[Proven] 7 Ways to Increase Your Email Newsletter's "Click-Through Rate"

Hello everyone! This is Takahama from Innovation X Solutions, Inc.

Email newsletter distribution is something many companies do, regardless of whether they are B2B or B2C, or their industry or size.

I imagine many companies use "email newsletters" to solicit document requests, attract attendees to seminars, or promote white paper downloads.

Email newsletters are highly valued as a tool for raising awareness of your products and services with almost no cost.

However, even if you spend time creating a newsletter, it is meaningless if the reader does not open it and click on it.

In particular, fluctuations in the click-through rate can significantly change the number of service document requests and seminar attendees.

In this article, I will explain "[Proven] 7 Ways to Increase Your Email Newsletter's 'Click-Through Rate'"!

[Proven] 7 Ways to Increase Your Email Newsletter's Click-Through Rate

In conclusion, there are the following seven methods.

Now, let's explain in detail.

① Attach images

To increase your email newsletter's click-through rate, first, try attaching images.

This is because, according to a survey in the United States that analyzed over 5,000 newsletters, when comparing "newsletters with images" to "newsletters without images," the click-through rate for "newsletters with images" was 42% higher.

Also, according to another survey, 65% of respondents said they prefer newsletters "with images," while 35% said they prefer "text-only" newsletters.

Honestly, from our perspective, newsletters "with images" are not only easier to catch the eye, but they are also easier to read because you can immediately grasp the main points by seeing where to read.

"Email newsletters are not read"In a world where this is the norm, we must catch the reader's eye and convey the information they desire.

By adding images to your newsletter, the probability that interested readers will click will likely increase.

② Improve the design

Improving the design of your newsletter is also important for increasing your click-through rate.

For example, how would you feel if you received a newsletter like the one below?

If the sentences are too long or there are no line breaks, you won't want to keep reading, right?

If there are too many links, it feels too "salesy" and that doesn't leave a good impression on the reader.

Even if a reader opens your newsletter, they will leave if the content isn't good.

Therefore, to make it easier to read, use bullet points and add plenty of line breaks. Also, limiting it to "one link per content" will make it feel less like a sales pitch.

This alone can improve your newsletter's click-through rate, so try tidying up the overall design of your newsletter.

3. Decorate the clickable areas

It is also a good idea to decorate the clickable areas to make them stand out.

This is because there are times when readers simply don't know where the URL is.

For example, "text links" where the link is embedded in the text have become mainstream recently. When you use a text link, the text turns blue, making it stand out.

However, if the text link doesn't work properly, the text won't change color, and the reader might end up in a "state where they don't know where the link is...", which can lead to them leaving the newsletter.

To avoid this, decorate your clickable areas. It is especially effective to include a "CTA button".

*This is an example of such a button

With a button, the reader immediately knows where to click, and since the clickable area is larger than a text link, they are more likely to click it.

Make sure your clickable areas are buttons whenever possible, and make them large and prominent!

4. Limit to one clickable area

According to one study, "reducing the number of clickable items in a newsletter from four to one increased the click-through rate by 42%".

This is because limiting the number of clickable items to just one makes it feel less like a sales pitch.

For example, as mentioned earlier, if a newsletter has many links or URLs, the reader will start to feel "Are they trying to sell me something?".

"We recommend this product! Click here for details!" or "We're having a campaign right now, so please sign up! Click here to apply." It's a bit off-putting, isn't it?

In that case, reducing the number of click points and unifying them into one might be better for the reader.

5. Create scarcity and exclusivity

Adding words related to "scarcity" or "exclusivity" right before a CTA button or link can potentially increase your click-through rate.

This is because humans have a higher desire to purchase when they encounter "rare" or "limited" items.

For example, scarcity refers to items with rare value, such as "This is the only product of its kind in Japan" or "This seminar is available only here.".

Also, exclusivity refers to limited items, such as "Only 10 items left!" or "Limited time offer until December 31st!".

If you can guide readers to text links or sign-up buttons while using such words, your click-through rate will naturally increase.

Since just adding these words can boost your click-through rate, it's a point you can improve immediately!

6. Embed videos

The reason why it's good to embed videos in newsletters is that videos are the best way to enhance memory by engaging the human "visual" and "auditory" senses.

For this reason, more companies are embedding video content into their newsletters lately.

In fact, compared to text-only content, "text + video" is more likely to lead to reader action.

Honestly, even if you're not that interested in a newsletter, if the video looks interesting, you'll end up watching it, right?

Actually, placing a video in your newsletter has the following benefits:

Collaborating with a video editor in your department to create and embed a video in your newsletter might also lead to an increase in your click-through rate!

7. Shorten the text

To begin with, it is better to view email newsletters as "things that won't be read."

This is because we don't have much time, and we don't read text thoroughly.

To be honest, almost no one clearly remembers the content of an email newsletter.

Thinking about it that way, the longer the newsletter text is, the less likely it is to be read.

Even if someone is interested at first and opens the email, if the text is listed at length and never seems to end no matter how much they scroll...

Then, they will give up on reading it halfway through, right? Even if you place a CTA button or link at the very bottom, it likely won't be clicked.

Recently, in particular, more people are reading newsletters on their smartphones. Since smartphone screens are smaller than PC screens, they have to scroll. This tires out their fingers and their eyes.

To ensure readers have a pleasant reading experience, keep your newsletters as concise as possible and keep the text short!

Summary

In this article, we introduced "[Proven] 7 Ways to Increase Your Email Newsletter's 'Click-Through Rate'"!

As you continue to send out newsletters, there are times when the click-through rate drops.

If your click-through rate is dropping, please try using these methods as a reference to make improvements!

Also, while we have shared methods for increasing newsletter click-through rates, the most important thing is "whether or not you are sending useful information to the appropriate target audience.".

It is not enough to just know the techniques for increasing your newsletter's click-through rate.

If you include useful information in your newsletter and then try these methods, your click-through rate will surely increase, which should lead to more conversions, business meetings, and orders.

If you are interested, please try putting this into practice starting tomorrow!