How to Improve Email Open Rates
You hit send. The email’s gone. Job done, right?
Wrong.
Emails don’t magically teleport into someone’s brain. They sit there in inbox limbo, fighting for attention with school updates, bills, Facebook group invites, and “your parcel is on the way” notifications.
One of my colleagues learned this the hard way. She missed a critical action because the email looked just like every other one in her inbox. No “urgent” subject line. No design hint this was different. Just the usual copy-paste format.
The result? A mountain of paperwork and an hour on the phone trying to fix it. And that reminded us of the mantra at Spinifex: message sent does not mean message received.
The inbox is a warzone
Think about your own day. Emails from work. Newsletters. Updates from schools. Messages from friends and family.
And then the apps: WhatsApp, Slack, Messenger, Teams, random community Facebook groups. Australians now spend nearly two hours a day doom-scrolling social media1 and that same fractured attention spills into our inboxes.
Your customers aren’t waiting around for your update. They’re scanning. Skimming. Ignoring. And making snap judgments based on the first few words they see in their preview pane.
That’s why the preview text in your email is make-or-break. If it looks like another generic update, it may never even get opened.
And if trust is already low (82% of Australians say they don’t trust what they read online), then bland, lookalike emails have almost no chance of breaking through.
The numbers don’t lie
Here’s where the research backs it up.
- The average global open rate across industries is around 42% in 2025, but that figure hides some wild variation. Certain industries dip as low as 22%2.
- In Australia, email is punching above its weight: the 2025 benchmark puts the national average open rate at 46.34%, the highest across all regions3.
- Government, healthcare, and animal care sectors often punch above 45% while media, marketing, and retail can drop below 30%3.
So while email is still one of the strongest channels, the reality is clear: more than half of your messages will never be opened. If the one that gets ignored is the one that really matters, you’ve got a problem.
But the point here is Australians do open emails. But only when they look worth opening.
Why “everything looks the same” is dangerous
Here’s the catch: if every message looks identical, same subject style, same layout, same buried CTA, how does your audience know which one is urgent? They don’t.
It’s like your pest control technician telling a client, “We’ll get back to you soon” after every service. Soon could mean tomorrow. Soon could mean never. That client’s left in the dark.
When your communication blends into the background, important details get missed. And when that happens, it’s not just annoying. It’s costly.
- Missed event reminders = people showing up to the wrong place.
- Missed payment deadlines = cashflow delays.
- Missed safety updates = real-world risk.
How to improve email open rates
When the message matters, don’t gamble. Here’s how to stand out:
- Make the subject line your headline
“Important update” not so good
“Tomorrow’s appointment – confirm you’ll be home” Clear
- Use preview text like a billboard
Reinforce urgency or action, not boilerplate filler.
- Visually differentiate urgent from routine
If everything looks urgent, nothing is. Use colour, layout, or icons to flag priority.
- Double up your channels
For high-stakes messages, add an SMS or WhatsApp to your email. Redundancy is insurance.
- Keep it simple
Lead with the “what,” then “when,” and “what to do.” No scroll-hunt.
- A/B test subject lines
A quick test with a small slice can double your open rate.
Why we still use email (and why it works)
After all this inbox doom, let’s not forget: email isn’t broken. It’s one of the most powerful tools small businesses have.
- It drives sales: Email marketing has a median ROI of $36 for every $1 spent, higher than social, paid search, or direct mail.
- It builds loyalty: Automated flows – like rebooking reminders, birthday discounts, or seasonal tips keep your business top of mind without adding admin stress.
- It boosts engagement: Aussie newsletters average 35–40% open rates meaning plenty of customers are choosing to connect.
- It’s measurable: You see who opened, who clicked, who booked. No guesswork, just clarity.
That’s why we don’t say ditch email. We say: make it count.
Don’t gamble on your message
Before you hit send, ask yourself: will anyone notice this email? Or is it about to drown in the inbox swamp?
If it’s important, make it crystal clear. Use the subject line, the preview text, the design, and when the stakes are high back it up with another channel.
Because a message isn’t valuable when it’s sent. It’s valuable when it’s seen, understood, and acted on.
References
1. thelabstrategy.com/insights/the-australia-project-2025
2. Growth-onomics (2025) – Email Marketing Benchmarks: Open Rates & CTRs by Industry
3. MailerLite (2025) – Compare your email performance with industry benchmarks
A little about Spinifex
At Spinifex, we’ve been doing email marketing since… well, since email was invented. True story. With 30 years of experience under our belt, we’ve seen what works, what doesn’t, and how to make every message count.
We’ll help you design emails and comms systems that don’t just get sent–they get noticed, understood, and acted on. Check out our work, and let’s talk about building a system that saves you time and gets results.
