7 Email Copywriting Myths That Are Tanking Your Open Rates

Most email advice comes from 2015 and shows it.

“Keep subject lines under 50 characters.” “Never sell in your emails.” “Find the perfect send time.” “Personalize with first names.”

Following this advice produces emails that sound like everyone else’s—and perform like everyone else’s (poorly).

Here are seven email copywriting myths that are probably hurting your results—and what actually works.

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Myth 1: Subject Lines Must Be Short

The myth: Subject lines should be under 50 characters because longer ones get cut off on mobile. Keep it short or get ignored.

Why it’s wrong: The data on subject line length is mixed at best. Many high-performing emails use subject lines of 60, 70, even 100+ characters.

What matters isn’t length—it’s curiosity and relevance. A boring short subject line loses to an interesting long one every time.

The “gets cut off on mobile” argument ignores that most email apps show enough of long subject lines to hook interest. If the first 50 characters are compelling, the cutoff doesn’t matter.

What actually works:

Focus on:

• Curiosity: Open a loop the reader wants closed
• Specificity: Vague is boring; specific is interesting
• Relevance: The right message for the right person
• Pattern interrupt: Stand out in a crowded inbox

Examples:

Bad (short but boring): “Quick update for you”

Good (longer but compelling): “The $12,000 mistake I made last month (and what it taught me about pricing)”

Bad: “Newsletter #47”

Good: “Why your best content isn’t converting (and the fix takes 10 minutes)”

Test length for your audience, but don’t sacrifice interest for brevity.

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Myth 2: Never Sell in Your Emails

The myth: Email should provide value, not sell. If you pitch in your emails, you’ll lose subscribers and damage trust. Save selling for sales pages.

Why it’s wrong: The purpose of a business email list is to sell. That’s why you built it. Subscribers who can’t handle occasional selling aren’t your customers anyway.

The “never sell” myth creates lists full of freebie-seekers who panic at the first offer. You’ve trained them that your emails are only for free stuff.

What actually works:

Sell regularly—but sell well.

Good selling:

• Connects the offer to the reader’s real problem
• Provides value even in the pitch
• Feels like a recommendation, not a commercial
• Happens consistently (so offers aren’t surprising)

Bad selling:

• Comes out of nowhere after weeks of pure “value”
• Is all pitch with no context or connection
• Feels desperate or manipulative
• Ignores what the reader actually wants

The goal isn’t to never sell. It’s to sell in a way that makes readers glad you told them about the offer.

The balance:

Most successful email marketers pitch in 30-50% of emails—sometimes more. The key is that even sales emails provide value through entertainment, insight, or reframing.

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Myth 3: There’s a Perfect Send Time

The myth: Emails sent at the optimal time get dramatically better results. Tuesday at 10am, or Thursday at 2pm, or whenever the latest study says.

Why it’s wrong: The “perfect send time” studies are mostly noise. They’re averages across millions of emails to audiences nothing like yours. They also ignore that everyone read the same study and is now sending at the “optimal” time—creating more competition, not less.

Your audience’s behavior matters more than industry averages. A list of entrepreneurs might open emails at 6am. A list of corporate employees might check email during lunch. A list of night owls might engage most at 11pm.

What actually works:

Test your specific audience. Split-test different send times with your list and track what works for you.

Consistency matters more. If you always send on Tuesday morning, your subscribers expect you on Tuesday morning. Predictability builds habit.

Don’t overthink it. The difference between sending at 10am and 2pm is usually a few percentage points. The difference between a great subject line and a boring one is 2-3x.

Spend your optimization energy on the email itself, not the send time.

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Myth 4: Personalization Means Using Their First Name

The myth: “Hi {FirstName}” makes emails feel personal. The first name in subject lines increases open rates. Personalization = name insertion.

Why it’s wrong: Everyone does this now. “John, don’t miss this!” feels more manipulative than personal because readers know it’s automated.

Real personalization isn’t about inserting variables. It’s about relevance—sending the right message to the right person about the right problem at the right time.

What actually works:

Segment by behavior: Someone who clicked on your pricing page gets a different email than someone who read your beginner’s guide.

Segment by interest: Different messages for different product interests or problem types.

Segment by stage: New subscribers get different emails than long-time readers who’ve never bought.

Reference their actions: “Since you downloaded the email templates guide, I thought you’d want this…” feels personal because it IS personal.

Name insertion is the laziest form of personalization. Behavior-based relevance is the most effective.

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Myth 5: Unsubscribes Are Failures

The myth: Unsubscribes mean you’re doing something wrong. If people are leaving, you need to email less, sell less, or be less direct.

Why it’s wrong: Unsubscribes are healthy. They’re people self-selecting out because your content isn’t right for them. That’s good.

A list full of disengaged people who never open, never click, and never buy is far more expensive than a smaller list of engaged readers.

What actually works:

Track the right metrics. Unsubscribe rate matters less than:

• Revenue per email
• Click-through rate
• Reply rate (for relationship-building)
• Conversion rate

Healthy unsubscribe rate: 0.2-0.5% per email is normal and fine. If you’re under 0.1%, you might not be polarizing enough.

Worry if: Unsubscribes spike suddenly, or you’re seeing rates above 1% consistently. That suggests a mismatch between expectations and delivery.

The counterintuitive truth: Being willing to have some people unsubscribe means you can be more direct, more specific, and more valuable to the people who stay.

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Myth 6: HTML Emails Perform Better Than Plain Text

The myth: Professional-looking HTML emails with branded templates, graphics, and designed layouts outperform plain text emails.

Why it’s wrong: The data on this is mixed, and in many cases, plain text wins—especially for:

• Personal relationship building
• B2B communication
• High-ticket offers
• Thought leadership content

Designed HTML emails often:

• Trigger spam filters more often
• Load slowly on mobile
• Look like marketing (which reduces trust)
• Distract from the message

What actually works:

Match format to context.

Use plain text (or minimal HTML) when:

• Building relationships
• Sharing personal stories or opinions
• B2B communication
• You want to feel like a real person, not a brand

Use designed HTML when:

• Sending promotional/e-commerce content
• Showcasing visual products
• Brand consistency matters more than intimacy
• Your audience expects it (B2C, retail, etc.)

The test: Does this email feel like it’s from a person or from a company? Sometimes you want the latter—but often, the former converts better.

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Myth 7: Longer Emails Don’t Get Read

The myth: People won’t read long emails. Keep it short—a few sentences max—or you’ll lose them.

Why it’s wrong: Long emails can dramatically outperform short ones—if they’re engaging. The issue isn’t length; it’s boredom.

A 200-word email that bores the reader after line one fails. A 1,000-word email that hooks and holds attention succeeds.

Length is a function of what you’re asking the reader to do. A simple reminder can be two sentences. A pitch for a high-ticket offer might need 1,500 words.

What actually works:

The rule: Your email should be as long as necessary and no longer. Cut ruthlessly, but don’t cut substance.

Engaging long emails include:

• Strong hooks that create curiosity
• Open loops that keep readers moving
• Stories that illustrate points
• Specific details that hold interest
• Clear structure with visual breaks

When long works better:

• Storytelling and narratives
• Complex offers or launches
• Building toward a significant ask
• When you need to overcome multiple objections

When short works better:

• Simple announcements
• Traffic to content (where the content is the value)
• Re-engagement and reminder emails
• When the ask is low-commitment

The test: Are people reading to the end? If your click-through rates are healthy despite email length, length isn’t your problem.

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What Actually Matters in Email

Forget the myths. Here’s what moves the needle:

1. Subject lines that create curiosity Make them want to know more. Open a loop.

2. First lines that hook The preview text and opening sentence determine if they keep reading.

3. Relevance to the reader Is this email about their problems and desires? Or yours?

4. A reason to click Whether it’s a link, a reply, or an action—make it clear and compelling.

5. Consistent sending Showing up regularly matters more than showing up perfectly.

The emails that work are the ones that feel worth reading. Everything else is noise.

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The Quick Audit

Run through these questions for your email copy:

1. Would this subject line make YOU curious enough to open?
2. Does the email deliver on the subject line’s promise?
3. Is there value even if they don’t click?
4. Is the CTA specific and compelling?
5. Does this feel like it’s from a person or a marketing department?
6. Would you read this whole thing if you received it?
7. Are you sending to segments or blasting to everyone?

If you answered “no” to more than two of these, your email copy is probably underperforming.

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The Bottom Line

Email myths persist because they offer simple rules in a complicated domain. Short subject lines, no selling, perfect timing—these feel like answers.

But email is a relationship, not a formula. What works is being interesting, relevant, and respectful of the reader’s time.

Ignore the rules. Be worth reading.

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Related Reading

• Email Subject Lines That Convert — Psychology behind the open
• Cold Email Templates — Outreach that gets responses
• How to Write Email Copy — Complete email copywriting guide

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Want a system for email that converts? See the Blogs That Sell methodology—the complete framework for turning subscribers into customers.

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