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A lot of artists have a hard time writing their artist email every couple of weeks or every month, despite the fact that it\u2019s one of the best ways to generate income and foster a closer relationship with your community. And many of the artists who do write the newsletter are even more afraid to look at the analytics to see their open rates. It can be disappointing to see a low open rate, but there are lots of things you can do to increase your open rate\u2014which can help increase your confidence and your enthusiasm for writing your newsletter. After all, it feels good to write to people who want to read your words, right?<\/p>\n
Here are ten good ideas for ways to increase your artist email open rate. Take a look and see if there are any you can apply to your newsletter!<\/p>\n
Are there subscribers on your list who\u2019ve been languishing there for years without ever opening your emails? Chances are, they never will\u2014and perhaps they\u2019ve moved you to their spam folder, which really hurts your delivery rate (it tells the email systems that you are sending spam). Either purge these old subscribers outright or send them a friendly email letting them know that you\u2019ll be doing so and inviting them to resubscribe if they\u2019re interested.<\/p>\n
You may have different types of email subscribers, such as collectors who have purchased from you, random interested people who signed up via your website, people who signed up at in-person sales events, and students who have taken classes with you. By creating segments and sending emails tailored directly to these groups with their interests and needs in mind, you are likely to see your open rates climb.<\/p>\n
Be sure that your emails don\u2019t accidentally trigger spam filters. This can be as simple as ensuring that your name is in the \u201cfrom\u201d line of the emails and that your address populates in the \u201creply to\u201d field.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re struggling with your open rate, it may be worth experimenting with your timing. Perhaps you chose a time that experts said was ideal, but you\u2019re wondering if your subscribers are actually getting slammed with work and sales emails during that time. Try a different day and time and see if you can catch your subscribers at an opportune moment.<\/p>\n
Take a look at the subject lines you\u2019ve been using. Could it be that they haven\u2019t been compelling enough to make subscribers open the emails? You don\u2019t want to be clickbaity or misleading, but a punchy or clever subject line can get someone\u2019s attention and spark interest.<\/p>\n
Next, it\u2019s time to analyze your newsletter copy. Does it sound like you\u2019re chatting with a friend, or is it a bit stiff and formal? You want to sound natural, upbeat, and friendly, allowing your personality to shine.<\/p>\n
Your emails are a direct communication between you and each recipient. Hopefully you learn their name upon signup and can use it, but even if you don\u2019t, you should not be writing as if you are addressing a group. Make sure it reads like a one-to-one conversation, not a \u201chey you guys\u201d conversation.<\/p>\n
While a casual tone can be appropriate, your email needs to deliver value (something of interest, such as photos of new work, news of your art career or activities, or even unrelated things such as links to articles, recipes, blogs, or more). It also has to look professional. I find that Flodesk<\/span><\/a> makes it simple to make a gorgeous artist email (and with my Flodesk affiliate link<\/span>,<\/a> you can get a 50% discount!)\u00a0<\/p>\n Be sure that your email is thoroughly proofread, and send yourself a test email to make sure all your images and links are working perfectly before you send out your email!<\/p>\n The vast majority of people will be viewing your newsletter on their mobile device, so be sure to optimize for that as you design it. It\u2019s all too easy to optimize for laptop\/desktop viewing as you create it on your laptop or desktop, but that doesn\u2019t reflect the true recipient viewing experience.<\/p>\n It can be tempting to buy a list\u2014as you know, businesses do it all the time. However, adding subscribers in this way will tank your open rate. These people didn\u2019t sign up for your newsletter! Nobody should be added to your email list without their express permission. They should want to be there!\u00a0<\/p>\n Your artist newsletter is one of the best ways to build a relationship with collectors, art lovers, art students, and other supporters. With email marketing, you have so much more control than in social media. No professional artist should neglect to create a quality artist newsletter and to optimize it with the 10 strategies listed above.<\/p>\n I recommend Flodesk<\/span><\/a> for artist newsletters, and I use it for mine (and I\u2019d love you to join my email newsletter!<\/a>). By using my affiliate link<\/span><\/a>, you can take a free 30-day test drive of Flodesk, and get 50% off a Flodesk subscription after that! I wish you lots of success with your newsletter.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n9. Optimize Your Emails for Mobile<\/strong><\/h2>\n
10. Grow Your List Naturally<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Spiff Up Your Email Newsletter and Build That Relationship!<\/strong><\/h2>\n