference?
A few different metrics reflect your newsletter’s success, each with its own purpose. These are the main three you should track:
- Open Rate: The number of subscribers that opened your email divided by the total number of emails sent (apart from any bounced).
- Click-Through Rate: This shows how many people clicked your email’s link compared to the total number of emails sent.
- Click-to-Open Rate: The percentage of individuals who opened your email and clicked on your CTA link.
While all three are important, the click-to-open rate gives you particularly valuable information. It measures the relevancy of the email and how the messaging resonates with your audience.
In contrast, the click-through rate shows more general email engagement and reflects your email’s performance over time. It can also reveal broader trends in curating your subscriber list. However, the CTOR will give you more specific feedback on the value of the newsletter’s content.
12 Ways To Improve Your CTOR in Your Newsletter Strategy
You can improve your newsletter’s click-to-open rate through constant testing and some easy changes. Get started with these 12 strategies:
1. Write a Killer Subject Line
You need more people to open your email, but you only have a few words to convince them. Good subject lines build suspense and curiosity. They should be creative and engaging yet pithy and concise.
2. Make Your Content Easy to Scan
Consumers are being bombarded with content. The last thing they want to see when they open your email is a wall of text. Instead, make your content easier to read with clear headlines, bullet points, and short sentences.
3. Use Clear and Engaging Copy
The actual email copy should be clean, concise, and engaging. Choose active words that keep readers interested and encourage them to take action.
4. Personalize Your Email Body
Use customization tools in your newsletter templates to add personal touches like the recipient’s name to the subject line and salutation. This makes readers feel like the email is just for them.
5. Offer Something for Free (Test/Demo/Trial)
Offer a free test, demo, trial, or promo code to subscribers who click through to your website. Personalizing these offers will make your customers feel even more valued.
6. Segment Your Audience List
Segmenting your newsletter improves the click-to-open rate by curating messages for different audiences. For instance, you can group your audience by age, location, past purchases, or their place in the buyer’s journey. This ensures your subscribers get content relevant to their interests.
7. Create Urgency
You want readers to act on your email immediately. So, create a sense of urgency in your subject line and email body. For example:
- Hype up an upcoming event
- Advertise a sale that’s about to expire
- Emphasize the limited number of spots available
8. Include a Strong CTA
Ultimately, your CTA is responsible for your newsletter’s success. Use powerful words that drive active engagement, such as “explore,” “start,” “upgrade,” “download,” or “join.” What’s more, CTAs should flow naturally from your copy and be clear.
9. Optimize for Mobile
Your click-to-open rate might suffer if your newsletter can’t be read on a mobile device. Emails must be formatted using a responsive email template with desktop and mobile variants. The same goes for your web pages. If the CTA doesn’t take subscribers to a mobile-friendly site, you won’t see the conversion boost you’re hoping for.
10. Use High-Quality Assets
Excellent copy alone won’t boost your click-to-open rates; you need high-quality graphics. Stunning images are a must, but you can also use videos, gifs, and other visual assets to improve engagement.
11. Develop a Simple and Responsive Design
Your compelling headline, clean copy, and eye-catching graphics should come together in a simple and attractive layout. Make sure no one element outdoes another. And again, use responsive templates to ensure your newsletter is readable and engaging across devices.
12. Analyze the Result
The best part about focusing on your email metrics? You’ll have quantifiable data showing which marketing techniques work and which are falling flat. Analyzing your CTOR metrics will help you meet and exceed customer expectations.
Boost Your Click-to-Open Rate With Daily.ai
From the subject line to your CTA, every newsletter you send should be carefully optimized to improve your click-to-open rate. But getting this right takes time, and not every team can design new layouts and conduct A/B testing every week.
Our tools at Daily.ai create effective artificial intelligence (AI)-curated and optimized newsletter content that can boost your bottom line without you lifting a finger. In fact, our newsletters get an average of 40–60% open rates and upwards of 20% click-through rates. Book a demo with our team to learn how Daily.ai can easily boost your click-to-open rates.
