Struggling with Email Campaigns? Fix These 10 Common Email Marketing Mistakes

Email campaigns can fail because of common issues, like not getting opened or being marked as spam. If emails don't reach or interest people, the campaign doesn't do well. Almost half of all emails end up in spam folders. To fix this, marketers need to improve things like boring subject lines, content that isn't interesting, and making sure emails get delivered, by using data to make smart choices. This guide looks at 10 common email marketing problems and simple ways to solve them using tools like Mailchimp, Moosend, Aweber, and ConvertKit.

Improve Email Open Rates

Low open rates mean few people see your email. To improve opens:

• Write clear, engaging subject lines. 47% of readers open an email because of the subject line alone. Make it concise and relevant.

• Personalize subjects and previews. Adding the recipient’s name or interests can boost opens. Personalized subjects have led to ~36% higher opens in studies.

• Segment your list. Send different subject lines to different groups (e.g. new vs. returning customers) so each email fits its audience blog.aweber.com.

• Avoid spammy wording. Steer clear of all-caps, excessive exclamation points, or trigger words (like “FREE” or “Buy Now”) which can land you in junk.

• Time your sends well. Send emails when people check inboxes (often Tuesday–Thursday mornings). Tools like Moosend can even optimize send times per recipient.

Reduce High Unsubscribe Rates

A high unsubscribe rate signals unhappy readers. To keep subscribers happy:

• Don’t send too many emails. Over-mailing frustrates people; 51% unsubscribe due to email overload. Find a balanced cadence.

• Send relevant content. If your emails don’t match readers’ interests, they leave. Use data (past purchases, preferences) to tailor content. Irrelevant emails drive unsubscribes.

• Offer content choices. Let subscribers pick email frequency or topics in a preference center. This gives control and reduces spam complaints.

• Use clean lists and opt-ins. Only email people who signed up (double opt-in). Remove inactive users regularly. A clean, permission-based list means fewer unsubscribes.

Boost Click-Through Rates (CTR)

Even if people open your emails, they need to click to convert. To increase CTR:

• One clear Call-to-Action (CTA). Include just one main link or button per email. Multiple CTAs can confuse readers. Make the CTA obvious (e.g. “Shop Now” or “Read More”).

• Segment and personalize content. Tailor offers and copy to each group. For example, fans of a product line get related promotions. Segmenting leads to higher clicks.

• Create urgency or incentives. Phrases like “Limited time offer” or “Sale ends soon” can prompt clicks.

• Optimize for mobile. About 85% of people open email on their phones blog.aweber.com, so use a responsive design. Large buttons and single-column layouts make clicking easy on small screens.

• A/B test elements. Try different headlines, images, or CTA colors and see what your audience responds to. Use built-in testing in platforms like Mailchimp or Moosend.

Prevent Emails from Going to Spam

When legitimate emails land in spam, your efforts are wasted. To stay in the inbox:

• Authenticate your email. Set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records so providers know your messages are legit. This is a must for deliverability.

• Keep a clean list. Remove bounced or unengaged addresses. Never buy email lists. Sending to stale or unverified contacts triggers spam filters.

• Avoid spam triggers. In the content, limit ALL CAPS, excessive exclamation points, and too many images or links. About 48.6% of emails are auto-flagged as spam. Write clear, trustworthy copy and always include an unsubscribe link.

• Use testing tools. Before sending, run your email through a spam checker (Mailtrap, Litmus, or similar) to catch issues. Mailchimp and others have built-in spam-score tests.

Fix Email Design and Display Issues

Bad formatting can lose readers or get an email skipped. To ensure your email looks great everywhere:

• Use responsive templates. Modern email builders (Mailchimp, Moosend, ConvertKit) offer mobile-responsive designs. This ensures emails reflow on phones and tablets.

• Test across clients. Email apps (Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail) render code differently. Use preview tools (like Mailtrap’s Email Template Builder or Litmus) to check your design in multiple clients.

• Keep it simple. Avoid image-only emails (many clients block images by default). Use alt-text for images so the message still comes through if visuals don’t load.

• Be mindful of dark mode. Many users read email with dark backgrounds. Use transparent images or light text to ensure readability in both light and dark themes.

• Focus on readability. Large fonts, plenty of white space, and bullet lists make your message easy to digest. Remember, over half of email opens now happen on mobile, so one-column layouts and big tappable buttons are key.

Improve Email Deliverability

Deliverability is about reaching inboxes. To boost it:

• Authenticate everything. Again, SPF/DKIM/DMARC setup is critical. Unauthenticated domains often get filtered.

• Send to engaged subscribers. Mailchimp notes that sending to stale or unopted contacts hurts deliverability. Focus on people who actually open and click. Remove or re-engage lapsed subscribers.

• Avoid sudden spikes. Ramp up volume gradually. Sudden large campaigns from a new sender look suspicious.

• Monitor metrics. Keep an eye on bounces, complaints, and opens. High bounces or spam reports signal problems. Most ESPs (like Mailchimp or Moosend) will warn you if your stats look unhealthy.

Use Audience Segmentation

Treat your list as many mini-lists. Better targeting solves many issues.

• Segment by behavior or interest. Group subscribers by what they buy or read. Then send only relevant emails. Segmented campaigns get notably better engagement aweber.

• Use the right tools. Email platforms support this: Mailchimp has prebuilt segments; ConvertKit uses “tags” and “segments”; Moosend offers advanced segmentation filters. These make it easy to set up targeted lists (e.g. high spenders, location-based, recent openers).

• Dynamic content. Some tools let you show different content blocks to different segments in the same email. This personalizes further without separate campaigns.

Optimize Email Send Timing

When you hit send matters a lot. Research shows that mid-week mornings often get the best opens. To time your emails well:

• Send on high-response days. Moosend’s study found Thursday had the highest open rates, with Tuesdays also strong. Weekends or late evenings often underperform.

• Consider time zones. If your audience is global, schedule sends by each reader’s local time (some ESPs do this automatically).

• Test for your audience. Every industry differs. Try A/B tests sending at 10 AM vs 2 PM on different days and compare results. Some tools can also use AI to optimize timing per contact.

Avoid Automation Mistakes

Email automation can save time – if used correctly. Common automation pitfalls:

• Don’t set and forget. Always test your automated sequences (welcome series, cart reminders, etc.) to ensure they trigger and render properly. Mailtrap’s SMTP and email builders can test these before you go live.

• Personalize automated emails. Use merge tags for name and tailor content based on actions (like “Thanks for your order” emails including the purchased item). Both Moosend and ConvertKit make it easy to insert subscriber data.

• Mind the flow timing. Leave enough delay between automated emails. Bombarding a new lead with daily emails can cause unsubscribes. Tools like ConvertKit let you space out sequences.

• Always include an unsubscribe link. Even automated emails must allow easy opt-out. This keeps you compliant and trustworthy.

Combat Content Fatigue

Subscribers tune out if content gets stale. Keep things fresh:

• Vary your content. Mix in newsletters, tips, or user stories with sales pitches. If every email is a hard sell, people will ignore them.

• Refresh your copy and design. Swap out images or headlines regularly. Use customer testimonials or new offers to renew interest.

• Solicit feedback. Occasionally ask subscribers what they want to hear about. Simple polls or preference surveys (Mailchimp and Moosend support these) can give insights.

• Limit frequency for bored readers. If a segment shows low opens and clicks, consider reducing emails to that group to avoid fatigue.

Conclusion

Email marketing remains one of the highest-ROI channels, but small problems can undermine it. By improving subject lines and personalization, cleaning your list, and using segmentation, you’ll see open and click rates climb. Always test your emails (with tools like Mailtrap or Litmus) and monitor metrics in Mailchimp, Moosend, or ConvertKit. Deliverability tools and proper authentication keep messages out of spam. In short, tackle these common issues proactively: clean, targeted emails sent at the right time will boost engagement and conversions. Try implementing one or two tips above in your next campaign – you may be surprised how much performance improves!