When we open an email, we are looking for a unique opportunity to capture the attention of the person on the other side of the screen, and getting that person to do more than just look requires an essential ingredient: a CTA (call to action) within email marketing. That is a small, but powerful button or link is the bridge between your message and the action you want your reader to take.
Have you ever opened an email, seen a generic button like “Click here” and ignored it? Probably, the message didn’t convince you or the design didn’t catch your attention. A CTA must be visible, clear, persuasive, and relevant. In fact, according to a study by WordStream, optimized CTAs can increase conversion rates by up to 12%.
Recently, in a campaign for a technology company, we encountered this problem. We redesigned their CTAs following an approach that combined visual design, clear messaging, and a touch of urgency. The results were immediate: click-through rates soared by 40%, proving that CTAs directly connect your words and your audience’s actions.
In this article, we will show you how to design CTAs that convert in your email campaigns, and we invite you to explore the art and science behind these small but powerful elements.
Designing CTAs effectively
Designing effective CTAs in email marketing campaigns requires going beyond the superficial. More than an attractive button is needed; behind every click are strategic decisions based on consumer psychology, visual design, and a deep understanding of the target audience. This epigraph explores how to design CTAs that engage and convert.
1. Clarity is the number one priority
A CTA must tell the user exactly what action to take and what benefit they will get from doing so. If the proposition is not clear, conversions are drastically reduced. Think about how users scan an email: on average, they spend just a few seconds deciding whether the content is worth their attention. During that short time, the CTA must be unambiguous.
For example, an email promoting a white paper might include a CTA such as “Download the full 2024 trends report.” This message is specific, and direct, and communicates the benefit. In contrast, something generic like “Click here” or “Learn more” lacks the context necessary to motivate the reader.
In addition, we must align the clarity of the CTA with the context of the message. As Nancy Duarte states in Resonate, “emotional connection and clarity are inseparable when seeking to influence.” If the main text creates expectations about a unique resource, the CTA should reinforce that narrative and not distract with vague promises.
2. Visual design that drives interaction
Visual design is the vehicle that drives the user to action. A CTA must stand out, but without breaking the harmony of the email. This is where we must consider design principles such as:
- Contrast: CTAs should stand out from the rest of the email design. If the background of the email is white, a blue, or orange button provides the contrast needed to grab attention.
- Size and spacing: a button that is too small may go unnoticed, while one that is disproportionately large may appear invasive. Design should balance visibility with user experience (UX). According to a study by Crazy Egg, buttons with a minimum size of 44 pixels in height and width are ideal to ensure comfortable clicks, especially on mobile devices.
- Readable and direct texts: the text inside the button should be concise, using action verbs such as “Download”, “Book”, “Explore” or “Access”. Fonts should be legible, avoiding decorative styles that hinder comprehension.
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Use action verbs such as “Download”, “Book”, “Explore” or “Access”.
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3. Color psychology and its impact when designing CTAs
Colors arouse emotions and can directly influence the decision to click. A report by KISSmetrics points out that warm-colored buttons, such as red or orange, tend to generate more interactions, as they are associated with urgency and action. On the other hand, cool colors such as blue evoke confidence and serenity, which can be useful for sectors such as financial services or consulting.
Context is also important. In an email marketing campaign for a SaaS client, we tested a green versus a red CTA. The green one performed better when the message was educational, while the red one performed better in limited promotions-oriented mailings. This learning underscores the importance of aligning the color of the CTA with the intent of the mailing.
4. Incorporate urgency and exclusivity.
People respond to stimuli that make them feel they will lose something valuable if they don’t act immediately. Urgency is a powerful psychological tactic that, when used correctly, can significantly increase conversions. Phrases like “Last days to sign up” or “Exclusive offer until Friday” inspire immediate action.
In our campaigns, we have implemented CTAs such as “Register now before we run out of spots” in high-demand webinars, achieving an improvement in click-through rates of up to 40%. However, this strategy should be handled with caution: abusing urgency can erode trust if the offer is not limited.
5. Personalization: the human touch in the CTA.
Personalized emails are more likely to be relevant, and automation tools like HubSpot allow you to personalize the email body and buttons. Including elements such as the recipient’s name or direct references to the reader’s context can make a big difference.
For example, instead of a generic CTA like “Download the guide”, we tried “John, download your personalized guide here”. This small detail made users feel that the content was designed especially for them, increasing clicks by 22%.
6. Constant testing: the path to optimization
Like any aspect of marketing, designing CTAs requires constant iteration, and A/B testing is a tool for perfecting them. By testing variations in text, color, size, and placement, we can identify which elements resonate most with our audience.
In a recent campaign, we tested two versions of a CTA: one with the text “Explore our solutions” and one with “Discover how to transform your business.” Although both were clear, the second version got 18% more clicks, possibly due to its focus on direct benefit to the reader.
Mistakes designing CTAs
Although designing CTAs is a mandatory process in email marketing campaigns, getting it wrong can sabotage even the most elaborate strategies. Common mistakes in their design usually arise from lack of clarity, disconnection with the context of the message, or oversights in the user experience. Let’s take a closer look at the most common mistakes, how to recognize them, and, above all, how to avoid them.
1. Using too many CTAs in a single email
A common mistake is to include multiple CTAs in the same email, with the idea of maximizing conversion opportunities. However, the reality is that too many options can be counterproductive. According to Barry Schwartz, author of The Paradox of Choice, when people are faced with too many choices, they tend to choose none. This phenomenon, known as “paralysis by analysis,” directly affects conversion rates.
A typical email with multiple CTAs, such as “Download our guide”, “Book a demo” and “Read our latest blog”, can confuse the user by not knowing which action to prioritize. This dilutes the effectiveness of the message. In contrast, an email with a single, clear, and relevant CTA increases the likelihood that the reader will follow through.
In one of our campaigns for a client in the technology sector, we experienced this mistake by including four different CTAs in a promotional email. Click-through rates were disappointing, with a CTR of 1.2%. After redesigning the email to focus on a single CTA, “Request a free demo now”, the CTR tripled to 3.6%.
How to avoid it: define a main objective for each email and design a CTA that reflects it. If you need to include more than one action, visually hierarchize the CTAs, highlighting the main one and relegating the secondary ones to less prominent links.
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When people are faced with too many options, they tend not to choose any of them.
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2. Designing CTAs without context or alignment
A CTA that is poorly aligned with the content of the email is confusing and misleading. Users need to immediately understand why they should click and how that click responds to the email’s promise.
For example, if an email promises “advanced strategies to increase your sales,” but the CTA simply says “Read more,” the reader will not understand how that action will lead them to the promised strategies. This can be perceived as a disconnect or even a deceptive tactic.
How to avoid it: before defining a CTA, make sure the content of the email supports the action you are requesting. The CTA should be a natural extension of the main message, connecting the promise of the mailing with the benefit of the action.
3. Ignoring optimization for mobile devices
In a world where more than 60% of emails are opened on mobile devices (Litmus, 2024), a CTA poorly adapted to small screens is a blunder. Buttons that are too small, difficult to click, or poorly placed generate a bad user experience and frustrate readers.
In a campaign for a SaaS client, we found that many mobile users were not interacting with the CTAs. When analyzing the design, we discovered that the buttons were not large enough or well-spaced, making it difficult to click from a phone. We redesigned the buttons following mobile best practices and the result was a 40% increase in interactions from mobile devices.
How to avoid it: Make sure your CTAs are fully responsive. Test each design on different devices and make sure the buttons are visible, easy to click, and strategically placed.
4. Lack of testing and analysis after designing CTAs.
A fatal mistake is assuming that a CTA will work without relying on data or testing. Lack of experimentation and analysis leaves valuable opportunities on the table. Without A/B testing, you can’t identify factors such as color, text, or placement that could improve conversions.
In a case study, we tested two versions of a CTA for a lead generation campaign in the financial sector. The first version said “Download the guide now”, while the second version added urgency: “Download the guide today and optimize your investments”. The second version generated 25% more clicks, demonstrating how small changes can have a big impact.
How to avoid it: Implement a constant A/B testing system for all your CTAs. Change one element at a time (color, text, position) and analyze the results to optimize your campaigns continuously.
How to measure effective CTAs
Designing and implementing CTAs is only half the battle in an email marketing campaign. To ensure that our efforts deliver results, we need to measure their effectiveness on an ongoing basis. Analyzing metrics allows us to identify what works, what doesn’t and how to optimize our CTAs to maximize conversions. Let’s delve into the tools, strategies and best practices to measure the success of our CTAs.
1. Click-through rate (CTR): the primary metric
The CTR is the primary metric to evaluate the effectiveness of a CTA. It is calculated by dividing the number of clicks on the CTA by the total number of emails opened. This indicator gives us an insight into how many users took action after interacting with our message.
A good CTR in B2B campaigns generally ranges between 2% and 5%, although it can vary depending on the industry and the objective of the mailing. For example, in a campaign for a client in the manufacturing sector, we achieved a CTR of 7% by using a specific and attractive CTA: “Discover how to optimize your production in 3 simple steps”.
How to improve CTR:
- Refine CTA design: an attractive visual design with contrasting colors and clear text can grab more attention.
- Optimize CTA text: direct benefit-oriented phrases, such as “Increase your revenue in 10 days,” tend to perform better.
- Test placement: CTAs placed at the top of the email or immediately after a key point of interest tend to get more clicks.
Recommended tools: platforms such as Mailchimp, HubSpot, and Campaign Monitor offer detailed CTR reports, allowing us to analyze which CTAs generate more clicks in real-time.
2. Post-click conversion rate: measuring real impact.
CTR alone does not tell the whole story. Users may click on the CTA, but abandon the process before completing the desired action. This is why we will also analyze the post-click conversion rate, which measures the number of clicks that convert to a specific action (registration, purchase, download, etc.).
A case study highlighting the importance of this metric occurred in a campaign for a client in the SaaS sector. Although we achieved a high CTR (6%), conversions were surprisingly low. We discovered that the landing page did not align its message with the email’s CTA, leading to confusion. After adjusting the landing page content to reinforce the promise of the email, the post-click conversion rate increased by 18%.
How to improve post-click conversion:
- Alignment between email and landing page: the message, design, and tone of the email should match the experience on the landing page.
- User experience (UX) optimization: make sure the landing page is clear, fast, and easy to navigate, especially on mobile devices.
- A/B testing on landing pages: experiment with different layouts, copy, and calls to action to find the most effective version.
Recommended tools: Google Analytics is ideal for tracking post-click behavior, while platforms such as Unbounce or Instapage allow A/B testing on landing pages.
3. Interaction time: measuring user attention.
In addition to measuring clicks and conversions, it is important to analyze how much time a user spends interacting with the email and landing page. A low interaction time may indicate that the content is not engaging enough or that the CTA is not clearly defined.
For example, in a campaign for a client in the technology sector, we noticed that the average time on the landing page was less than 10 seconds, suggesting a disconnect between the user’s expectations and the content presented. After improving the user experience on the landing page and simplifying the conversion process, the interaction time increased to 30 seconds, and conversions also improved.
How to increase interaction time:
- Create relevant and valuable content: make sure the landing page offers useful information of interest to the user.
- Use a clear and attractive design: avoid overloading the page with too many elements or text.
- Include videos or interactive content: these elements tend to capture attention and increase the time users spend on a page.
Recommended tools: Hotjar and Crazy Egg offer heat maps and behavioral analysis to understand how users interact with pages after clicking on a CTA.
4. A/B testing: constant optimization
As we’ve seen above, A/B testing is used to evaluate different versions of a CTA and determine which one works best. This includes testing variations of text, colors, placement, button size, and more.
How to perform effective A/B testing:
- Change only one element at a time: this allows you to identify precisely which factor improves performance.
- Set an appropriate sample size: ensure that enough recipients interact with each version to obtain meaningful data.
- Analyze results and adjust: use learnings from testing to iterate and continually improve your CTAs.
Recommended tools: email marketing platforms such as Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign and Klaviyo have built-in features for easy A/B testing.
5. Email click-through analysis: Where do users interact?
A detailed analysis of email clicks helps to understand how users interact with different elements. While the main CTA should be the most clicked, other areas, such as secondary links or images, can also capture attention.
In a recent campaign, we found that users were clicking on a secondary image instead of the main CTA button. This led us to adjust the design of the mailing, highlighting the main CTA with greater visibility and relevance, which increased CTR by 20%.
How to interpret click-through analysis:
- Prioritize the main CTA: make sure it is the most visible and attractive element in the mailing.
- Align secondary links: these should complement the email narrative, but not compete with the main CTA.
- Use heat maps: heat maps in emails allow you to visualize interaction points and adjust the design accordingly.
Recommended tools: Litmus and Crazy Egg offer clique analysis and heat maps specific to email marketing campaigns.
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Make sure the content of the email supports the action you are requesting.
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Conclusions
Designing CTAs in email marketing campaigns is not a minor detail; it is the moment where your efforts can be transformed into tangible results. As we have seen, an effective CTA is a well-thought-out strategy that connects with the user’s emotions and needs.
Throughout the article, we’ve explored how factors such as clarity, visual design, and message relevance are critical to grabbing attention and guiding your subscribers toward action. Every tweak in copy, every A/B test, and every improvement in the mobile experience adds up to a greater goal: converting more clicks into valuable interactions.
If there’s one thing we’ve learned working with clients across industries, it’s that small changes have big impacts. Don’t underestimate the power of a precise phrase, a well-placed button, or a responsive design. As marketing expert David Ogilvy would say, “Don’t sell products. Sell solutions”, and your CTAs should be exactly that.
