How can I boost email open rates to improve deliverability?
Getting people to open your emails isn’t just about grabbing their attention anymore.
It also affects whether your future emails reach the inbox or land in spam.
Email services like Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo etc. look at how people react to your emails; if they ignore them, it sends a signal that your emails might not be worth delivering.
So if your open rates are low, your email deliverability naturally takes a hit!
Let’s break down why that happens and how you can fix it.
Why do low open rates cause emails to end up in spam?
Email service providers track how people interact with your emails.
If your emails are consistently ignored, no opens, no clicks, no replies, these platforms assume your content isn’t relevant.
Over time, this lack of engagement becomes a red flag.
It damages your email senders reputation, and as a result, your future emails are more likely to get filtered into the spam or promotions tab, even if you’re following all other best practices.
Low open rates signal to inbox providers that your emails aren’t worth delivering.
Learn more about low open rates causing emails to land in spam from our detailed article.
How can I boost my email open rates to improve deliverability?
Improving your open rates is about showing email providers that people actually want your emails.
Here are some high-impact strategies to boost open rates and protect your deliverability.
#1 Understand the feedback loop mailbox providers rely on
Mailbox providers track every user interaction with your email, opens, clicks, replies, unsubscribes, and spam reports.
These actions feed into a feedback loop that helps them decide if your emails should land in the inbox or spam folder.
If your emails consistently show high engagement and low complaints, you’re marked as a trustworthy sender.
But if open rates drop and spam complaints rise, your future emails are more likely to be filtered out.
So open rates aren’t just a vanity metric, they help train the system to trust you.
#2 List detox to increase engagement rate
Holding on to inactive contacts just for volume can hurt you more than help.
If a big chunk of your email list hasn’t opened a single email in weeks, it’s time for a cleanup.
Removing cold leads and chronic non-openers can dramatically improve your average engagement.
This makes your list healthier and more responsive and email providers notice that. Focus on sending to the people who care. Quality engagement matters far more than list size.
#3 Implement lead scoring for cold outreach lists
Not every lead deserves equal effort.
Build a lead scoring system that ranks prospects based on how recently they engaged, their past behavior, domain reputation, or even company activity.
Send outreach emails in batches – start with high-scoring leads. This increases your chances of getting early opens and replies, which positively impacts your sender reputation. Over time, your domain gains more trust, which boosts placement for future emails too.
#4 Test inbox placement
You might think your open rates are low because your email subject line isn’t working.
But sometimes, the real issue is that the email never made it to the inbox in the first place.
Use tools like Mailreach or GlockApps to test where your emails are landing – primary inbox, promotions, or spam.
This tells you if there’s an issue with your sending domain, IP, or email content. Inbox placement testing is a better way to troubleshoot than just staring at open rate numbers.
#5 Behavioral personalization to lift open rates
Not all contacts behave the same, so why treat them like one big block?
Send emails based on behavioral signals: align with the prospect’s time zone, or target those who were active in the past 7–14 days. This makes your emails feel more timely and relevant – like they were sent just for them.
The result?
More opens, better engagement, and a sender reputation that keeps improving.
Learn more about the best time to send your cold email from our free resources.
#6 Reputation layering to protect deliverability
Use multiple sending domains and inboxes to spread the load.
Warm up each domain properly, then assign them based on lead temperature.
Cold leads go through secondary, warmed-up domains so your primary domain doesn’t take the hit if things go south.
Set up rules to pause or reroute campaigns with low open rates automatically. This layered approach protects your core reputation and keeps your cold outreach running clean.
#7 Pre-send reputation checks
Before sending any large-scale campaign, make sure your technical foundations are solid.
Double-check your SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records they should all align.
Scan for blacklists, check your DNS health, and review your Sender Score.
Tools like Google Postmaster Tools, MXToolbox, and Talos Intelligence can help here.
Recommended read: How to set up SPF, DKIM & DMARC to keep emails out of spam
How SmartReach.io help you increase open rates?
SmartReach.io is an AI-powered sales engagement platform designed to make your outreach smarter, faster, and more effective.
It can be either sending cold emails, running multichannel campaigns, or nurturing warm leads, SmartReach helps you reach the right inbox at the right time.
From day one, it’s built to maximize visibility. With advanced deliverability tools, AI-crafted email sequences, and powerful automation, SmartReach gives you everything you need to boost open rates and run high-performing outreach campaigns at scale.
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- Inbox rotation ensures your sending volume stays natural by spreading emails across multiple accounts.
- Deliverability reports give real-time insights so you can catch issues early.
- Warm-up features protect your sender reputation before launching big campaigns.
- And SmartReach’s AI-backed sequence generator helps you create more personalized, human-sounding emails that don’t get ignored.
Want a deeper look at how SmartReach improves open rates? Check out this breakdown.
Try SmartReach.io FREE for 14 days
FAQs on increasing open rate
How can I increase my email open rate?
Focus on writing compelling subject lines, personalizing your emails, and sending them at the right time. Also, make sure you’re sending to a clean and engaged email list to avoid ending up in spam folders.
How to maximize email deliverability?
Start by warming up your domain, authenticating your emails (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), and avoiding spammy content. Use tools like SmartReach.io to monitor and maintain your sender reputation automatically.
Does open rate affect deliverability?
Yes, it does. Low open rates signal to email providers that your emails might not be valuable, which can push more of your messages into the spam folder. High open rates improve sender reputation and inbox placement.
How to improve the deliverability score?
Keep your email list clean by removing inactive or invalid contacts, avoid spam-triggering words, and maintain consistent sending behavior. Monitor your deliverability score regularly and act quickly on any dips.
How to attract customers through email?
Write emails that speak directly to your audience’s pain points. Keep your content value-driven, personalize your message, and include clear CTAs. A/B testing also helps refine what works best for your audience.
How to fix email deliverability issues?
Check your domain authentication, remove hard bounces, stop sending to unengaged recipients, and review your email content for spam triggers. Using a platform like SmartReach.io can automate much of this.
What is a good deliverability rate?
A good email deliverability rate is 95% or higher. If it’s consistently below that, it’s a sign that something’s off with your list hygiene, sender reputation, or email practices.
How to calculate deliverability?
Deliverability = (Delivered Emails / Total Sent Emails) x 100
For example, if you send 1,000 emails and 950 are delivered, your deliverability rate is 95%.
