With the Apple mail privacy changes meaning that open rates won’t be as reliable a metric as they are now (although sometimes debateable), you need to start thinking about other metrics by which to measure the success of your emails and subscriber engagement.  Click through rates are going to elevate in importance.

The question now is, how on earth do you get people to click through your emails?  You can’t just send them a boring old email. You need to think like the customer, and what they’re looking for in an email from you. People are busy and don’t have time to click around all day, so make it easy for them!

In this article I’m suggesting six ways how you can keep people interested so they actually click through!

 

1. Encourage people to click for more content 

All emails need to include well-written, valuable content that is helpful to the reader. However, if you publish a blog, podcast or YouTube video then give them just a flavour of what you have published. 

Whet their appetite so that they are curious enough to want to click the link in your newsletter to  find out more as Jeff Walker has done in the example below.  

2.  Ensure you have a clear and visible Call to Action

The Call to Action is the most important part of any email campaign. Give your subscribers a clear sense of what you want them to do, such as “Read More” or “Watch Again.”

Make sure it stands out.  Your button might even be more effective with language that closes a loop such as the words Finish Reading or Watch Until The End.

Whilst you can hyperlink words to the URL you want your subscribers to visit, it’s more likely they will respond better if there is a button.  I tend to do both.  Add bright colours and visible buttons so that viewers are encouraged to click.  In the example below, Zoom have used a bright colour for the Call to Action button that is in stark contract to their usual blue brand colour.

 

 

3.  Everyone loves a quiz or survey

People love to answer questions.  Try including a quiz or survey in your email to find out more about your subscribers.

Mailerlite allows you to embed a quiz or survey directly in the email body, but there are also other options available for those who want something different like hosting their quizzes and surveys on Google Forms, Typeform and Cognito Forms.

Here’s an example of an email that Mailerlite sent out to their affiliate partners asking for their thoughts.

4.  Introduce a Like button

Like buttons are central to social media so why not introduce them to your emails too.  Create a small like button at the top or bottom of your email and ask people to click it if they valued your content.

As with social media, use an emoji as people are used to this type of ‘like’ icon.

5.  Ask people to share your content

Taking the lead again from social media, why not invite your subscribers to share your email with others who they think benefit from your content.

To encourage them to do this, you could turn it into a competition, giving a prize to the subscriber with the highest number of shares each month.  It’s a win-win, you grow your list and your subscribers get bragging rights from being one of the top sharers each month.

Most email service providers will already a ‘Forward to a Friend’ option built in to their editors. Some have it placed in the footer as a matter of course.  

Mind have their Forward to a Friend link at the top of their email.  I like this because it’s prominent and immediately makes me think about who would benefit from their email about mental health.

 

 

6.  Use gamification to increase engagement

Gamification is the process of using gameplay elements within your email to encourage engagement.  Just Eat used this strategy effectively during the UEFA 2020 Tournament with their Spin to Win, with the ultimate prize of match tickets as well as thousands of vouchers.

 

Rewards don’t have to have a monetary value.  People often enjoy playing games for fun and seeing themselves as winners when they’re atop the game board!

There are so many ways to make your emails exciting, but a fun way is by having people go on a scavenger hunt or solve a puzzle as Stripo have done.

For instance, you could give them 5 gold rings that they have to find and click within a series of emails. Everyone who completes the quest could receive a discount or be invited to a VIP online event.  

You could have a simple click through to reveal a special discount.  If you have the technical know-how or can employ a developer then there are some fun games you could include.

 

I’ve suggested a few ways to motivate and incentivise readers to click on links in an email. Which of these are you going to try? Let me know over on social media.

You can also subscribe here if you want to see how I’ll be using click motivators in my emails.