Why do people ignore my emails

Did you know that every day over 112.4 billion business emails fly around the world? Imagine how many emails are to individual people every day. Okay, we got it - it’s about 122 emails! Impressive right? If you are sending emails and don’t get the opens and clicks that you are looking for, you can be sure that something is going wrong. There are some really common and easy to fix mistakes that senders often make. We'll help you understand people might ignore your emails so you can have greater email campaign success.

Ready? Let’s start!

Why do people ignore your email?

1. Be clear about what you want

Sometimes senders put everything into one email campaign - sales, updates, new posts from their blog, special offers, free guide books, and so on. That is their first mistake. Too much information in one email can disengage readers because they become overwhelmed. Your contacts may not understand the purpose of the email, or they may not find it relevant if it doesn't address their current interests or needs.

But, there is a solution! Stop for a moment, grab a big cup of coffee (or tea) and think about what you really want to say.  Then, choose a maximum of three topics or angles and express them clearly in your email. Search for perfect pictures to support your themes, create catchy headers, add one or two lines of text that describe your points and be sure to use a short and interesting subject line to encourage your readers to open your mail.

2. Keep it short

Another reason that emails get ignored is when they are too long.  Making your emails longer than The Great Wall of China is no way to engage your readers. People don’t have as much time as they (or you) would probably like. If your email needs more than 3–4 minutes of their attention then there is a good possibility it won't get read.

Another point to remember is that most of your subscribers will open your email on their mobile devices. They want to see ‘What’s new’ and that’s all. Don’t waste this opportunity. Use simple words and short sentences, be clear, bold and put what’s important near the top of your email, these tips will help keep your subscribers reading your mail on the go.

3. Work on tone and choice of words

How well do you know your subscribers? Is your mail for readers looking for a chatty, light tone or a more sober and serious informational approach? 

There are a lot of questions you need to ask yourself before you start writing your email. Many senders don’t understand why their emails are opened or not and this is where the mistakes are made. There are many factors that can affect mail delivery, but whether your mail gets opened can often simply come down to content and communication style. Imagine that your readers are expecting a newsletter about their interest in cars, give them that, not an email about clothes or makeup.

Part of the reason a person subscribes to receive mail is that they want more information about a particular product service or topic. By catering to this, you can encourage your readers to engage with your mail and enjoy your high open rate!

4. Your links don't work and images don't show up

It is very frustrating when a contact receives emails with broken links or images that don't show up.

Imagine that your subscriber has opened your email in anticipation only to find that when they follow up by clicking a link - it takes them to the wrong information or a page that isn't accessible. Not only is this disappointing to your reader, but emails with broken links are also more likely to filter as spam. You can be pretty sure that your email will get moved to the trash bin and now any future emails to that contact may be more likely to get ignored.

You will want to check and re-check your emails for errors before you send out your campaigns - test twice, send once!

5. Too much automation might be too much

Why do people ignore emails? Your subscribers have names. They are individuals! While it's handy to set up triggered mail or send out generic information, a little bit of personalization can go a long way. Using merge fields to add names or other information directly into your email format is an effective way to show your subscribers that you are paying attention, keeping the email relevant to them, and showing appreciation for their individual interests and needs.

If you have any questions, feedback or need help - contact our friendly support team for assistance!

Anna

A marketing minded individual with a heart for a deeper story. When I am not at work, I co-create non-profit projects, play tennis or explore Instagram.