Which words increase and decrease email open rates?

As is shown the graph above, using the word ‘offer!’ could result in a 37% increase in open rate, whereas offering ‘double’ could actually decrease this by 3%. The data comes from the Touchstones database of over 21bn emails across a variety of sectors and currently being used by 2,500 email marketers to optimise their subject lines.

Dela Quist, Founder and CEO of Alchemy Worx, explains:

“The subject line is the most important part of an email and the data from Touchstone analysed the subject line in its entirety to show that a single word or symbol can make a dramatic difference. We are lucky to have always had access to a huge amount of data, allowing us to analyse the most effective way to engage with target audiences, but couldn’t use proprietary client data to help other marketers. So we created Touchstone. While existing tools focus on individual words to compare performance, Touchstone is unique in its study of both words and the full subject lines in order to give a more accurate prediction of performance.”

Quist continued:

“Alchemy Worx is always looking for new ways to engage through email. By looking at the finer details, such as the best and worst words to use within subject lines, we can assist brands in managing campaigns to ensure they achieve the best click-through rates and conversions. We also realise reaction from consumers is not static, which is why we built a tool that enables brands to see their results clearly and compare them to the average for their sector.”