Update: Asking my list what they wanted fixed my boring emails
I kept sending out my newsletter and watching the open rates stay flat, which was really frustrating. For a while, I thought I just had to make the subject lines better or send more often. Then I had a simple idea: just ask people what they care about. I added a one-question survey to the bottom of my next email, asking what topics they'd like to see. The answers surprised me; most said they wanted practical tips from my own fails, not just polished advice. So I switched to writing about my own marketing flops and what I learned from them. My last email had a 20% higher open rate, and a few people even hit reply to share their own stories. It's a small thing, but it showed me that listening can be the best strategy.