9 Ways to Boost Your Healthcare Email Open Rate

[Tap, tap] Is this thing on?

Sending emails to an unengaged list is like presenting to an auditorium with a faulty mic. It’s impossible to get your message across if your audience can’t hear — or doesn’t read — it.

But you can’t blame subscribers for not opening every email. They get hundreds of emails per day. (And even more mobile notifications.)

When they’re dodging annoying spam calls, overactive group chats, tempting Uber Eats offers, distracting social media notifications, and constant lectures from the Duolingo owl to practice their Spanish … it’s no wonder why it’s challenging to connect with them over email. But as healthcare marketers, we must persist.

What’s the average email open rate in healthcare?

First, let’s establish the benchmark. What qualifies as a good open rate for email marketing in healthcare?

Ask 4 different sources, and they’ll give you 4 different answers:

• HubSpot says the average email open rate in healthcare is 37%.
• GetResponse reports an average open rate of 44% for their healthcare customers, noting that factors like location and time of year play a role.
• Mailchimp lists the industry average open rate as 37% for health and fitness.
• Constant Contact’s July 2024 data reflects an average open rate of 33% for health and wellness.

Our advice at Aha Media: Aim for a loose benchmark of about 45% but use your own data as your baseline. If you want to increase your open rate, follow our tips and aim for an attainable level of growth.

Check out other healthcare email marketing stats to inform your benchmarks.

9 tips to increase your open rate in email marketing

Learn our best advice from producing, sending, measuring, and optimizing healthcare newsletters and campaigns since 2006.

1. Optimize your subject line

The subject line is your chance to put your best foot forward. Subscribers use it to determine if your email is valuable enough to open. (We know it is, but you’ve got to convince them, too.)

What makes a solid email subject line in healthcare?

• Brevity: Keep it below 50 characters. Less is more.
• Clarity: Tell them the value they’ll get from the email.
• Relevance: Know your subscribers and offer what they need.
• Conversational writing: Sound like their peer, not like a marketer.
• Urgency: Why should they open the email right now? Tell them.

Read more about writing a strong email subject line.

2. Put your preview text to work

The preview text (aka “snippet” or “preheader”) is the first line displayed in a user’s inbox before they open the email. It’s directly below or beside the subject line, depending on the platform.

Most email service providers (ESPs) allow you to edit this. Delete the default text and either:

• Describe what the reader will get by opening the email.
• Offer value and an interesting tip right away.

Learn more about optimizing your preview text from email guru Jay Schwedelson.

3. Personalize your email content

Whose emails are you more likely to open regularly: The brand that uses their newsletter as a dumping ground for new blogs and upcoming events or the brand that sends you truly helpful info?

Personalization in healthcare email marketing is about more than using the recipient’s name in your subject line. Segment your list based on the information you collect about subscribers (within HIPAA guidelines, of course). Also, encourage users to opt into areas of interest when they join your list, such as “Tips for Parents” or “Resources for Patients With Cancer.”

Related: Read tips and inspiration for sending engaging hospital newsletters.

4. Protect your sender reputation

Your sender reputation is everything in email marketing. This “score” determines whether you land in users’ inboxes or spam folders.

How can you keep your sender reputation strong? Follow these rules and best practices:

• Include an unsubscribe link and mailing address in every email.
• Send emails from an operable address (not a no-reply address).
• Avoid spammy language like “click here,” “free,” or “limited time.” See HubSpot’s list of healthcare-specific spam words to avoid.

5. Onboard subscribers with intention

The way you build and onboard your email list plays a role in the engagement you’ll receive.

For an added layer of consent, send a confirmation email when someone signs up. Only subscribe users who click through from that email. This helps you build a list of subscribers who are enthusiastic to be there and happy to hear from you.

6. Keep your list clean

Cleaning your email list is like pruning a rose bush. You remove the excess petals (inactive subscribers) to help the overall health of the plant (your list).

Check your list regularly for users who aren’t opening your messages. Send them an email to confirm that they’d like to continue hearing from you. If they don’t click through the reengagement email, clear them off your list with best wishes and a grateful heart — you’re making room for more subscribers who can’t wait to open your emails.

After a few months of the silent treatment, we send this to our subscribers:

7. Test what works

A/B testing is a healthcare email marketer’s best friend. Test different variables to see how they impact your open rate. But only test one at a time, or you won’t know what made the difference. Try testing your:

• Subject line
• Preview text
• “From” name
• Sending time or day of the week

Remember, other healthcare brands’ best practices may not work for your list. Keep an eye on what your competitors are up to — but focus on discovering and delivering what your subscribers want.

8. Track your open rate (and other metrics!)

Track your test results — and email performance in general — and adjust accordingly. Aside from open rates, you’ll want to monitor:

• Delivery rate
• Bounce rate
• Click-through rate
• Unsubscribe rate
• Replies, if this is important to your strategy

9. Send emails that people want to read

Our most important tip for increasing your email open rate? Write the kinds of emails that people feel compelled to open. Be the “From” name your subscribers don’t want to skip or delete.

How? Avoid clickbait subject lines, follow through on your promises, back up your claims, and offer value to subscribers in every email. Give more than you take or ask for. Sound conversational and human. This is what differentiates an average healthcare email from an amazing one.

Want hands-on help with your email marketing strategy or need to boost your writing capacity? See if we’re the right healthcare email marketing agency for you.