Your Emails are Being Ignored. Here's why- and how to fix it!

Feb 183 min read

Ok, we listen and we don’t judge….

I have over 20,000 emails in my email box that are unopened. I know! I’m terrible about opening and deleting emails. And yes, my digital clutter is out of hand and I need to BE BETTER- but that’s not the reason I’m sharing this shameful truth.

I recently made some interesting observations about what emails I DO open, and I think it may be helpful to share those observations so your emails don’t just gather dust in someone’s inbox.

You see, email marketing should be a goldmine for you - according to Forbes it is probably the most important digital marketing tool than any other available today. But sometimes email marketing can feel more like yelling into the void. You hit send, cross your fingers, and hope someone (anyone!) actually opens your email. But instead? Crickets.

So here are some few simple tips/tweaks from my personal observations that I think will help make the difference for you:

Use a Sender Name People Actually Recognize

As a small business owner, your personal name may carry more weight than your brand name. For instance, you know that Erica is an amazing event decorator. But did you remember that her business name is Allure Décor? If you’re not actively looking for decorations for a party this email might get skipped. Could that be happening to you?

If your audience relates your services to you as the brand, use that to your advantage. A familiar name builds trust and boosts open rates. A happy compromise: try making the sender “Your Name at your business” to help bridge that awareness gap with your email community.

Send Emails to People Who Want Them

Look, I get it—you worked hard to build your email list. But if half of those people signed up for a freebie three years ago and haven’t opened an email since, they are taking up space and tanking your open rates!

So instead, focus on sending emails to the people who actually care about your content. A smaller, engaged list will always outperform a big, unresponsive one. Clean up your list, stop sending emails to people who don’t want them, and watch your open rates climb. Remember a party with 5 people who love you will always be better than a party with 1,000 strangers.

Be Consistent (Yes, Even When You’re Busy)

Nobody likes a sometimey person- or business. Imagine following a new TV show that airs whenever it feels like it. Some weeks it’s there, other times it disappears for months. Annoying, right?

That’s exactly how your email community feels when your emails show up inconsistently.

You’re not building a relationship with them.
You aren’t trying to connect with them.
They can’t prioritize someone who isn’t prioritizing them.

If you ghost them for weeks and then randomly pop up with an “exciting offer,” don’t be surprised when they hit unsubscribe- or worse, just ignore your emails altogether.

So build a schedule for sending your emails. A good rule of thumb is once a week. It’s enough to stay top-of-mind without overwhelming yourself or your readers..

Email marketing doesn’t have to feel like a shot in the dark. Recognizable sender names, engaged subscribers, and a consistent schedule—these small tweaks can keep you from being among the 20,000 unopened.

Oh, and you don’t have to do it alone! If you want to build a more consistent email schedule or if you need to clean up your email list, Let’s chat! I can help you build an email strategy that actually works and gets you the results you been looking for!