Building an email list is one of the most important things you can do to build your online business, but unfortunately, building a list is only part of the problem. You also have to make sure that your emails are opened and that your readers respond to your offers.

A few tips and techniques can help you improve your response rates almost effortlessly.

First, you need to get your emails opened. In the case of your regular email newsletter, the best way to get it opened is to use a consistent title. For instance, "Maximum Profit #11: Boosting Response Rates," where the previous email was titled: "Maximum Profit #10: Building a List." Many people use email filters to control their in boxes, and if your emails have a predictable title, they're more likely to be filtered into a folder where they'll be read.

Consistent titles also help your readers notice your emails and open them once they've arrived. If they know you usually have good content, they'll start looking forward to your emails. A regular title helps them recognize your newsletter.

Getting your emails opened on a regular basis requires outstanding content. Most people will open your newsletter once or twice to see if it's any good. If they find that you almost always have something they're interested in, they'll make a point of opening and reading your emails. And if you're providing information they want and need, they'll gladly pay for your products.

The most important factor in quality content is that it must be usable by your readers. No one will continue opening emails that are nothing more than ads for your products. But if you provide useful, informative and interesting articles that help them solve a problem and build their business or improve their lives, they will keep reading.

To get your readers to respond to your offers, you need to make sure the offers are appealing to your regular readers. One way to do this is to focus your offer on something related to the content in that month's newsletter. A product by the author of the feature column would be a good option, or a product from your regular line that fits in with the article, and is discounted for a certain length of time.

When you offer special promotions in your newsletter, make sure they are both timely (related to the topic addressed in that issue) and time-limited (good only for a certain time after that issue goes out). This will encourage your subscribers to read your newsletter as soon as it arrives, so they can take advantage of that issue's special offer.

Also encourage your readers to forward their copy of your newsletter to friends, and let new subscribers and those who've received forwarded copies take advantage of the special offers, as well. This will boost your readership and your response rate at the same time.

By making your newsletter something your readers look forward to, and look for in their in box, you can greatly boost your response rates and increase your profits, with very little effort.

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