Why does anyone open your email?

I receive more than 90 emails a day. How do I decide which ones to open? There really are factors in what the inbox shows that make me open something immediately:

First, I open email from Lee Frederiken, Joanna Penn and Daymond John, because I know these people. They send under their own names, I recognise them at a glance as friends, and I am willing to read what they share.

Second, I open Jason Miller’s email, because I see a warm personal salutation with my own name on it. I know this is someone I trust, because he knows my name and uses it to address me.

Third, I open Sonia Ricotti’s email, because the subject line — “Free Book! 5 Steps to Make More Money” — appeals. She is offering a free ebook, and the title of that book is something I care about.

Which illustrates one particular mindset around opening email:

(1) A personalised email, showing the names of both sender and recipient

(2) A compelling subject line

(3) Content the reader actually cares about.

These small details are enough to shape whether your email gets read. It can go straight into the bin, or it can exert its influence and prompt someone to act.