How sports helped me to increase my email opening rate by 52%

Alright, let’s cut to the chase.

I’m new to the email marketing game. Fresh off the block, working for a B2B SaaS company hailing from the heart of India but spreading its wings across foreign territories.

And boy, was I in for a rollercoaster ride. At the outset, I thought I had it all figured out. Craft a nice email, sprinkle some Indian charm with my name on it, hit send, and boom — success, right?

Wrong. The reality hit hard. Our open rates were as flat as a pancake. Zilch engagement. Nada interest. It was like shouting into the void.

Seeing countless email marketing tips from Youtube, I tried creating click-baity emails, changing the content , subject line and what-not. Nothing worked at all

Then i remembered what MSD used to tell in press conferences — just focus on the basics , do that right and things will set in its place

Being a fresh marketing graduate, we were taught to create a consumer persona so we know whom we are targeting?

Who are we really targeting here? Middle-aged American blokes, glued to their screens, gobbling up news, sports, and movies. And that’s when the light bulb flickered to life.

Instead of hiding behind my Indian identity, I decided to switch things up. Inspired by a renowned female news anchor, I revamped our emails, giving them a fresh, relatable vibe. No change in copy, title nothing , just the sender’s name change and you know what? It worked.

Our open rates shot up by a staggering 52%. Not by fancy tricks or sleazy sales pitches. By speaking the language of our audience. Now, I won’t sugarcoat it — it wasn’t a walk in the park. It took trial and error, and more than a few cups of chai. But it was worth every ounce of effort.

So, here’s the takeaway, folks. In a world cluttered with generic emails and cookie-cutter marketing tactics, sometimes you need to think out of the box while trying to do get the basics right.

Don’t be afraid to shake things up. Filter your voice. Connect with your audience on a deeper level.

Also, I have a detailed blog on how I landed this job here.