The way we work has changed significantly in the last five years. Some trends, like the increase in work-from-home flexibility and virtual meetings, let many marketers reclaim time by eliminating commutes, business travel and casual office chitchat. That is a net positive for many of us. However, the side effect of working increasingly online is that our attention spans suffer.
Inbox fatigue is real — here’s how to cut through it
In a 2023 interview, Gloria Mark, PhD — chancellor’s professor of informatics at the University of California, Irvine — explained how “the internet and digital devices have affected our ability to focus.” Data backs her insight: the average attention span has dropped from 75 seconds in 2012 to just 47 seconds post-pandemic. Email marketers should take note.
Before 2020, I would’ve listed email newsletters as my go-to source for staying updated on topics I cared about. I didn’t mind scrolling through intros or digging in my promotions tab. But now? Just the thought of sorting through my inbox gives me shivers. Bulk delete has become my default.
That shift got me to rethink my email marketing strategy. It’s not that email is dead — it’s that long-form newsletters often fail to hold the attention of a digitally fatigued audience. I started asking myself: Why do I skim past most emails but pause on a few? What do those exceptions have in common?
The answer: They make it easy for me to focus on just one thing. If we want to earn attention, we need to stop thinking like newsletter editors and start thinking like problem-solvers. That means moving from a content-dump mindset to a needs-based one.
Here are five ways to rethink your email strategy for today’s attention-fractured world.
1. Are your emails RAD?
Newsletters often fall into the habit of, “Well, we’ve always sent something on Tuesdays to our subscriber list. They expect it.” But emails sent just because you think the content is great, someone asked for it or that’s your schedule — usually aren’t very “RAD.”
“RAD” emails are:
- Relevant.
- Add value.
- Designed to be easy to navigate.
Remember, “relevant” means timely and, most importantly, helpful to the person receiving the email — not helpful to you, the company sending it.
Dig deeper: 3 high-impact tactics to drive email engagement
2. What’s relevant right now and to whom?
The best emails have a sense of urgency about them. They contain information I need to look at right now for reasons such as:
- Something has happened in the news that I might have missed.
- I’m dealing with a technical issue that needs an immediate fix.
- I’ve received triggered emails asking, “Do you need help with something?”
- There’s been a change in my relationship with the company that I should be aware of.
That is a massive shift if you’ve framed your strategy around newsletters which tend to include a round-up of older content in no particular order and that go to everyone on your subscriber list. By shifting your mindset to what this buyer needs to know right now, you’re helping your distracted recipients focus on just the topics most relevant to their day — and increasing the likelihood they will read your email at all.
3. Scheduled or triggered?
The problem with email newsletters is that they’re scheduled at a particular time, usually because someone said in a blog ten years ago that Tuesday or Thursday were good email send days and usually on a monthly or weekly basis because that’s what someone said we have to do to satisfy the normalcy requirements of the email deliverability gods.
However, these scheduled sends prevent us from living in the moment! That’s not to say you should never schedule a send because that sounds like chaos. However, what if you left more room on your calendar for triggered sends — emails that satisfy the equation of “if my subscriber does X, send email Y”?
These triggered sends are relevant to a select few, but if the triggers are set up correctly, you’re in a great position to help in a moment of need.
4. Subject lines are your open door
Cue your last bulk delete of your promotions tab — what did you keep? Were they the newsletters clearly stating what is inside?
Catchy subject lines are fun, and emojis are cute. But when I’m in bulk delete mode, I’m not looking for clever. I’m looking for what needs deeper review. To do that, I rely on the subject line to tell me exactly why I shouldn’t delete that email right now.
That’s not to say you can’t have fun or be indirect, but the days of tricky, clickbait-ish subject lines getting you an open are over. Just tell me why this email is relevant to me right now.
Dig deeper: Are these email subject lines deceptive, clever copywriting or bad data at work?
There are some emails I willingly scroll through — a travel app, for example, sends out the occasional “Here’s why you should visit this place you probably never thought to visit” emails. They are long and involved, and the call to action isn’t a priority, although it is there (e.g., “download the app,” “get the deals”). But tips on where to feed reindeer or find ancient runes in a beachside cave? I’ll read that all day.
I feel the same way about targeted shopping emails. If I’m looking for new pants, I’ll happily scroll through 20 options in the email to avoid the hassle of clicking through to the website, filtering options and scrolling even more. It’s all about saving time.
What I don’t love, however, is scrolling through a menu of content that seems to ask, “Do you like this? Or this? Or how about this? Or this?” A visual scroll or narrative, I can handle. But a content dump is outside of my attention span.
In this era of limited attention spans and an increase in digital pings, it’s time to sunset the email newsletter in favor of emails tailored to the right person, right now.
Dig deeper: 5 email marketing tech essentials for 2025 success
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