Marketers strive to increase email open rates, but they're misguided as to what motivates consumers to open messages. Forrester's email opens index reveals that consumers' personal motivations exert more influence than the time of day a message is sent or generic offers. Marketers must pay attention and tailor messages to these interests — with an eye on the patterns within their industries and adopt specific strategies — to increase the email open rate. These strategies also serve to improve the email program overall.