Summary
When open rates are consistent across ESPs, improving click-through rates demands a comprehensive marketing and technical approach. While deliverability ensures emails reach the inbox, the subsequent engagement depends on optimizing content, user experience, and subscriber expectations. Personalization, compelling subject lines, clear CTAs, A/B testing, and segmentation are vital. Incorporating interactive elements, leveraging behavioral email marketing, and optimizing images can enhance engagement. Mobile optimization, email accessibility, and a strong sender reputation are crucial technical considerations. Reducing friction in the user journey and ensuring emails are relevant, timely, and valuable are also key. Furthermore, email frequency must be tailored to avoid subscriber fatigue. Lastly, it is important to track and analyse campaign performance for continual improvement. The content must match the subscribers expectations that are set by the subject line.
Key findings
- Personalization: Personalizing content and CTAs based on subscriber data significantly improves relevance and engagement.
- A/B Testing: A/B testing various email elements identifies optimal configurations for higher click-through rates.
- Segmentation: Segmenting email lists ensures targeted and relevant content that drives higher engagement.
- Value Proposition: Clearly communicating value and benefits motivates subscribers to click.
- Interactive Content: Incorporating interactive elements increases engagement and click-through rates.
- Behavioral Marketing: Triggering emails based on subscriber actions ensures timely and highly relevant content.
- Mobile Optimization: Responsive design, legible fonts, and appropriately sized buttons improve the mobile user experience, and so increase click-through rates.
- Email Accessibility: Alt text, sufficient color contrast, and semantic structure enhance usability for all subscribers.
- Image Optimization: Optimized images enhance the user experience and prevent loading issues.
- Reducing Friction: A reduction of friction makes it easier for users to follow through to conversion from the email.
Key considerations
- Marketing Responsibility: Marketing teams should take ownership of strategies to improve click-through rates after deliverability is achieved.
- Relevance: Ensure email content is highly relevant to the recipient's interests and needs.
- Timeliness: Send emails at the right time, triggered by specific subscriber actions or behaviors.
- Value: Provide clear and compelling value in every email to motivate clicks.
- Subscriber Expectations: Ensure email content aligns with what the subject line promises.
- Actionable Steps: Make it easy for subscribers to understand what action you want them to take.
- Email Frequency: Determine the optimal email frequency to avoid subscriber fatigue and maintain engagement.
- Data-Driven Decisions: Base strategies on data insights derived from tracking and analysis.
What email marketers say
12 marketer opinions
When open rates are consistent across ESPs, improving click-through rates requires a focus on optimizing email content and user experience. Personalization, compelling subject lines, clear CTAs, A/B testing, and segmentation are crucial. Interactive content, behavioral email marketing, and optimized images can further enhance engagement. Reducing friction in the user journey and ensuring emails are relevant, timely, and valuable are also essential. Furthermore, email frequency and content should be tailored to avoid fatigue.
Key opinions
- Personalization: Personalizing content and CTAs based on subscriber data improves relevance and engagement.
- A/B Testing: A/B testing various email elements identifies optimal configurations for higher click-through rates.
- Segmentation: Segmenting email lists ensures targeted, relevant content that drives higher engagement.
- Value Proposition: Clearly communicating value and benefits motivates subscribers to click.
- Interactive Content: Incorporating interactive elements increases engagement and click-through rates.
- Behavioral Marketing: Triggering emails based on subscriber actions ensures timely and relevant content.
- Image Optimization: Optimized images enhance the user experience and prevent loading issues.
- Reducing Friction: Make it easy for users to follow through to conversion from the email.
Key considerations
- Relevance: Ensure email content is highly relevant to the recipient's interests and needs.
- Timeliness: Send emails at the right time, triggered by specific subscriber actions or behaviors.
- Value: Provide clear and compelling value in every email to motivate clicks.
- Email Frequency: Determine the optimal email frequency to avoid subscriber fatigue and maintain engagement.
- User Journey: Ensure a seamless journey from inbox to conversion, reducing any potential friction.
- Content Matching: Ensure the content matches the subscriber's expectations that are set by the subject line.
Marketer view
Email marketer from Quora answers that clearly communicating the value proposition in your email copy and highlighting the benefits that subscribers will receive by clicking through can motivate them to take action.
18 Aug 2021 - Quora
Marketer view
Email marketer from EmailGeeks forum answers that incorporating interactive content such as quizzes, polls, or surveys within emails can grab the attention of recipients and increase click-through rates.
11 Jun 2025 - EmailGeeks
What the experts say
3 expert opinions
Experts suggest that improving click-through rates, when open rates are consistent, falls under the purview of marketing. Deliverability experts focus on inbox placement, but engagement is driven by content relevance, meeting subscriber expectations set by the subject line, and clear calls to action.
Key opinions
- Deliverability vs. Engagement: Deliverability focuses on inbox placement, while engagement (click-throughs) is a marketing concern.
- Content Relevance: Tailoring content to match expectations set by the subject line is crucial.
- Clear CTAs: Providing clear calls to action is essential for driving clicks.
Key considerations
- Marketing Responsibility: Marketing teams should take ownership of strategies to improve click-through rates.
- Subscriber Expectations: Ensure email content aligns with what the subject line promises.
- Actionable Steps: Make it easy for subscribers to understand what action you want them to take.
Expert view
Expert from Word to the Wise answers that once you've achieved the open, focus on tailoring the content to match subscriber expectations set by the subject line, ensuring relevance, and providing clear calls to action to drive click-throughs.
22 Mar 2023 - Word to the Wise
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks responds that click-throughs are out of scope and that it is Marketing’s problem.
24 Jan 2023 - Email Geeks
What the documentation says
4 technical articles
Documentation suggests that improving click-through rates, when open rates are consistent, involves several technical and analytical best practices. Optimizing for mobile devices, ensuring accessibility, and maintaining a good sender reputation contribute to a better user experience and improved deliverability, which indirectly influences click-through rates. Properly tracking campaign performance and analyzing data enables continuous improvement through informed decision-making.
Key findings
- Mobile Optimization: Responsive design, legible fonts, and appropriately sized buttons improve the mobile user experience.
- Email Accessibility: Alt text, sufficient color contrast, and semantic structure enhance usability for all subscribers.
- Sender Reputation: Authentication, avoiding spam triggers, and managing unsubscribes ensure good deliverability.
- Performance Tracking: Using UTM parameters and analyzing data in Google Analytics informs strategy.
Key considerations
- User Experience: Prioritize a seamless and enjoyable experience for all subscribers.
- Inclusive Design: Make emails accessible to users with disabilities.
- Deliverability Practices: Implement best practices to maintain a positive sender reputation.
- Data-Driven Decisions: Base strategies on data insights derived from tracking and analysis.
Technical article
Documentation from Google Analytics explains that properly tracking email campaign performance with UTM parameters and analyzing the data in Google Analytics helps you understand which tactics are working and identify areas for improvement.
5 Oct 2022 - Google Analytics
Technical article
Documentation from Litmus explains that optimizing emails for mobile devices by using responsive design, legible font sizes, and appropriately sized buttons helps ensure a positive user experience, leading to higher click-through rates.
5 Jul 2022 - Litmus
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