How to Create Great Emails that Get Opened and Clicked Justine Jordan Marketing Director, Litmus Making a good first impression, Creating an excellent subscriber experience, A/B test ideas, Lots of best practices along the way Why Email? Banner Ads $2 for every $1 spent Keyword Ads $17 for every $1 spent Email Marketing $40 for every $1 spent Email gets more clicks. and conversions You get the point. Email Works. Email is: A unique medium with unique considerations Email is not: A JPG, A print ad, A banner ad, A one-page website Emails are not weapons of mass destruction Every email should have a purpose. The email experience First impressions. no-reply is a no-go Be on-brand and relevant Symbols in subject lines. Can increase open rates. No such thing as a perfect subject line Preheader Preheader Best Practices These are bad preheader examples These are good preheader examples Helpful, smart, funny, engaging Optimizing the “Envelope Fields” From Name Don’t count on images showing up Convey your message without images Be aware, not afraid, of the fold Content and visual hierarchy, Prune extraneous & irrelevant content Create click opportunities Tell the subscriber what to do! What is the message? What should I do? Call to action best practices Bulletproof bu ons are visible when images aren’t Don’t forget the landing page Is this a positive experience? Don’t forget the text version Designing for purpose Testing ideas Some tests we’ve run. Version A: Green button Version B: Blue button no change Version A: Green button Version B: Blue button Version A: Start testing Version B: Read our overview 2x clicks Version A: Start testing Version B: Read our overview Subject line A: Don’t forward this! Subject line B: The best way to share emails Some tests we’ve run. Subject line A: Don’t forward this! Subject line B: The best way to share emails 54% more clicks Testing can be simple or complex. Design A Design B Design C Design C, Outperformed Control CTR by 26%, Outperformed Projected revenue of 2nd place by 4% Design A Design B Design C Design B, Outperformed 2nd place by < 2%, Outperformed control CTR by 26%, Outperformed unsubscribe rate by 15.9% The uniqueness of email goes beyond design HTML coding / rendering, HTML for email is not HTML for the web, Avoid CSS for positioning or layout, Code like it’s 1999! HTML coding/rendering Rendering, TEST, Only comprehensive testing will ensure that your email appears the way you want it to in your subscriber’s inbox Avoid this TAKEAWAYS: 1 Design for your subscribers, 2 For every email, ask: What am I trying to say? How will subscribers take action? Where are they going next?

1. How to Create Great Emails
that Get Opened and Clicked
January 16th 2014

2. Who Am I?
Justine Jordan
Marketing Director, Litmus

3. Twi er
@meladorri @litmusapp
#KISSwebinar

4. We’ll cover…
1
Making a good first impression
2
Creating an excellent subscriber experience
3
A/B test ideas + examples
4
Lots of best practices along the way
#KISSwebinar

5. Why Email?
1
Effective
2
Inexpensive
3
Immediate
4
Measurable
5
(Relatively) easy
#KISSwebinar

6. Banner Ads
$2
for every $1 spent
Source: MediaPost.com

7. Keyword Ads
$17
for every $1 spent
Source: MediaPost.com

8. Email Marketing
$40
for every $1 spent
Source: MediaPost.com

9. Email gets more clicks . . .
#KISSwebinar

10. . . . and conversions
#KISSwebinar

11. You get the point.

12. Email Works.
Duh!

13. Email is:
A unique medium
with unique
considerations

14. Email is not:
A JPG
A print ad
A banner ad
A one-page web site

15. Emails are not weapons of mass destruction

16. Every email should have a purpose.
➡ What do you want the subscriber to do?
➡ How are you going to measure success?
➡ What are the business goals behind this communication?
➡ Is email the best way to communicate your message?
➡ Who should should receive the message?
➡ Is the message relevant to your subscribers?

17. Every email should have a purpose.
Why are you sending this email?
✓ Lead generation
✓ Brand awareness
✓ Is it relevant?
Who are you sending to, and what do you know about them?
✓ Internal vs. external
✓ B2B vs. B2C
✓ Demographics

18. Every email should have a purpose.
What do you want subscribers to do once they receive your email?
✓ Register for a webinar
✓ Read an article
How are you going to measure success?
✓ Open/click data
✓ Leads generated
✓ Conversions
What do you want the subscriber to do?
✓ Is email the best way to communicate your message?

19. The email experience
From Name
Subject Line
Preheader
Preview/Open
Tap/Click
Page/Site
???

20. First impressions ma er
From Name
Subject Line
Preheader
Preview/Open
Tap/Click
Page/Site
What is recognizable, trustworthy and relevant?
Does the subscriber have a relationship with
a person or the brand?
???

21. no-reply is a no-go
From Name
Subject Line
Preheader
Preview/Open
Tap/Click
Page/Site
???

22. Be on-brand and relevant
From Name
Subject Line
Preheader
Preview/Open
Tap/Click
Page/Site
???

23. Symbols in subject lines
Can increase open rates.
Use carefully to support your
message rather than detract
from value.

24. No such thing as a perfect subject line
1
Free is OK
2
Shorter=be er?
3
Relevance!
4
Useful + specific
5
Test, test, test
h ps://litmus.com/blog/how-to-write-the-perfect-subject-line-infographic

25. Preheader = tertiary inbox content
From Name
Subject Line
Preheader
Preview/Open
Tap/Click
Page/Site
???

26. Preheader Best Practices
Support your subject line with a
creative, useful or helpful preheader.
1
Call to action
2
Reminder
3
Special message / value prop
4
Clickable/measurable

27. These are bad preheader examples
Repetitive content, unhelpful,
potentially negative brand impact

28. These are good preheader examples
Helpful, smart, funny, engaging

29. Optimizing the “Envelope Fields”
From Name
~25 characters
Subject Line
~35 characters
Preheader
~85 characters

30. Don’t count on images showing up
From Name
Subject Line
Preheader
Preview/Open
Tap/Click
Page/Site
???

31. Convey your message without images
From Name
Subject Line
Preheader
Preview/Open
Tap/Click
Page/Site
???

32. Be aware, not afraid, of the fold
From Name
Subject Line
Preheader
Preview/Open
Tap/Click
Page/Site
???

33. Content and visual hierarchy
➡ Prioritize important information
➡ Prune extraneous & irrelevant content
➡ Use color, weight, size & placement for emphasis
➡ Bullets are your friends
➡ Use a mix of rational & emotional appeals
➡ Utilize background colors, lists & borders
➡ Use strong & clear calls-to-action

34. Create click opportunities
From Name
Subject Line
Preheader
➡ Linked imagery
➡ Video
➡ Bu ons
➡ Charts
➡ Colored backgrounds
➡ Preheader text
➡ Forward & share
Preview/Open
Tap/Click
Page/Site
???

35. Tell the subscriber what to do!
From Name
Subject Line
Preheader
Preview/Open
Tap/Click
Page/Site
???

36. What is the message?
From Name
Subject Line
Preheader
Preview/Open
Tap/Click
Page/Site
???

37. What should I do?
From Name
Subject Line
Preheader
Preview/Open
Tap/Click
Page/Site
???

38. What should I do?
From Name
Subject Line
Preheader
Preview/Open
Tap/Click
Page/Site
???

39. Call to action best practices
1
Bu ons!
2
Context
3
Active language
4
Size
5
Placement
h ps://litmus.com/blog/designing-the-perfect-call-to-action

40. Bulletproof bu ons are visible when images aren’t

41. Don’t forget the landing page
From Name
Subject Line
Preheader
Preview/Open
Tap/Click
Page/Site
???

42. Is this a positive experience?
From Name
Subject Line
Preheader
Preview/Open
Tap/Click
Where’s the download?
… add to cart?
Page/Site
???

43. Don’t forget the text version
1
Create hierarchy with symbols
2
Avoid hard breaks
3
Put links on a new line
4
Tabs, spacing and CAPS to organize content
5
Convey imagery with text

44. Don’t forget the text version

45. Designing for purpose
Email is the ideal
environment for fast,
easy and cheap testing
BUT
what works for one
person (or one email)
won’t necessarily work
for another

46. Testing ideas
Time of day
Pre-Header
Day of week
Navigation
Subject Lines
Content Layout
Creative look and feel
Length of content
Imagery
Personalization
Call to action
Segmentation
Be sure your test is repeatable. You need a hypothesis.

47. Some tests we’ve run…
Subject lines
• Specific vs. vague
• Buzzy vs. straightforward
!
Bu on language / call-to-action
• Product vs. content
• Additional bu ons (more click
opportunities)
!
Video thumbnail imagery
• Person vs. product
!
Content
• Headline vs. no headline
!
Bu on colors
• Green vs. blue

48. Some tests we’ve run…
Version A: Green bu on
Version B: Blue bu on

49. Some tests we’ve run…
no
change
Version A: Green bu on
Version B: Blue bu on

50. Some tests we’ve run…
Version A: Start testing
Version B: Read our overview

51. Some tests we’ve run…
2x
clicks
Version A: Start testing
Version B: Read our overview

52. Some tests we’ve run…
Subject line A:
Don’t forward
this…
!
Subject line B:
The best way to
share emails

53. Some tests we’ve run…
Subject line A:
Don’t forward
this…
!
Subject line B:
The best way to
share emails
54%
more clicks

54. Testing can be simple
. . . or complex.

55. Which test won?
Design A
Design B
Design C

56. Which test won?
Design C
➡ Outperformed Control CTR by 26%
➡ Outperformed Projected revenue of 2nd place by 4%

57. Which test won?
Design A
Design B
Design C

58. Which test won?
Design B
➡ Outperformed 2nd place by < 2%
➡ Outperformed control CTR by 26%
➡ Outperformed unsubscribe rate by 15.9%

59. The uniqueness of email
goes beyond design . . .

60. HTML coding / rendering
➡ HTML for email is not HTML for the web
➡ Avoid CSS for positioning or layout
➡ Code like it’s 1999!
➡ Proper syntax is key
➡ Use HTML tables for layout
➡ Use ALT text
• Specify widths for table elements
• Images should be in their own table cell

61. HTML coding / rendering
➡ No JavaScript
➡ No Flash
➡ Limited support for HTML5 or CSS3
➡ Use inline CSS instead of embedded
• (Gmail doesn’t support embedded CSS)
➡ HTML forms (not supported everywhere)
➡ Background images (not supported in Outlook 2007+)
➡ Web-based email clients behave differently based on the browser (IE vs Firefox)

62. Rendering
➡ TEST TEST TEST
➡ Only comprehensive testing will ensure
that your email appears the way you
want it to in your subscriber’s inbox
➡ Subscribers view emails in many
different environments: desktop email
clients, web-based email clients and
mobile clients.

63. Avoid this

64. -TAKEAWAYS -
1
Design for your subscribers
2
For every email, ask:
What am I trying to say?
How will subscribers take action?
Where are they going next?
3
Institute a culture of testing

65. Thanks!
Thanks!
justine@litmus.com / @meladorri