If you’re like most, you receive hundreds of emails a day. Most are from businesses eager to earn your business. Typically, of the few that get the spam filter, and of those, only a handful are interesting enough to open. An even smaller number prompt the reader to take action, like clicking on a link.

It’s understandable. When done well, emails are one of the most profitable marketing channels. In fact, email marketing has a remarkable $36/$1 average return on investment!

Depending on your industry, it’s estimated that between 20% and 30% of recipients will open an unsolicited email. About a quarter of that number are interested enough to actually click through. Smaller companies do somewhat better simply because people often feel they have relationships with the smaller companies.

Done right, an email campaign is inexpensive but effective. Done poorly, an email blast is like throwing darts while blindfolded. If done very poorly, you could even lose customers.

Here are tips to help ensure that your next email will be noticed and opened:

1. The first time you meet or speak with your customers, send them an email — A confirmation or welcome email should be your second customer interaction. Be sure to let them know to expect it. You’ll be top of mind, and if the customer or prospect engages with the email, it sets the stage for better future deliverability. In other words, it demonstrates to the recipient’s server that you don’t spam.

2. Pay attention to the subject line — A compelling subject line is most of the battle. Don’t be clickbait(y) or vague. Tell your reader what your email is about. For example, if someone engages with your website, who you think they would be more inclined to click on a post-engagement email that says, “Nice to see you on our webpage,” or one that says, “Here’s 20% off that [product] you like.”

The ideal subject line should be between 30-50 characters or 4-7 words.

3. Don’t be cute — This week, I’ve received at least two email blasts where the senders tried to be cute. They got my attention with juvenile-sounding words like “squeeeaaal!” and “supercalifragilisticexpialidocious,” (yes, these were both real) in the subject line, but I only rolled my eyes and hit the “delete” button. The flip side of that same coin is that unless you are emailing a group of writers or English lit majors, literary references will likely fall flat. Obscurity is unlikely to win you business.

In other words, make sure your tone aligns with your target audience’s preferences.

4. If possible, personalize the email — Including the recipient’s name in the subject line or body increases open rates. If the recipient has had direct content with an individual at your company, send it from the individual’s email address. This can easily be done with most third-party email companies and with some email software.

5. Don’t use all caps or lots of punctuation — Spam filters are programmed to look for things like caps and exclamation points. Words like “save,” “sale,” “pre-approved,” “mortgage,” and even “business” can be red flags.

6. Keep it clean — Keep your emails free from fancy fonts, lots of graphics, or extra links. Minimalism can be your ally. Overly designed emails packed with graphics and different fonts may look nice but can trigger spam filters. Clean, straightforward layouts convey professionalism and enhance readability.

7. Mix value and promotion — Sometimes, the most effective way to reach a customer’s heart is to win them over slowly. Your audience doesn’t want to feel like they’re constantly being sold to. Occasionally sending educational content or resources shows you value their engagement, building trust and fostering long-term relationships.

8. Time it right – The best time to send an email is at about 6:00 in the morning. You can also get a little creative. An email can stand out on a Sunday when there isn’t much competition and when people are usually a bit less busy than on a Saturday. Play around with timing. The hour or half-hour can be very competitive. Instead, send at 6:12 (or so) to help you stand out from the 6:00 senders.

9. Respect frequency and preferences — Bombarding your audience with frequent emails leads to annoyance and can result in unsubscribes or spam reports. Stick to a consistent schedule — no more than once a week unless necessary — and always provide valuable content.

10. Honor unsubscribe requests — Always make opting out easy and process requests promptly. Including an “unsubscribe” option is not just courteous but often legally required, and it builds trust with your recipients. Most email marketing software does this for you.