Call to actions in emails worth trying


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Getting the call to actions in emails right can break or make a campaign. But effective CTAs involve more than just catchy button text – they require thoughtful integration with email design, personalization strategy, and best practices that ensure messages actually reach subscribers’ inboxes.

The types of call to actions in emails

Email CTAs generally fall into several distinct categories, each serving different purposes.

Text links

Text links remain one of the most versatile options, appearing as hyperlinked words or phrases naturally woven into email copy. These can be styled with different colors, weights, or hover effects while maintaining their seamless integration into the content.

Text links can work, especially in emails that aren’t highly designed.

“A highly designed email can scream ‘marketing message.’ A marketing email that looks just like any other email from people can appear more authentic” said Brandon Walton on “The Business Storytelling Show.” This authenticity can lead to surprisingly strong results – as demonstrated by simple personal email campaigns that often drive significant engagement despite having CTAs deeper in the message.

Buttons

Buttons serve as dedicated visual elements, typically appearing in two forms:

  • Primary CTA buttons that command attention for your main desired action
  • Secondary CTA buttons that offer alternative paths without competing for primary focus
  • “Bulletproof buttons” built with code to display reliably even when images are disabled

Different types of CTAs work best for specific goals. Purchase-oriented CTAs like “Shop now,” “Buy now,” or “Get yours today” drive direct sales actions.

For content marketing, softer CTAs such as “Learn more,” “Discover now,” or “Read the full story” often perform better when nurturing engagement.

Lead generation benefits from CTAs like “Start your free trial,” “Sign up now,” or “Join our community.” When building engagement, social CTAs such as “Share your thoughts,” “Join the conversation,” or “Connect with us” help foster interaction.

Urgency-based CTAs tap into FOMO (fear of missing out) with phrases like “Limited time offer,” “Last chance,” or “Ends soon.” However, these should be used sparingly to maintain credibility.

For event promotion, CTAs like “Save your spot,” “Register now,” or “RSVP today” create clear next steps. More personal CTAs that speak directly to the reader – “Yes, I want in!” or “Count me in” – can feel more conversational and engaging.

Reply

Reply CTAs have emerged as another effective option, particularly for gathering feedback, starting conversations, encouraging engagement, providing customer support, and qualifying leads.

Simple prompts like “Reply to this email with your question” or “Hit reply and let us know what you think” can create valuable one-on-one interactions.

Read next: How to write a call to action

Banners

Banners offer perhaps the most dramatic way to present CTAs, typically placed at the top or bottom of emails. While they can be eye-catching, banners need to enhance rather than overwhelm the overall design. These promotional elements often combine text and graphics, and some even incorporate animated GIFs for added visual appeal.

Images

Images themselves can also serve as CTAs when made clickable, including product photos linking directly to purchase pages, logos connecting to company websites, and infographics or diagrams with embedded links. The key is making it obvious which images are clickable to avoid confusion.

Those are really the main types of call to actions in emails. All are worth trying and when you find one that works particularly well with your audience, keep using it.


Personalize

Beyond the visual elements, personalization and relevance play crucial roles in CTA effectiveness.  Of course, it’s also important to send relevant emails to the right people at the right time.

Properly targeted and segmented email campaigns can achieve engagement rates two to three times higher than industry benchmarks. This underscores the importance of moving beyond generic “spray and pray” approaches to more sophisticated, subscriber-centric strategies.

Testing remains crucial for optimizing CTA performance. Try different variations of text, design elements, and placement to find what works best for your specific audience and goals. Just ensure any testing maintains focus on providing real value rather than simply maximizing clicks.

Through strategic implementation of CTAs, thoughtful design choices, and genuine personalization, email marketing can move beyond basic batch-and-blast approaches to create meaningful connections with subscribers while driving better results. The key lies in respecting subscriber preferences, delivering relevant content, and making it easy for them to take desired actions through well-crafted CTAs.


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