Why Many Emails Are Never Opened — and 5 Common Newsletter Mistakes

Email Marketing is Alive (But Competition is Fierce)

Despite the rise of social media and AI, email remains the channel with the highest Return on Investment (ROI). But there’s a problem: capturing attention is harder than ever.

The inbox is a sacred and saturated space. If your open rates are dropping or never took off, you’re likely making one of these fundamental mistakes.

1. Boring, Misleading, or “Spammy” Subject Lines

The subject line is 80% of your email’s success. If it doesn’t convince within 2 seconds, the email gets deleted unread.

Common mistakes:

• Being cryptic: “Did you know this?” (Too vague).
• Being boring: “Monthly Newsletter #43” (No one cares about the number).
• Using fake clickbait: “URGENT: Your account…” (This kills trust).

Solution: Use subject lines that spark curiosity or promise a clear, specific benefit.

2. “Spray and Pray”: Sending the Same Thing to Everyone

Treating your entire list as a homogeneous block is a recipe for irrelevance. A customer who bought from you 3 years ago doesn’t have the same interests as someone who subscribed yesterday.

If I send an “Advanced Software” offer to someone just learning the basics, not only will they not open that email, but they will stop opening future ones because they learn to ignore me.

3. Lack of Consistency (and Identity)

Do you only write when you need to sell something? That’s a huge mistake.

The relationship with the subscriber is built on consistency. If you disappear for 3 months and come back with a “BUY FROM ME!”, the natural reaction is “Who is this person?”.

Also, make sure the “Sender Name” is recognizable. An email from “Company X - No Reply” has far lower chances than one from “Juan from Company X”.

4. Ignoring the Mobile Experience

Over 60% of emails are opened on mobile devices.

If your email has columns that don’t stack, tiny text, or giant images that take forever to load, the user will close it immediately. A responsive design isn’t a luxury; it’s a basic technical requirement.

5. Neglecting Technical Deliverability

You can have the best content in the world, but if your email lands in Spam, no one will see it.

Many brands send emails without properly configuring their authentication protocols (SPF, DKIM, DMARC). For providers like Gmail and Outlook, this is a red flag.

Tip: Use tools like Mail-Tester to check your score before sending major campaigns.

Conclusion

Improving open rates isn’t luck; it’s empathy and technique.

Put yourself in your subscriber’s shoes: Would you open your own email if you saw it among 50 others in your inbox? If the answer is “maybe”, it’s time to rethink your strategy.