My email open rate hit 31% after I stopped using the word 'transform'

I was stuck around 12-15% for months using all the standard AI tools. Swapped to super simple subject lines with no buzzwords and saw real results within a week, has anyone else found a specific word that kills their engagement?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_susan1mo ago

Did @max_hernandez27 try ditching "unlock" yet? That one killed my opens too.

evan_cooper731mo ago

Oh man that's wild but honestly it makes a ton of sense. I had the same thing happen when I stopped using "game-changer" in my subject lines, my open rate jumped from like 14% to 27% in two weeks. Simple and direct just seems to click way better with people these days.

max_hernandez271mo ago

Huh, really? I mean, are we just giving up on trying to sell anything? Every time someone says "transform" or "game-changer" it just means the mail is trying to get you to buy something obvious. But so is a "simple tip for your inbox." The whole point is that people know they're being sold to either way. Maybe those buzzwords actually work better because they signal you're not hiding the fact that it's marketing. You could be weeding out the people who never buy anything anyway. Not saying you're wrong for you, but I bet a lot of people who used those words just had bad lists or bad products to start with.