How I Boosted My Newsletter Open Rate from 10% to 43%

How I Raised My Newsletter Open Rate From 10% to 43% — And How You Can Too

When I first started this newsletter, I had just 100 subscribers and my open rate was about 10%.

For context, a decent open rate usually falls between 17% and 28%, depending on the industry.

I began testing different ideas to see what would help — and what wouldn’t.

As my subscriber list grew, I also managed to boost my open rate quite a bit.

Now, at 415 subscribers, about 179 people open and read my newsletter every week.

That’s a lot of readers.

Honestly, I couldn’t imagine speaking to that many people in person.

And the best part? It keeps growing.

Here are the 7 things I do every week to keep my open rate high:

1. Write a Subject Line That Hooks

I treat every subject line like a first impression — it needs to be clear, honest, and spark curiosity.
No clickbait, just genuine interest.
Think of it like a front door: make it inviting enough so people want to come in.
The best subject lines make readers feel like they’ll miss out if they don’t open.

2. Send at the Right Time

Timing really matters.
After some trial and error, I figured out when my audience is most likely to check their emails.
Your ideal send time might be different.
Consider your audience’s time zone and daily habits — when are they most active on their devices?

3. Keep Emails Mobile-Friendly

More than half of emails are opened on phones.
If your email looks messy or hard to read on a small screen, people won’t stick around.
I keep my design simple and clean.
Before sending, I always preview my emails on my phone — if it looks good on mine, it should look good on others’.

4. Avoid Spam Triggers

There are lots of words that can send your emails straight to spam.
Google “spam trigger words” and you’ll find plenty of lists.
Use a trustworthy email service.
In your confirmation message, ask subscribers to check their spam folder for confirmation and add you to their contacts.
Encourage them to reply to your emails — it helps keep your messages out of spam.

5. Use Engaging Preview Text

Preview text is like a little teaser for your email.
It works with your subject line to convince readers to open.
Make it clear and tempting, especially for mobile readers who see only a snippet.

6. Find the Right Email Frequency

Send too few emails and your audience might forget you.
Send too many and they could get annoyed.
Find your sweet spot.
For me, once a week is perfect — it gives people time to digest and act on what they read.
Sometimes, I send extra emails for announcements, but mostly my newsletter lands on Fridays.

7. Resend to Boost Opens

I send my newsletter every Friday — then resend it on Monday to people who didn’t open it the first time.
Emails get buried in busy inboxes.
Resending gives your email another chance to get seen.
Try subject lines like:

• "In case you missed this: [Subject Line]"

• "Here’s what you missed from [Your Name]"

• "Did you catch this? [Subject Line]"

Not resending is missing out on easy opens.

Try these tips on your next email — especially resending. It’s a simple way to get more people reading your content.

Catch you next week,

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