"I used to get 40% open rates. Now I'm lucky to hit 10%. What happened?"
If you've said this recently, you're not alone. Across the board, small and medium businesses (SMBs) are seeing open rates shrink. But before you throw in the towel on email marketing, here's the truth: it's not dying. It's maturing.
Let me explain how to evolve with it — and win.
What's Causing Open Rates to Drop?
Blame the inbox, not your strategy (yet).
Top reasons your emails aren't getting opened:
- Apple Mail Privacy Protection (MPP) hiding open tracking
- Spam filters powered by machine learning
- Email fatigue in oversaturated inboxes
- Unoptimized mobile formats
- Poor timing and subject lines
Open rate drops are less about your effort and more about tech changes in how opens are tracked.
Understanding the iOS Privacy Impact
How Apple turned open rates upside down.
In 2021, Apple rolled out Mail Privacy Protection. Now, any email opened on Apple Mail is counted as opened — even if it wasn't. Ironically, this inflates open rates while making them less reliable.
The result?
- You can't trust open rate as a performance metric alone
- Automation workflows based on opens might misfire
- Subject line testing becomes murkier
SMBs must look beyond open rates to understand real engagement.
How Smart SMBs Are Adapting: Key Tactics
The winners aren't just lucky. They're strategic.
Here's what top-performing SMBs are doing:
Focus on Engagement
- Focusing on clicks, not opens
- Segmenting by behavior, not demographics
- Using automation to re-engage cold leads
Optimize Content
- Rewriting subject lines based on A/B results
- Adding SMS and social retargeting
- Creating mobile-optimized layouts
Segment Smarter, Not Harder
Stop blasting. Start targeting.
Not every subscriber wants the same message.
Segment by:
- Purchase history
- Email engagement (clickers vs. lurkers)
- Geographic location (especially for local offers)
- Lead source (where they signed up)
Smarter segments = better relevance = higher engagement.
Rethink Your Subject Lines — Science Over Guesswork
If you're not testing, you're guessing.
Great subject lines:
- Spark curiosity (without being clickbait)
- Are 40-60 characters long
- Avoid spammy words
- Use emojis sparingly
Test different styles:
- Question vs. statement
- Short vs. long
- Personalized vs. generic
- Emoji vs. text-only
Use Multichannel Follow-Ups
Email isn't a solo sport anymore.
SMBs winning in 2025 use a multichannel approach:
Email + SMS
Immediate notifications and time-sensitive offers
Email + Retargeting
Social ads for unopened emails
Email + DMs
Personal follow-ups for high-value leads
This creates more touchpoints, which equals higher engagement.
A/B Testing: Your Best Friend in the Inbox
Your audience will tell you what works — if you test.
What you can test:
- Subject lines
- Send times
- Call-to-action placement
- Visuals vs. plain text
Don't test too many things at once. Small, incremental tests lead to big wins.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Don't fall into these traps.
-
Metric Obsession
Relying solely on open rates to measure success.
-
Poor Segmentation
Sending without proper audience segmentation.
-
Mobile Neglect
Ignoring mobile optimization in email design.
-
Visual Overload
Overusing images and GIFs that may not load.
-
List Neglect
Not cleaning your list regularly to remove inactive subscribers.
About the Author
Maya Jefferson
Email Deliverability Strategist • Atlanta, GA, USA
Maya is passionate about ensuring your emails reach the right audience. With a keen eye on deliverability trends, she helps businesses optimize their email strategies for maximum impact.
Category
From inbox placement to spam filter avoidance, this category helps SMBs understand and improve their email deliverability for better campaign performance.