How sending from a person rather than an organization impacts open rates
Hillsdale College
Founded in 1844, Hillsdale College is an independent liberal arts college with a student body of about 1,400. Hillsdale’s educational mission rests upon two principles: academic excellence and institutional independence. The College does not accept federal or state taxpayer subsidies for any of its operations.
Experiment Summary
Timeframe: 04/12/2018 - 04/25/2018
Hillsdale College wanted to see if sending an email from an individual the subscribers will likely never have heard of (Bill Gray) would increase open rates. They decided to test this against the standard “Hillsdale College” sender.
Research Question
Does sending from a person rather than an organization make a difference in opens?
Design
Results
| Treatment Name | Open Rate | Relative Difference | Confidence | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| C: | "Bill Gray" | 21.3% | ||
| T1: | "Hillsdale College Online Courses" | 16.3% | -23.5% | 100.0% |
This experiment has a required sample size of 468 in order to be valid. Since the experiment had a total sample size of 202,287, and the level of confidence is above 95% the experiment results are valid.
Flux Metrics Affected
The Flux Metrics analyze the three primary metrics that affect revenue (traffic, conversion rate, and average gift). This experiment produced the following results:
23.5% decrease in traffic
× 0% increase in conversion rate
× 0% increase in average gift
Key Learnings
Sending from a person gained an 23.5% increase to opens when compared to the email sent from an organization. However, it is important to note that this is a situational win. It is a tactic that “humanizes” the institution but, if the copy in the email does not continue this personal approach, the lift in opens will result in no significant change to actual engagement.