Why have welcome email open rates dropped even with proper authentication and segmentation?

Email marketer from Neil Patel explains that personalizing emails, segmenting lists effectively, and optimizing send times can improve open rates. He also suggests cleaning the email list regularly.

Email marketer from Email on Acid responds that a possible cause for declining open rates is the placement of emails in the promotions tab of Gmail. Recommends improving preheader text and subject lines for better engagement.

Email marketer from Reddit user r/emailmarketing explains that welcome emails might be landing in the promotions tab, or users may have signed up with old or burner emails, leading to low engagement. Suggested to check list quality.

Email marketer from Campaign Monitor suggests that if welcome email engagement is low, implementing re-engagement campaigns for inactive users can improve open rates. Send targeted emails to win back subscribers.

Email marketer from Gmass explains that low open rates may result from a lack of personalization, unengaging subject lines, or a mismatch between subscriber expectations and email content. Testing subject lines and personalizing content is recommended.

Email marketer from Warrior Forum shares that deliverability and open rates can suffer due to purchased lists, spammy keywords, or inconsistent sending patterns. Suggested best practices are to stick to organic list building, use relevant keywords, and maintain consistent sending habits.

Email marketer from HubSpot responds that declining open rates can stem from not providing value to the recipient or sending emails too frequently. Recommends re-evaluating the email content and frequency.

Email marketer from ActiveCampaign shares that even with proper setup, a drop in open rates might indicate your content is not resonating with new subscribers, or your segmentation criteria may need refining. Focus on understanding your audience and creating relevant content.

Email marketer from Email Geeks suggests that unsubscribes at .5% seems high for mailing 0-4 month engaged users, possibly indicating mailing to recipients who aren't as engaged as thought. Suggests auditing segmentation, opt-in forms, and list sources for recipients showing complaints.

Email marketer from Email Geeks confirms that testing with a Gmail inbox shows the welcome email went to the promotions tab. He previously assumed only ~30% of users have promotions enabled and open rates in promotions aren't significantly lower.

Email marketer from Mailjet shares that decreased engagement can stem from changes in email content relevance, increased competition in the inbox, or shifts in recipient preferences. They recommend A/B testing content and subject lines.

Email marketer from Litmus responds that variations between email clients (like Apple Mail Privacy Protection) can skew open rates. Suggested steps include re-evaluating reporting metrics and focusing on click-through rates.

Expert from Email Geeks explains the generic delivery decision is the promotions tab. Applying "fix reputation" processes may have no impact. Notes that they see open rates in promotions about 10-15% lower than inbox or updates with a lot of their clients

Expert from Spam Resource highlights the importance of list hygiene in maintaining good deliverability. Even with authentication and segmentation, sending to stale or unengaged email addresses can negatively impact your sender reputation and lead to lower open rates. Regularly cleaning your list to remove inactive subscribers and those who have not provided explicit consent is crucial.

Expert from Word to the Wise emphasizes the critical role of sender reputation in email deliverability. Even with proper authentication and segmentation, a poor sender reputation can cause emails to be filtered as spam, resulting in decreased open rates. Factors contributing to sender reputation include spam complaints, bounce rates, and engagement metrics.

Expert from Email Geeks asks if there is evidence the emails are going to spam or promotions. Suggests that mail going to promotions would depress pre-fetching.

Expert from Spam Resource explains the importance of feedback loops (FBLs) for identifying and addressing spam complaints, which can significantly affect deliverability and open rates. They note that ignoring FBLs can lead to ISPs filtering emails as spam, even with proper authentication.

Documentation from Microsoft explains that bulk emails should adhere to specific guidelines to avoid being flagged as spam. Advice includes proper authentication, list management, and relevant content.

Documentation from Mailchimp shares that deliverability issues can be related to poor list hygiene, low engagement, or content triggering spam filters. Suggested steps include cleaning the list and improving content relevance.

Documentation from Google explains that a sudden drop in open rates could be due to emails being routed to the spam folder, or users no longer finding the content relevant. It also suggests checking the sender's reputation in Postmaster Tools.

Documentation from SparkPost answers that even with proper authentication, deliverability can suffer if sender reputation is poor or if content triggers spam filters. They advise monitoring bounce rates and complaint rates.

Documentation from SendGrid shares that deliverability is influenced by content, sender reputation, and recipient engagement. Advises to ensure emails are mobile-friendly and provide value to the recipient.