In a world of cluttered inboxes and constant distractions, getting someone to actually open your email can feel like a big win. The truth is, there’s no magic trick—but there are smart, proven tactics that can genuinely lift your open rates and make your email marketing work harder for you.
At TDP Agency, we’ve worked with businesses of all sizes to help improve deliverability, boost engagement, and get more from their email efforts. Whether you’re sending cold outreach or nurturing warm leads, here are 10 practical strategies to give your emails the best possible shot—built on real-world experience and industry-backed insights.
Start with a Quality Data List
Your emails are only as good as the data behind them. No matter how polished your copy or enticing your offer, sending to outdated or irrelevant contacts is a waste of time and budget. Business data decays fast and can be up to 27% every year, meaning nearly a third of your list could be inaccurate in 12 months.
Consider a business with 10,000 email records. Within a year, roughly 2,700 of those contacts may no longer be valid. That’s 2,700 wasted opportunities—emails that bounce, go unread, or frustrate recipients. Worse, it damages your sender reputation over time.
A high-quality, well-maintained list is step one in improving open rates. If you haven’t run a cleanse in a while, there’s a good chance your bounce rate is creeping up and your engagement is slipping. Even worse, poor list hygiene can affect your sender reputation, causing your emails to land in spam.
If you’re unsure about your list quality, book a free audit with our team. We’ll help you understand what needs attention and how to fix it.
Segment Your Audience
Segmentation is one of the easiest wins in email marketing. It allows you to speak directly to different groups within your audience, improving relevance and increasing open rates.
Let’s say you’re targeting both marketing managers and managing directors. Their challenges are different, and so should your message be. A segmented approach lets you tailor your content, tone, and offers for each group.
Even basic segmentation—like separating active clients from cold leads—can lead to better results. According to Mailchimp, segmented campaigns enjoy a 14.31% higher open rate than non-segmented ones.
Think about who you’re emailing and why. Tailor your message accordingly.
Looking to refine your audience? See how our B2B data can help.
Write a Subject Line Worth Clicking
Subject lines are the gateway to your email. They need to earn attention, create curiosity, and avoid sounding spammy—all in under 10 words.
Let’s be honest—your email is sitting next to dozens of others. You’ve got seconds to make an impression. Subject lines like “You might be losing leads without realising it” or “Still using the same old data?” are specific, punchy and speak to a pain point.
Avoid vague subject lines like “Newsletter Issue #5” or anything that screams “sales pitch.”
Use tools like CoSchedule’s Headline Analyzer to test and tweak before you hit send.
Optimise Your Preview Text
Preview text – those 35–90 characters shown alongside your subject line can be the difference between an open or a scroll-past. Think of it like your email’s elevator pitch.
Instead of repeating your subject line, use it to expand or clarify. For example:
Subject line: “Struggling with your CRM?” Preview text: “27% of business data goes stale every year; here’s how to fix it.”
It’s subtle, but it tells the reader there’s value inside.
Personalise Beyond Just the First Name
“Hi [First Name]” doesn’t cut it anymore. Real personalisation means referencing the recipient’s business, role, or industry. Mentioning recent interactions or highlighting sector-specific pain points helps show that your email is worth their time.
If you’ve got the data, use it. One client we worked with saw a 22% uplift in open rates just by including the recipient’s industry sector in the subject line.
The more relevant you are, the more likely your email will be opened.
Keep Your List Clean
A bloated, unresponsive list will do more harm than good. High bounce rates and low engagement can hurt your sender reputation and land your emails in spam.
Regular data cleansing helps keep your lists healthy. Remove invalid addresses, outdated contacts, and duplicate records. Not only will your open rates improve—you’ll save money by not emailing people who aren’t there.
Think about the cost: mailing to 1,000 goneaway records could cost £200 in postage and print. Cleansing them first? Around £40.
Talk to us about cleansing your data.
Test Everything (But Keep It Simple)
A/B testing doesn’t have to be complicated. Start with something simple—like trying two subject lines or sending at different times. Once you see what works, you can test more elements.It’s not just about finding what works—it’s about ruling out what doesn’t. Testing removes guesswork and helps you build a data-backed strategy.
Some ideas to test:
- Subject lines with/without personalisation
- Plain text vs HTML design
- Morning vs afternoon sends
Over time, you’ll build a picture of what resonates with your audience.
Time Your Sends Carefully
There’s no perfect time to send an email, but testing helps you find what works for your audience. For B2B, midweek mornings often perform well, but that’s not universal.
Think about when your audience is most likely to check emails. Are they decision-makers who scan their inbox early, or operational staff who respond better later in the day?
And don’t forget: your audience might span multiple time zones. Scheduling tools can help you send at the right time for each region.
Avoid Spam Traps and Deliverability Pitfalls
Even well-written emails can end up in junk folders. Avoid spam trigger words, authenticate your domain, and keep your HTML clean. Always include an unsubscribe link and don’t send from a “noreply” address.
Beyond that, monitor your sender reputation and check your domain’s health regularly. Deliverability is a moving target—and small things can make a big difference.
Use tools like Mail Tester to check your deliverability score before you send a big campaign.
Focus on Consistent, Real Value
The best open rates come from audiences who trust you. That trust is built by consistently sending emails that are helpful, interesting, or relevant.
Don’t always sell. Share useful content, insights, or industry updates. If someone opens your email and learns something new—or feels it was worth their time—they’re more likely to open the next one too.
This kind of long-term thinking builds engaged audiences, not just short-term clicks.
Bonus Tip: Reinforce with Other Channels
Your email strategy doesn’t have to work alone. Boost its impact by connecting with your audience across other channels—whether it’s retargeting ads, LinkedIn campaigns, or direct mail.
We’ve seen success with clients who mirror email messaging on social media or follow up with well-timed phone calls. Multi-touch campaigns make your brand stick.
Let’s Get More Eyes on Your Emails
At TDP Agency, we combine clean data, smart strategy and end-to-end support to help businesses improve their marketing outcomes. Whether you need fresh contacts, a CRM clean-up, or full campaign delivery, we’ve got you covered.
- Explore our email marketing services
- Learn more about our B2B datasets
- Contact us today for a no-pressure chat
Your next campaign could perform better—with the right data, messaging, and timing. Let’s make it happen.
Looking for more tips? Check out our blog on understanding the power of a data list.