What to do when email click rates and open rates decline rapidly?

Summary

When facing a rapid decline in email click and open rates, a comprehensive strategy focusing on sender reputation, list hygiene, content relevance, technical setup, and user experience is essential. Addressing sender reputation involves monitoring sender scores, managing feedback loops and complaint rates, and implementing authentication protocols like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. Improving list hygiene includes regularly cleaning the list, using double opt-ins, and re-engaging or removing inactive subscribers to combat list fatigue. Identifying the root cause by analyzing sending frequency, content relevance, and subscriber engagement is crucial. Moreover, optimizing email design for mobile devices, ensuring accessibility, and personalizing content enhances user experience. Engaging with the email marketing community provides additional insights. It is important to acknowledge that rebuilding reputation and addressing complex issues generally require time, and the problem is rarely related to infrastructure.

Key findings

  • Sender Reputation Focus: Declining metrics often link to sender reputation; monitoring and addressing this is crucial.
  • Root Cause Identification: Analyzing sending frequency, content relevance, and list hygiene helps identify the underlying issue.
  • List Hygiene Importance: Double opt-ins, regular cleaning, and managing inactive subscribers improve deliverability.
  • Technical Authentication: SPF, DKIM, and DMARC implementation secures email authentication and deliverability.
  • User Experience Enhancement: Optimizing design, ensuring accessibility, and personalizing content boost engagement.
  • Long-Term Solutions: Quick fixes are rare; rebuilding reputation takes time and consistent effort.
  • Infrastucture Faults: Deliverability problems are rarely related to a faults in the infrastructure.

Key considerations

  • Proactive Monitoring: Regularly monitor sender scores, feedback loops, and complaint rates to identify potential issues.
  • Content Strategy: Ensure valuable, relevant, and personalized content to avoid list fatigue and improve engagement.
  • Community Engagement: Leverage the insights and experiences shared within the email marketing community.
  • Accessibility Standards: Adhere to accessibility best practices to cater to a wider audience and enhance overall user experience.
  • Sustainable Practices: Implement sustainable email marketing practices for consistent deliverability and engagement.

What email marketers say
12Marketer opinions

When email click rates and open rates decline rapidly, a multifaceted approach is required. It's crucial to recognize that reputation issues often take time to develop and resolve, so quick fixes are rare. Addressing this decline involves identifying the root cause through analyzing sending frequency, content relevance, and list hygiene. Strategies include segmenting email lists for targeted content, A/B testing subject lines for improved open rates, and engaging with the email marketing community for insights. Furthermore, maintaining a clean email list through double opt-ins and regular cleaning, optimizing email design, and adhering to accessibility best practices are essential. Personalization and monitoring sender reputation and feedback loops also play a significant role in restoring engagement and deliverability. Finally, it is rarely an infrastucture problem.

Key opinions

  • Reputation Building: Email reputation issues usually take time to manifest and resolve; quick solutions are uncommon.
  • Root Cause Analysis: Identifying the underlying cause by examining sending frequency, content relevance, and list hygiene is essential.
  • Segmentation: Segmenting email lists allows for targeted content, potentially improving engagement and open rates.
  • A/B Testing: A/B testing subject lines helps optimize performance and increase open rates.
  • Community Engagement: Engaging with the email marketing community can provide valuable insights and strategies.
  • List Hygiene: Double opt-ins and regular cleaning of email lists contribute to reducing spam complaints and improving sender reputation.
  • Email Optimization: Optimizing email design for mobile devices, using clear calls-to-action, and ensuring accessibility improves engagement.
  • Personalization: Personalizing content increases engagement and click-through rates.
  • Infrastructure: Email delivarability problems are rarely an infrastructure fault.

Key considerations

  • Sender Reputation: Regularly monitor sender reputation and address any negative changes promptly.
  • Content Relevance: Ensure your email content is relevant and valuable to your subscribers to avoid list fatigue.
  • Feedback Loops: Monitor feedback loops and complaint rates to identify and address deliverability issues.
  • Accessibility: Prioritize email accessibility to ensure a positive experience for all subscribers.
  • Inactive Subscribers: Re-engage or remove inactive subscribers to maintain a healthy email list.
Marketer view

Marketer from Email Geeks explains that email reputations take a while to build, and there’s rarely a “quick” solution to something likely took months to cause and are just now seeing the ramifications of.

July 2021 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Email marketer from ActiveCampaign explains that regularly cleaning your email list by removing inactive subscribers, bounces, and spam traps can improve your email deliverability and engagement rates. List cleaning helps maintain a healthy subscriber base.

September 2021 - ActiveCampaign
Marketer view

Email marketer from Stack Overflow shares that using double opt-in for email lists can help ensure that subscribers are genuinely interested in receiving your emails, reducing the likelihood of spam complaints and improving your sender reputation.

April 2024 - Stack Overflow
Marketer view

Email marketer from Neil Patel Digital explains that to address declining email metrics, you should first identify the root cause by analyzing factors like sending frequency, content relevance, and list hygiene. This helps target the specific issue affecting performance.

May 2022 - Neil Patel Digital
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email on Acid shares that optimizing your email design for mobile devices, using clear calls-to-action, and ensuring your email renders correctly across different email clients can improve engagement and click-through rates.

November 2023 - Email on Acid
Marketer view

Email marketer from HubSpot explains that A/B testing email subject lines can help you determine which subject lines resonate most with your audience, leading to higher open rates. Test different wording, length, and personalization to optimize performance.

October 2024 - HubSpot
Marketer view

Email marketer from Litmus shares that following email accessibility best practices, such as using alt text for images, providing sufficient contrast, and ensuring your email is navigable with a screen reader, can improve the experience for all subscribers and boost engagement.

April 2021 - Litmus
Marketer view

Marketer from Email Geeks shares that reputation decline issues are always solvable, but reputations take time to build back from whatever caused the decline.

January 2023 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Marketer from Email Geeks shares that in more than 20 years of experience, the issue of deliverability problems is rarely caused by the infrastructure.

June 2022 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Email marketer from Campaign Monitor explains that personalizing your email content based on subscriber data, such as name, location, and past purchases, can increase engagement and click-through rates. Personalization makes emails feel more relevant and valuable to recipients.

February 2022 - Campaign Monitor
Marketer view

Email marketer from Mailchimp shares that segmenting your email list allows you to send targeted content to specific groups of subscribers, which can improve engagement and open rates. Segmentation can be based on demographics, behavior, or interests.

September 2024 - Mailchimp
Marketer view

Email marketer from Reddit explains that engaging with the community on Reddit can lead to insights about email marketing strategies. Subreddits dedicated to email marketing often discuss topics like email deliverability, best practices, and emerging trends.

August 2022 - Reddit

What the experts say
3Expert opinions

When facing a rapid decline in email open and click rates, addressing sender reputation, email list fatigue, and feedback loops is crucial. Sudden drops often signal issues with sender reputation, necessitating monitoring sender scores and swift action to address any negative changes. Declining engagement metrics can also indicate email list fatigue, highlighting the importance of re-engaging inactive subscribers or removing them. Monitoring feedback loops and complaint rates is essential, as high complaint rates negatively impact sender reputation and deliverability.

Key opinions

  • Sender Reputation: Sudden drops in open and click rates often indicate issues with sender reputation.
  • List Fatigue: Declining engagement metrics can indicate email list fatigue.
  • Feedback Loops & Complaints: Monitoring feedback loops and complaint rates is crucial for maintaining email deliverability.

Key considerations

  • Monitor Sender Score: Regularly monitor your sender score to identify and address reputation issues.
  • Re-engage or Remove: Re-engage inactive subscribers or remove them from your list to combat email list fatigue.
  • Complaint Rates: Actively monitor and address feedback loops and high complaint rates.
Expert view

Expert from Spam Resource explains that monitoring feedback loops and complaint rates is essential for maintaining email deliverability. High complaint rates can negatively impact your sender reputation and lead to deliverability issues.

April 2024 - Spam Resource
Expert view

Expert from Word to the Wise explains that sudden drops in open and click rates can often be attributed to sender reputation issues. Monitoring your sender score and addressing any negative changes is crucial for maintaining deliverability.

August 2024 - Word to the Wise
Expert view

Expert from Word to the Wise shares that declining engagement metrics can indicate email list fatigue. Re-engaging inactive subscribers or removing them from your list can help improve your overall engagement rates.

April 2024 - Word to the Wise

What the documentation says
4Technical articles

When email click and open rates decline rapidly, focusing on sender reputation and authentication is critical. Improving sender reputation involves consistently sending valuable content, authenticating emails using SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, and removing unengaged subscribers. Using tools like Google Postmaster Tools helps monitor spam rates, feedback loops, and authentication status. Implementing DKIM verifies email senders, reducing phishing and spam risks. Warming up IP addresses by gradually increasing sending volume helps establish a positive sending reputation, especially with new IPs.

Key findings

  • Sender Reputation Improvement: Consistently send valuable content and remove unengaged subscribers to improve sender reputation.
  • Authentication: Authenticate emails using SPF, DKIM, and DMARC to improve deliverability.
  • Google Postmaster Tools: Use Google Postmaster Tools to monitor email deliverability metrics.
  • DKIM Verification: Implementing DKIM helps verify email senders and reduces spam.
  • IP Warm-up: Gradually warm up IP addresses to establish a positive sending reputation.

Key considerations

  • Content Value: Ensure content is valuable and relevant to recipients.
  • Authentication Protocols: Properly implement and maintain SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records.
  • Monitoring Tools: Regularly monitor deliverability metrics via tools like Google Postmaster Tools.
  • IP Address Management: Follow IP warm-up best practices when using new IP addresses.
Technical article

Documentation from SparkPost explains that warming up IP addresses gradually by increasing sending volume over time can help establish a positive sending reputation and prevent deliverability issues, especially when using new IP addresses.

November 2023 - SparkPost
Technical article

Documentation from SendGrid explains that improving sender reputation involves consistently sending valuable content, authenticating your email with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, and promptly removing unengaged subscribers from your list. Good sender reputation helps maintain high deliverability.

December 2023 - SendGrid
Technical article

Documentation from Google shares that Google Postmaster Tools provides valuable insights into your email deliverability, including spam rate, feedback loop, and authentication status. Monitoring these metrics can help you identify and address issues affecting your email performance.

August 2024 - Google
Technical article

Documentation from RFC explains that DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) authentication helps verify the sender of an email, reducing the likelihood of phishing and spam. Implementing DKIM can improve your email deliverability and protect your brand reputation.

November 2022 - rfc-editor.org