Email Marketing terms

Open Rate

The percentage of email recipients who open a given email.

What is an open rate in email marketing?

Open rate in email marketing refers to the percentage of recipients who open a specific email out of the total number of subscribers who received it. It is a key metric used by marketers to measure the success of an email marketing campaign. The open rate is calculated by dividing the number of unique opens by the number of emails sent, excluding the number of bounces.

A high open rate indicates that the subject line of the email is compelling and that the content is relevant to the subscribers. On the other hand, a low open rate may suggest that the email content is not engaging or that the email is being marked as spam. Therefore, monitoring and improving open rates is crucial for the effectiveness of an email marketing strategy.

How is open rate calculated in email marketing?

Open rate in email marketing is calculated by dividing the number of emails opened by the total number of emails sent, excluding the ones that bounced back. A bounced email is one that couldn't be delivered to the recipient for various reasons such as a full inbox or an incorrect email address. The result is then multiplied by 100 to get a percentage.

For example, if you send 100 emails, 10 bounce back, and 30 are opened, your open rate would be 30 divided by 90 (100 minus 10), which equals 0.33. Multiply by 100, and your open rate is 33%. This metric is crucial in email marketing as it helps marketers understand how effectively their emails are being received and opened by their target audience.

What is a good open rate for email marketing?

A good open rate for email marketing can vary significantly depending on the industry and the specific audience being targeted. However, as a general benchmark, an open rate of around 20% to 25% is often considered good in most industries. This means that if you send an email to 100 people, you can expect about 20 to 25 of them to open it.

It's important to note that this is just an average and rates can fluctuate based on a variety of factors including the quality of your email list, the relevance of your content, and the effectiveness of your subject line. Therefore, it's crucial to continuously monitor and optimize your email marketing strategies to improve open rates. Also, comparing your open rates to industry standards can provide a more accurate picture of your email marketing performance.

How can I improve the open rate in email marketing?

Improving the open rate in email marketing can be achieved through several strategies. Firstly, crafting compelling subject lines is crucial as it's the first thing recipients see. It should be intriguing, personalized, and provide a sense of urgency to encourage the recipient to open the email. Secondly, segmenting your email list can also help improve open rates. By dividing your list into specific groups based on their preferences or behaviors, you can send more targeted and relevant emails, which are more likely to be opened.

Additionally, maintaining a consistent sending schedule can help improve your open rates. If recipients know when to expect your emails, they're more likely to look out for them and open them. Also, ensure your emails are mobile-friendly since a significant number of people check their emails on their mobile devices. Lastly, always provide valuable content in your emails. If recipients know that your emails always contain useful information or offers, they're more likely to open them.

Alsongside email marketing, if you're into video marketing...

You should try Tella.tv - your all-in-one screen recorder, to create launch videos, product demos, social media videos, 1:1s for customers, and more!

Tella isn't just a screen recorder. It combines the simplicity of Loom with the creativity of Canva to create great looking videos with no effort.

With Tella, you can record your screen and/or camera, combine separate clips and quickly remove mistakes, apply beautiful backgrounds, change the camera layout, add zoom effects - almost instantly.

Tella screen recorder

< Back to Email Marketing glossary

Try Tella today!

Screen recording for creators — simple and powerful.

7-day free trial — no credit card required