Creating content that converts is the goal of every email marketer. But that’s easier said than done. It’s not enough to just create the content and hope it resonates – every email marketing campaign needs a solid content strategy the drives the communication.   

In this second blog of our series on ways to drive results through email (check out: How to build a strong foundation for your email marketing strategy), we’re exploring how you can boost your metrics by driving engagement with your email content.  

Ways to boost your click-through rate and open rate  

Building every element of your email carefully will ultimately drive conversions across all metrics. So, what’s the best way to do this?  

1. Optimize the critical elements of your message 
   Your subject line, preheader, and from address are three essential pillars in your message. The subject line needs to convey a sense of urgency and exclusivity, while the preheader can work to support that message – but be mindful of character count when drafting both elements. The from address is the perfect place to humanize your brand, making it sound like a real person has written the email. Consider using different from addresses for different purposes to help you improve engagement, for example, send event reminders from your brand’s event email address, while sending shipping reminders from the shipping email address.   
   AI tip: Use generative AI to help you craft elements of your email and create variations of your content efficiently so you can test options to determine what works best. 
2. Enhance creative elements and calls-to-action (CTAs) 
   Once recipients open your email, it’s important that the message builds on their expectation from the subject line and continues to drive interest from there. Pick up where your subject line left off by crafting a headline that moves readers towards a click, and make sure it’s bold at the top of the email. Your email design and copy should be concise, optimized for mobile, and engaging – avoid large blocks of text and experiment with the wording, design, and placement to see what performs best. Finally, the CTA is what matters most; make sure it’s positioned above the fold on all the devices and experiment with engaging phrases beyond just “Sign up” or “Shop now,” such as “Get instant access” or “Save my seat.” 
3. Elevate your strategy and incentives to drive engagement.  
   Test out send time and email frequency to see what performs best with your audience and each segment. Finding the right balance for your email frequency is crucial and using your email preference center can allow people to choose how often they get emails – or give them an opportunity to opt out of a specific list without unsubscribing from everything. Incorporate gamification and offer rewards or benefits to customers if they complete a sequence of actions. This approach can help you build loyalty and increase engagement. Read FTW: Gamification can help build closer customer connections for more about how to use gamification in your email campaigns.

To learn more ways to improve your email content, messaging, and metrics, watch our webinar replay with MarketingProfs, Driving results through email: Maximizing deliverability and engagement, or download our ebook,  How to make email work even harder for you.