Summary
Declining email clicks despite high open rates is a multifaceted issue. While high open rates suggest deliverability isn't the primary problem, several factors contribute to the click drop. These include non-human interaction (bots), content that doesn't match subject line expectations, uncompelling calls-to-action, poor mobile optimization, sending emails at the wrong time, irrelevant audience targeting, confusing email layouts, technical issues like broken links, accessibility problems, spam trigger words, changes in design, a lack of urgency in CTAs, and list fatigue. Analyzing engagement metrics, improving content relevance and design, segmenting audiences, ensuring accessibility, testing emails thoroughly, and combating list fatigue are crucial for addressing this problem.
Key findings
- NHI/Bots: Inflated open rates due to non-human interaction (bots) can mask low actual engagement.
- Content-Subject Mismatch: Content failing to deliver on the subject line's promise leads to disinterest despite the initial open.
- Weak CTAs: Uncompelling or unclear calls-to-action fail to motivate recipients to click.
- Technical/Design Flaws: Broken links, poor mobile rendering, and inaccessible design elements hinder interaction.
- Audience Irrelevance: Sending irrelevant content to a segment, even if the audience signed up, reduces engagement.
- List Fatigue: Over time, recipients may become desensitized, resulting in high opens but low clicks.
Key considerations
- Engagement Metrics Analysis: Utilize detailed engagement metrics beyond open rates to understand user interaction and identify drop-off points.
- Content Optimization: Focus on creating compelling, relevant, and valuable content that aligns with audience expectations.
- CTA Improvement: Craft clear, concise, and urgent CTAs that motivate immediate action.
- Accessibility and Design: Ensure emails are accessible to all users and have a clean, responsive design.
- Audience Segmentation: Segment the audience and personalize content to increase relevance and engagement.
- Testing and QA: Thoroughly test emails across devices and email clients to identify and fix technical or rendering issues.
- List Hygiene: Regularly clean your email list to remove inactive subscribers and mitigate list fatigue.
What email marketers say
9 marketer opinions
Declining email clicks despite high open rates can be attributed to several factors. These include non-human interaction (bots), email content not matching subject line promises, uncompelling calls-to-action, poor mobile optimization, sending emails at the wrong time, irrelevant audience targeting, confusing email layouts, broken or incorrect links, and changes in email design or content. List fatigue may also be a cause, which should be resolved by cleaning inactive subscribers.
Key opinions
- NHI: Check for non-human interaction (NHI) or bot clicks inflating open rates while clicks remain low.
- Content Mismatch: Ensure the email content aligns with the promise made in the subject line to maintain user interest.
- Weak CTAs: Compelling calls-to-action (CTAs) are crucial for driving clicks; A/B test different CTAs to optimize performance.
- Mobile Optimization: Optimize emails for mobile devices to ensure a seamless experience and increase click-through rates.
- Audience Relevance: Target emails to the right audience segment; irrelevant emails can lead to high opens but low engagement.
- Email Design: A confusing or unengaging email layout can deter clicks; ensure a clear and user-friendly design.
- List Fatigue: High open rates and low click rates can stem from list fatigue. Addressing this may involve cleaning inactive subscribers.
Key considerations
- Content Relevance: Ensure email content is relevant and valuable to the recipient, addressing their specific needs and interests.
- CTA Placement: Strategically place and design CTAs to be easily visible and compelling, guiding users towards desired actions.
- Segmentation & Personalization: Segment your audience and personalize email content to increase relevance and engagement, boosting click-through rates.
- Email Testing: Regularly test emails across different devices and email clients to ensure proper rendering and functionality.
- Engagement Metrics: Monitor engagement metrics beyond open rates to gain a deeper understanding of user behavior and identify areas for improvement.
Marketer view
Email marketer from Neil Patel explains that a mismatch between content and audience expectations, a lack of compelling call-to-actions, poor mobile optimization, or sending emails at the wrong time can lead to low click-through rates despite high open rates.
20 May 2025 - Neil Patel
Marketer view
Email marketer from Mailchimp shares that a discrepancy between the email's subject line and content, an unengaging email design, or not segmenting your audience enough can result in high open rates but low click rates.
9 Apr 2023 - Mailchimp
What the experts say
3 expert opinions
While high open rates suggest emails are reaching inboxes, declining clicks indicate a disconnect between the initial interest and the subsequent engagement. This can stem from a lack of compelling content or calls to action that don't resonate with the audience, or from list fatigue, where recipients become desensitized to the email content. Therefore, focusing on content relevancy, audience re-engagement, and in-depth engagement metrics is crucial.
Key opinions
- Deliverability Unlikely: High open rates typically rule out deliverability issues, as they indicate emails are successfully reaching the inbox.
- Content Disconnect: Declining clicks despite high opens suggest that the email content or CTAs are not compelling enough to drive action.
- List Fatigue: List fatigue, where recipients become desensitized to the email content, can contribute to high open rates but low click-through rates.
Key considerations
- Engagement Metrics: Implement in-depth engagement metrics beyond open rates to understand how users interact with email content.
- Content Optimization: Revise email content and CTAs to better resonate with the target audience, increasing the likelihood of clicks.
- List Hygiene: Regularly clean inactive subscribers to combat list fatigue and improve overall engagement metrics.
Expert view
Expert from Spam Resource suggests that high open rates and declining clicks can stem from list fatigue. This indicates that although people are opening emails, they've grown tired of the content or offers. Addressing this may involve cleaning inactive subscribers and revising your email marketing strategy to re-engage your audience.
14 Sep 2023 - Spam Resource
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks explains that high open rates indicate emails are reaching the inbox, making deliverability issues unlikely. The opens are probably the pre-fetching of images and are a sign the mail is going to the inbox on lots of different platforms so unlikely to be a deliverability problem.
27 Nov 2022 - Email Geeks
What the documentation says
4 technical articles
Low email click-through rates despite high open rates can be caused by various technical and design issues. Broken links, poor mobile rendering, unreadable layouts, accessibility problems (low contrast, small fonts), and the use of spam trigger words can all deter users from clicking. Ensuring emails provide value, are relevant, have clear CTAs, are optimized for mobile devices, and use clean designs are crucial for improving engagement.
Key findings
- Technical Issues: Broken links/buttons, poor rendering on mobile devices contribute to low click-through rates.
- Accessibility: Accessibility issues (low contrast, small fonts) hinder user interaction and decrease clicks.
- Spam Triggers: Use of spam trigger words can reduce engagement and impact click rates.
- Email Value: Emails that do not provide value or are not relevant to the recipient lead to low clicks despite high opens.
Key considerations
- Email Testing: Thoroughly test emails across different devices and email clients to identify and fix rendering and functionality issues.
- Mobile Optimization: Prioritize mobile optimization to ensure emails are easily readable and interactive on smartphones and tablets.
- Accessibility Standards: Adhere to accessibility standards to ensure emails are usable by individuals with disabilities.
- Clear CTAs: Include clear and compelling calls to action that guide users towards desired actions.
- Design best practices: Use clean email designs to ensure the email is readable and engaging.
Technical article
Documentation from Google explains that avoiding spam trigger words and using a clean email design that is optimised for different devices increases the chance that the user will engage with the email and not mark it as spam.
8 Nov 2022 - Google
Technical article
Documentation from Litmus explains that broken links or buttons, poor mobile rendering, or an unreadable email layout can cause low click-through rates. They recommend testing emails across different devices and clients.
30 Sep 2021 - Litmus
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