We made $62,819 by ignoring this email 'best practice

Hey, it's Michael from AdSumo Digital.

Want to hear something that'll make most email marketers clutch their pearls?

High open rates might be killing your revenue.

Let me explain...

Last month, we took over a client's email account. They had 28,000 subscribers.

Know how many they were actually emailing?

80 people.

That's not a typo. They were reaching 0.2% of their list.

Why? Because they were only sending one email per month. They didn't know if sending more frequently would burn their list or hurt deliverability.

(Spoiler alert: It doesn't. In fact, sending 3-4 emails per week is the sweet spot for most brands.)

Here's what happened when we ignored that conventional wisdom:

• Generated $62,819 from campaigns in 30 days

• Drove another $12,000 through flows

• Increased email revenue by 313%

• Boosted total revenue by 76%

All by doing something "experts" say you shouldn't: Intentionally lowering our open rates.

Here's the thing most brands miss:

Getting a 65% open rate sounds amazing... until you realize you're only reaching your most engaged superfans who would've bought anyway.

It's like throwing a party but only inviting your best friends.

Sure, everyone shows up. But you're missing out on all the interesting people you haven't met yet.

Here's how we approach it instead:

1. Start Conservative

• Email your most engaged segment (usually 30-60 days)

• Build momentum with consistent campaigns

• Track your baseline metrics

2. Watch for the Signal

• Consistently hitting 45%+ open rates?

• That's not a victory... it's a warning sign

• You're probably leaving money on the table

3. Expand Strategically

• Gradually increase your engagement window

• Monitor open rates, clicks, and revenue

• Find your sweet spot (we aim for 40-45% opens)

4. Keep Pushing

• Too many brands get scared and pull back

• High open rates = limited reach

• Revenue beats vanity metrics every time

Real example:

Instead of emailing just the 60-day engaged segment (getting 53% opens), try the 120-day segment.

Your opens might drop to 42%... but you're reaching thousands more potential buyers.

The math is simple: 42% of 10,000 people > 53% of 5,000 people

Some rules of thumb:

• Aim for 3-4 emails per week

• Keep opens above 40% (below that, pull back)

• If you're above 65%, expand immediately

• Build broader segments before Q4/BFCM

• Watch click rates as your secondary metric

Look, I get it.

Watching your open rates drop feels wrong.

But you know what feels right?

Watching your revenue climb because you're actually reaching people who want to buy from you.

Remember that client we started with?

In less than 30 days, we went from reaching 80 people to 14,000.

That's 175x more potential buyers seeing every campaign.

The best part? We reengaged about 50% of their total list - when most "dead" lists only see 10% come back.

Stop playing it safe with your email program.

Your best customers already know, like, and trust you.

It's time to reach the ones who just need a reminder you exist.

Talk soon, Michael

P.S. Want to know your true segment potential? Book in a 15 minute strategy session with me and Ill show you how many people you could be reaching, book a call here »