{"id":25871,"date":"2024-02-06T14:31:15","date_gmt":"2024-02-06T14:31:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/prowly.com\/magazine\/?p=25871"},"modified":"2025-05-09T09:13:14","modified_gmt":"2025-05-09T09:13:14","slug":"increase-email-open-rates","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/prowly.com\/magazine\/increase-email-open-rates\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Increase Email Open Rates (Even if You\u2019ve Already Sent It Out)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Turning data-driven insights into action is a proven strategy for fostering long-term relationships. We\u2019ll focus on email analytics and show you how to transform raw data into actionable insights and leverage those insights into action. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This article is an essential guide to improving open rates when you\u2019ve already sent emails<\/a>. Packed with practical tips from industry experts and findings from Prowly\u2019s email data, these quick fixes are designed to provide a framework of immediate enhancements for current email strategies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3 things to always check after sending out a pitch<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Think of this short guide as a roadmap of what to do and what to check after you send an email<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Was the email delivered?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Was their inbox full? Is the email address still valid? Is there a problem with their server? With the right public relations management tool<\/a>, you\u2019ll know exactly why your recipient didn\u2019t get the email or whether they opened it. Scroll down to see which technical aspects you should know each time you prepare a sendout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Did they engage with your email?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

With a detailed view of email statistics, you\u2019ll easily know which part of your message was successful <\/a>and which part needs improvement. If the open rate is good, your subject line<\/a> performs well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If the open rate is good, but the click rate or the intensity with which they\u2019ve read your email is underperforming, it\u2019s a good indicator that the story or content was not interesting to the reader.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No reply? It\u2019s time to follow up.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Used a powerful hook in the subject line, but all you hear are crickets? In that case, it\u2019s time to re-evaluate whether the angle was right<\/a>. However, if you\u2019re confident in your storytelling abilities<\/a> but haven\u2019t received a response, try following up<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Technical obstacles you can solve<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You can adjust several pitching issues<\/a> to increase deliverability and gain confidence that your email will reach the journalist\u2019s inbox without bouncing or getting stuck in spam.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Problem: Low email deliverability<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Reason 1: Your bounce rate is too high<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
You can see the bounce rate of each email in \u201cStatistics.\u201d<\/em><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are two types of bounced emails: soft bounced<\/strong> and hard bounced<\/strong>. While the first is nothing to be too alarmed about, the second can quickly damage your sender\u2019s reputation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
You can check the soft and hard bounce ratio in the <\/em>\u201cDelivery\u201d section.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Soft bounces<\/strong> are caused by temporary issues with email deliverability, such as a full inbox or a server being temporarily down. This means the email address is valid, and your pitch will be retried and delivered later when the issue is resolved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hard bounces<\/strong>, on the other hand, indicate a permanent problem, such as an invalid email or your email being blocked due to the recipient\u2019s server's strict spam filter settings. The key to avoiding hard bounces is authenticating your domain to increase credibility and keeping your media database<\/a> current.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reason 2: You haven\u2019t authenticated your domain<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

By authenticating your domain, you\u2019re increasing its email security and deliverability. It helps prevent email spoofing and phishing by verifying that the sender can send emails from that domain. This helps with the trustworthiness of your emails as analyzed by other email service providers and recipients, reducing the chance of them being marked as spam.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

See detailed instructions on how to authenticate your domain<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Problem: low open rate<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Email open rates can vary depending on your specific niche or industry. For example, if you pitch to a journalist<\/a> interested in electric vehicles, you might have a higher open rate than pitching someone regarding business news. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It all depends on the frequency of the emails they receive and the topic itself. Different audiences may have different engagement levels and expectations for email communications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
You can then check the open rates of each email in the \u201cEngagement\u201d section.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Reason 1: The email reached the inbox but landed in the spam folder<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes, your email open rate may be low if it ends up in spam or other secondary folders, and the recipient may not see it. There might be several reasons for this, but if it has nothing to do with the common technical issues explained above, you might have used spam trigger words in your subject line or included sketchy links and attachments. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead of sending attachments often used by spammers, change them into links. Prowly does this automatically for you \u2013 each attachment and multimedia file is converted into a link, making the email \u201clighter\u201d in size and improving deliverability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reason 2: The email was delivered, but it wasn\u2019t noticeable<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

If your email was delivered, but the recipient did not open it, it\u2019s probably not a technical issue but a matter of strategy, especially involving the email\u2019s subject line or timing. Sadly, your hook might not have been compelling enough to catch the journalist\u2019s attention, or it could have been overlooked because you\u2019ve sent it during odd hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To combat this issue, reassess your targeting approach and create a well-crafted follow-up email. It can effectively gain their attention, send a soft nudge to open it up again or give yourself another chance at building a relationship<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Follow up one time, a day or two after the initial email. If no one responds\u2026drop it! I\u2019ve had folks follow up every day for weeks. I finally just responded that I wasn't interested. The best time for pitches\/emails is earlier in the week for me, no particular time of day.\"<\/i>- Nicole Schuman<\/strong><\/a>, Senior Editor at PR News<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Check more tips from journalists on email etiquette in the PR Week\u2019s article: Nine things not to do once you\u2019ve sent a press release.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Follow-ups <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Handling follow-up emails is an essential part of nurturing relationships with journalists. It\u2019s a simple yet thoughtful approach that can turn an unopened or overlooked email into a successful media placement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
You can see which journalists have opened your email in the \u201cRecipients\u201d tab.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

For journalists who didn\u2019t open your email<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

You can easily filter out journalists who haven\u2019t opened your email and send them a friendly follow-up. Don\u2019t get discouraged; remember that their inboxes are constantly flooded with irrelevant pitches. So, if they didn\u2019t even open your email, it might mean they missed it or considered it unimportant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can show persistence and interest by following up nicely and softly. We recommend sending the follow-up about 2-4 days after the initial email for the best results. In the future, you can automate this process with Prowly<\/a> by scheduling a follow-up message for all contacts who didn\u2019t open the initial email.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For opened emails\u2026 with no response<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There are plenty of reasons why a journalist hasn\u2019t replied to you if they opened your email. What\u2019s crucial is to analyze their behavior<\/a> carefully to see if they opened the email and clicked on any link inside, or maybe they opened it a few times and decided your story is not something they\u2019re looking for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can analyze each touchpoint a journalist has with your email using Prowly. Go to the Recipients tab and click on the media contact name you\u2019re interested in. You\u2019ll see exactly when and how many times they opened the email, along with what content they clicked on. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s say a journalist opened your email twice, clicked on a link inside, and then opened the email again sometime later. Such behavior clearly shows that they\u2019ve read your pitch, but if they\u2019re not replying after a few days, they might need a little reminder to show that you\u2019re interested in fostering a relationship with them. In the worst-case scenario, they are not into the story, but you\u2019ll never know until you follow up again. There are no missed opportunities here!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also, there is no rigid golden rule regarding following up. It\u2019s advised to follow up after a few days and maybe once more if you\u2019re after that journalist. You can schedule such follow-ups automatically to make your work more organized and streamlined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Analyze engagement <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Understanding how journalists interact with your email is crucial in tailoring the perfect follow-up approach. By analyzing their email viewing time \u2013 whether they read, skimmed, or merely glanced at the content of the email \u2013 you can craft a more effective response. <\/p>\n\n\n\n