Summary
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.
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:
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.
Learn our best advice from producing, sending, measuring, and optimizing healthcare newsletters and campaigns since 2006.
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?
Read more about writing a strong email subject line.
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:
Learn more about optimizing your preview text from email guru Jay Schwedelson.
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.
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:
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.
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:
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:
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.
Track your test results — and email performance in general — and adjust accordingly. Aside from open rates, you’ll want to monitor:
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.
Get our emails about emails (how meta), SEO, content strategy, and more. No matter the topic, we stay focused on healthcare content.
Subscribe to our newsletter to keep informed.
AUTHOR
Ahava is a leading expert in healthcare content strategy, recognized for her ability to make complex medical information accessible. She has spent nearly 2 decades transforming how healthcare organizations communicate with their audiences. Ahava is trusted across the industry for her clarity, evidence-based approach, and thought leadership.
