Creative strategies to increase subscriber engagement

Updated: October 30, 2024

3 min read

If we learned anything last season, it was that open rates are no longer the magic email metric.

Changes to Apple’s privacy settings dethroned an already shaky measurement tool, albeit one many marketers loved to tout.

While staying laser-focused on one metric is a surefire way to derail your email strategy (and fill your subscribers’ inboxes with spam-friendly subject lines), is there a new golden standard for senders? Now that open rates are a thing of the past, how can we shift our focus?

In this episode, Alyssa and Melissa discuss the importance of focusing on subscribers and encouraging engagement, breaking down the benefits of subscriber engagement, and sharing some creative ways to encourage likes, shares, and replies. It’s time to stop viewing subscribers like spreadsheets and start building a real relationship with the people behind your metrics.

Quotes

[29:13] – “In this day in age, we’re all so focused on clicks and likes and that’s what this whole podcast episode is about. But in order to get those things from your subscribers, you have to build a relationship with them.” ~ @mel_lambert_

Key Takeaways

[11:26] – Add “reactions” to your email message. This is a great feature that not only encourages engagement but helps you as a sender understand how your subscribers are responding to your emails.
[14:50] – Create a fun segment in your email newsletter that encourages responses. Polls and surveys are great for engagement and another way to solicit feedback.
[21:48] – With tools like ReplyVid, you can even ask subscribers to reply to your email with a video message. It’s a fun relationship-building technique and a feature unique from any form of social media.
[24:18] – Add something to your emails that subscribers can interact with – like a pet to “feed” or a flower to “water”.

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Melissa Lambert

Melissa is originally from Boise, Idaho but currently living in Tacoma, Washington. She has spent the last few years working in the marketing and social media industry and has found a passion in deliverability! In her free time she loves to travel, run and spend time with her family. (Read more by Melissa)