Why are email open rates dropping in Gmail, especially for new subscribers and welcome emails?

Marketer from Email Geeks shares that they are seeing open rates of 1% for new to list email addresses, but 30% open rates for new to list names from January of this year.

Marketer from Email Geeks asks if Klaviyo recently excluded Apple Mail Opens, which could explain the drop in open rates, especially with MPP. It could also explain why opens aren't passed back if opened on Apple Mail.

Email marketer from HubSpot explains that improving open rates for new subscribers involves focusing on providing valuable content from the first email, personalizing the email experience, and using a clear and concise subject line. They also suggest using a welcome series to introduce your brand and build trust.

Marketer from Email Geeks shares analysis showing a drop in inbox placement for welcome emails in February (~59.4%) compared to emails sent to recipients with prior communication (~80%).

Email marketer from EmailOctopus Blog shares that low open rates for welcome emails may be due to a mismatch between expectations set during signup and the email content, or that the emails are landing in the spam folder, or the recipients are not actually interested. They suggest optimizing subject lines and preheader text and providing immediate value in the welcome email.

Email marketer from ActiveCampaign shares welcome email deliverability tips, including warming up your IP, using double opt-in, and segmenting your lists. They also recommend sending a series of welcome emails, instead of just one, to provide more value and build engagement.

Email marketer from Quora user John Smith explains that reasons for low email open rates include not having permission to send email (spam), subject lines that are not engaging, content that is not relevant to the reader, and sending to an outdated list.

Email marketer from Litmus shares that Gmail's tabbed inbox (Promotions tab) impacts open rates, especially if emails are not optimized for inbox placement. They also note that Apple's Mail Privacy Protection inflates open rates, making it difficult to get a clear picture of deliverability, therefore skewing results.

Email marketer from Reddit user u/EmailExpert42 responds that Gmail often marks welcome emails as promotions because they often contain promotional content or links. They suggest focusing on providing valuable information and avoiding overly promotional language in the first few emails.

Marketer from Email Geeks shares that they have seen up and down fluctuations in open rates, especially with new subscribers and refers to it as Gmail purgatory. Suggests reducing volume and focusing on engaged subscribers.

Email marketer from Sendinblue shares that factors impacting email open rates in 2023 include the rise of mobile, the growing importance of personalization, the use of emojis in subject lines, and the impact of Apple Mail Privacy Protection. They also recommend A/B testing subject lines and email content to optimize for engagement.

Email marketer from Reddit user u/DeliverabilityDude shares that low Gmail open rates for new users could be caused by Gmail's spam filters and the perception of sending reputation of the new sender. Warming up your email by sending gradually to engaged subscribers may help boost overall sender reputation.

Email marketer from Neil Patel Digital explains that declining open rates can be attributed to factors like poor subject lines, irrelevant content, sending emails at the wrong time, and not segmenting your audience. Also he suggests list cleaning and re-engaging inactive subscribers.

Expert from Spam Resource suggests inbox placement issues may affect open rates, which means emails may be going straight to the spam folder and not being seen by recipients. This is even more likely with welcome emails if a recipient has not marked you as a contact. Senders should authenticate their emails using SPF, DKIM, and DMARC to help improve inbox placement, also use a dedicated IP if sending a lot of email and warm it up.

Expert from Word to the Wise, Laura Atkins, explains that low engagement from new subscribers often stems from list fatigue, stale data, or not meeting expectations set during signup. She recommends focusing on acquiring engaged subscribers through clear value propositions and using confirmed opt-in.

Documentation from Mailjet shares tips for improving email deliverability to Gmail, including warming up your IP address, segmenting your email list, removing unengaged subscribers, and using a dedicated IP address. They also emphasize the importance of consistent sending volume and cadence.

Documentation from Google Support explains that to ensure proper delivery to Gmail inboxes, senders must authenticate their email with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. They must also keep spam rates low and make it easy for recipients to unsubscribe. Senders need to follow best practices for formatting messages, sending from consistent IPs, and monitoring their reputation via Postmaster Tools.

Documentation from RFC Editor explains that Internet Message Format RFC5322 outlines standards for email message headers. Correctly formatting the 'From', 'To', 'Subject' and 'Date' headers is critical in ensuring your email is successfully processed. The 'Received' header helps track hops. This header should be used and configured correctly.

Documentation from SparkPost identifies potential reasons for low open rates and deliverability issues, such as poor sender reputation, spam filters, blocklists, and recipient engagement. They recommend monitoring sender reputation, authenticating email, and optimizing email content to improve deliverability and open rates.