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.

3 comments

3 Comments

adamk959d ago

But what if your subscribers are just being nice in those surveys? I've noticed people often say they want real fails, but then they skip emails that feel too negative. That 20% boost is good, but maybe it's just because the change was fresh, not because the content is actually better. You might get better info by trying a few different styles without asking first.

amy_henderson839d ago

Worried my subscribers were just being polite in surveys too. Then I tracked email opens for a month after switching to more honest content. The click rate stayed high even after the newness wore off, which surprised me. Now I trust that feedback more because the numbers back it up.

sarah_white8d ago

Test sending two versions of your email to small groups... see which one gets more clicks over time. I did this last year when my open rates dipped. The honest stuff always won out, even after months. People might say they want fails, but real numbers don't lie... if they keep opening, they're engaged. Try it for a few cycles, not just one month. That way you rule out the newness factor adam mentioned.