A subtle but powerful formatting trick in emails and landing pages is to hyperlink an entire sentence or phrase, not just one or two words like "click here." This creates a larger, more obvious clickable target for the user, improving the experience and likely increasing clicks.
Related Insights
A generic button like "Submit" is a wasted opportunity. The call-to-action is your last chance to persuade the user. Treat its copy as a critical sales variable and A/B test compelling, action-oriented phrases like "Yes, I'm in" to maximize conversions.
Instead of directing users to a landing page, ask them to reply to your email with a specific word (e.g., "guide") to receive content. This tactic significantly increases conversions by reducing friction and simplifying the user's action.
Instead of directing users to a landing page with a form, ask them to simply reply to the email with a keyword to receive a guide or discount. This reduces friction and can exponentially increase the number of people who take the desired action compared to traditional methods.
Stop trying to convert customers directly within an email. An email's primary function is to provide enough evidence and intrigue to earn a click through to a dedicated sales page. The sales page, not the email, is responsible for the final conversion. This shift makes copy more conversational and less pushy.
Since true video embedding in email is unreliable, use animated GIFs to simulate video content and boost clicks. Create a short, looping GIF from your video, overlay a play button icon, and link it to the full video. This serves as a more dynamic and enticing call-to-action than a static image.
The conventional wisdom is to move followers off social to an owned email list. However, the reverse is also powerful. Drive engagement and grow your social following by embedding links to your best social posts directly within your newsletters and promotional emails.
Rephrase call-to-action buttons from a brand command (e.g., "Donate Now") to a user's first-person statement (e.g., "Yes, I want to help"). This simple change in perspective makes the user an active participant, significantly increasing engagement and click-through rates on emails, landing pages, and social media posts.
The text on the final submission button is a critical, often-overlooked variable. Generic words like "Submit" are weak. A/B test active, benefit-oriented phrases like "Yes, I'm In" or "Send It My Way" to properly close the deal.
A counterintuitive yet effective email tactic is capitalizing an entire word in the middle of a subject line, not at the start or end. This simple, cost-free A/B test is trending because it breaks visual patterns in the inbox, leading to a reported 16% open rate increase for B2B and 21% for B2C.
Contrary to the common wisdom of using a single call-to-action, an A/B test revealed a newsletter version with five links generated a 152% higher click-through rate than a version with only three. Offering variety can turn passive readers into active clickers.
