What Is Good Open Rate for an Email?

In today's digital age, where communication comes in myriad forms, the email inbox stands as a coveted arena. Whether you're a marketer, a business owner, or simply intrigued by online engagement intricacies, one question lingers: What constitutes a good email open rate? The answer is far from simple, weaving together industry benchmarks, audience behavior, and the ever-shifting landscape of email marketing strategies.

Let's embark on a journey to uncover the subtleties of open rates, explore influencing factors, and gain the insights necessary to engage recipients' open rate statistics.

• What is a good open rate for email?
• Email marketing average email open rate by industries
• Average email open rates based on the length of the subject line
• Average email open rate based on if emoji is used or not
• How to improve email open rates
• Takeaways

What is a good open rate for email?

A good email open rate would be 15-20% and it varies depending on the industry, email campaign type, geographical location, and related factors.

But, some research offers insights into the average email open. Here's a summary of some of the reliable data:

Email marketing average email open rate by industries

So we scanned over a billion emails sent through our platform to calculate the average email open rate to help you determine the success of your campaigns by comparing them with the numbers observed by other email marketers in 2022.

Data Source: State of Email 2023

The average email open rate for all industries is 17.97%.

There are factors that affect the email open rate like Subject Line, length of the subject line, Emojis in the subject line, and Use of preview text. Along with the words your use in the subject line.

Let’s check a few stats related to how the length of the subject line and emojis affect the open rate in email marketing.

Average email open rates based on the length of the subject line

Data Source: State of Email 2023

Average email open rate based on if emoji is used or not

Data Source: State of Email 2023

Why should you track email open rate?

• Tracking email open rates helps gauge the effectiveness of your email marketing campaigns and indicates whether your audience finds your content engaging.
• Monitoring email open rates enables you to identify potential deliverability issues and optimize your email deliverability to reach a broader audience.
• Understanding email open rates provides valuable insights into audience preferences, allowing you to tailor future content for higher engagement.
• Email open rate data helps measure the success of subject lines, enabling you to refine and craft more compelling and clickable ones.
• By tracking email open rates, you can segment your audience based on engagement levels, leading to more targeted and personalized email campaigns.

How to improve email open rates

Here are a few effective ways to skyrocket your email open rate.

1. Use a recognizable sender name

Mailjet's report states that 88.7% of respondents say recognizing the sender is important in determining whether to open an email. A brand or recognizable name builds trust and helps recipients associate an email with someone they know. It increases the chances of getting more open.

Look at some of the good sender names we found in our inbox. 👇🏼

2. Use BIMI to add your brand image

According to the DMA Consumer Market Tracker 2021, 68% of individuals say brand recognition is an important factor in deciding whether to open an email or not.

One of the best ways to build brand recognition is to add your brand logo next to your email with BIMI. Brand Indicators for Message Identification (BIMI) is a standard that allows you to add a logo next to your emails once it's set up properly.

BIMI looks like this in a user's inbox 👇🏼

3. Make the subject line personalized

The subject line directly impacts your open rate as after the sender's name, it's the first thing that recipients see to decide whether an email is worth their time or not. It's your best chance to make a great first impression and stand out in the recipient's crowded inbox.

To get more opens and clicks, try to make your subject lines personalized, as 43.6% of people would open emails that seem personalized or relevant to their interests. - Pathwire inbox report 2021.

To know how to craft a subject line that hooks readers and gets higher opens and clicks, check out our subject line ebook.

4. Whitelist your email address

One way to ensure you land in a user's inbox and get more opens is to whitelist your email address. You can instruct subscribers to move your emails to their primary inbox as it signals ISPs that your emails come from a legitimate domain and are relevant. Also, ensure that you use email verification tools to remove dead and inactive subscribers from your list. Read how SBNRI maintained their email list hygiene with Mailmodo, leading to a 16% increase in open rates.

5. Send emails at the right time

The chances of getting more open and engaged are higher when users actively check their emails. You should analyze your subscriber's behavior and engagement to assess the best timing to send different email campaigns.

Know the industry benchmarks and explore which is the best time to send emails.

Takeaways

In determining a satisfactory open rate for emails, it's evident that there isn't a one-size-fits-all benchmark due to industry variations and audience demographics. However, a respectable open rate often hovers around 18-25%. It's essential to focus less on fixed numbers and more on consistent improvements in engagement, tailoring strategies to resonate with recipients for better campaign effectiveness.