I think organic growth is getting me a 66.7% avg. open rate.
I don't actively promote via Twitter or anywhere else. I haven't texted my friends to sign-up. I don't have an exit-intent popup on my website. I want to grow slowly.
And I think what I've seen is people are intentional when signing up. As a result, they are highly engaged.
The big caveat is that my growth hasn't been high. I have a couple dozen subscribers. So, I think I might be trading quick growth for engagement.
Having never grown a list before, I'm curious. Does open rate tend to drop over time? How can I grow while maintaining a high open rate?
Assuming I continue to deliver valuable and relevant content.
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Yes, open rates drop over time. Combo of factors including subscriber fatigue, new subs being less enthusiastic, etc.
Ben Evans has tweeted his metrics before just for example.
Ah that chart is so helpful - thanks for sharing.
My open rates have been pretty consistent for the past 2 years. They're around 40% for emails to the full list and at least 70% for emails that just go to paying customers.
Well there’s some hope I can hold onto. Do you implement anything that you think was a contributor to the consistency??
Just one thing. Before sending each email I try to put myself in the mindset of the receiver and I ask, "Would I want to see this in my inbox?"
Rates tend to drop as subscribers become tired of the content, and better things come along that consumes their time.
The first subscribers are likely the most engaged. You’ve probably target them because they’re your tribe. As you go for growth you put your message in front of many more people. Some maybe just interested enough in the topic to subscribe but not to open every issue.
To maintain high open rates as you grow, you need to regularly cull your list of inactives (list hygiene). Helps with delivery and keeps costs down.
Ah the prune. Gotcha that's helpful to know.
Hi Bryce,
Impressive open rate!
How often do you send out your newsletter for those opening rates? Just interested as a benchmark :)
I send them out weekly. I give subscribers the option to receive updates weekly, monthly, or when I launch a product (which is rare!)
Smart with the weekly vs. monthly option. Is there a different in the content you send out for those two intervals?
Not really. I just make sure I don’t tangent or experiment with the content for the issue that goes out for monthly. I make sure it packs a punch of value.