Email CTAs: Boost Conversions with Compelling Calls to Action

What are email CTAs?

The call to action is the sentence or phrase in your email message that tells readers what you want them to do. But people won’t act just because you’re telling them to. So, your CTA must use a little persuasion—even a little psychology—to encourage them to click.

Speaking of clicking, “click here” is one of the worst CTAs you can use. Why? Because you want them to do more than click. You want them to browse, shop, buy, download, create an account, or go back to their abandoned carts and check out. 

There’s a lot riding on those few well-chosen words! A reader’s decision to click to the site depends on many factors. The CTA can be the element that makes or breaks that decision. That’s why the CTA should never be left to the last minute or treated casually.

Features of a great email CTA

Great design

HTML design gave us the CTA button graphic, in which the copy appears in a separate box, like a rectangle with square or rounded edges. Your CTA button can use complementary or contrasting colors to catch your reader’s eye no matter how fast they scroll through the message.

Many emails use text links, which is simply the CTA copy with no design element other than the traditional underscore to show it’s a clickable link and perhaps a contrasting color so it stands out. See the example below.

This Moosejaw survey request is an excellent example of a design that serves the email goal—to get people to take a customer survey—and also prominently displays the CTA so readers know what to do and what will happen when they click or tap on the link.

Excellent copy

Along with an eye-catching design, your CTA needs strong copy that tells readers what to do and why they should do it. The CTA email examples in this guide feature copy aligned with the email goal. Take time to create a unique CTA for each campaign, one that reflects the rest of the email copy. Also, choose strong verbs that compel readers to act but don’t ask too much of people who are curious about your offer but aren’t ready to commit.

That’s why “Buy now” isn’t much better than “Click here” as a CTA. An email campaign often goes out to people who are farther back in the decision funnel. “Buy now” can turn off customers who aren’t ready for that step. The email’s job is to move the reader to the website where the transaction will happen. Choose verbs that compel action that’s also appropriate for the audience.

Personalized

If you have enough reliable data on enough shoppers in your CRM, you could test whether personalizing the CTA with a customer’s name, special or other content would persuade more email readers to click to the website. If you lack customers’ behavior data, or if you can’t integrate it with your email platform, focus instead on writing a strong CTA, one that doesn’t default to “Shop now.”

Relevance

We mentioned earlier that the CTA email copy should flow with the rest of the copy in the email. It’s all part of the process that subtly persuades readers to click through. The CTA should be just as unique as the email copy in the message. Resorting to a default “Buy now” or “Shop now” might even undo all the work that went into writing that email copy.  

Get more pointers for sharpening up your email copy in this MailCharts blog post: Email Copywriting Essentials: Tips and Tricks for Crafting Effective Messages

Tips for optimizing email CTAs 

Test positioning

Where should the CTA go? The answer depends on how many options for reader activity the email has. The typical email layout features a headline, message copy and images, and a CTA at the end. 

If you have a message body that requires extra scrolling, consider testing a second CTA—one at the top or in the middle of the message body, and one at the end—to see if that drives more click-throughs and conversions.

Use whitespace and layout

Your CTA email design should prioritize CTA visibility because the CTA must be seen to be clicked on. Use a bulletproof button that renders even when images are blocked, and avoid dropping it into an image where the CTA button could fade into the background.

Copy design also can direct eyes to your CTA. Try laying out the copy in an inverted pyramid that points to the CTA button or link. Another is to position a model next to the copy with her/his eyes looking at the CTA.

Avoid clutter

Giving email readers lots of options to act on sounds like a great idea, but it can backfire if the reader feels paralyzed by all the choices. A cluttered layout also makes the CTAs harder to read amid all the competition for the reader’s attention. 

Try testing whether emails with fewer options and shorter, tighter copy that aligns from the subject line to the CTA drive better results than one that packs every deal into a single message. Reducing the email size makes it less likely that an inbox provider like Gmail will clip the message to keep it within an acceptable size.

Text link versus button

Some brands use CTA buttons, others use text links, and some use both. Which works better? Buttons are more eye-catching and easier to tap. Text links render even without images but they can be hard to tap accurately on a mobile screen if the design doesn’t allow enough space around them. 

A basic A/B split test can help you learn whether one version or another, or a combination, will lead to more clicks and conversions.

Email CTAs to test in your next email campaign 

As we searched the MailCharts database, we saw a lot of call to action email examples that took the easy way out, using simple CTAs that didn’t amplify the email copy, tell email readers why they should click, or explain what would happen if they did. But we also saw some stellar examples of CTAs that showed the email team spent time and energy looking for the right combination of words.

So, we picked a favorite and then some runners-up for each of the six emails that should be part of every email marketer’s toolbox.

Sales CTA

Promotional emails have to work harder than other kinds of email messages because they aren’t as relevant to recipients as transactional or triggered emails. That’s why you should be extra thoughtful about your CTA email copy. You have just a few words to state your case. Don’t waste them on generic CTAs.

Winner: Beauty Bay 

CTA: Save me money

Why it works: People say the main reason they sign up for promotional emails from ecommerce brands is to get discounts and coupons. This CTA speaks to that primal urge.

1st Runner-up: Rainbow 

CTA: Reveal our best deal ever

Why it works: It has two elements that humans can’t resist: a mystery and a deal.

2nd Runner-up: One Stop Plus

CTA: OMG Let Me Shop

Why it works: This email campaign has 24 CTAs and 30+ clickable links, including the unsubscribe. It cries out for a stand-out CTA for readers who don’t want to scroll the entire message or get lost halfway through.

3rd Runner-up: Boohoo

CTA: Go Go Go

Why it works: The email from this UK-based fast-fashion retailer is all about action and urgency. It also has multiple clickable offers but only a central CTA to drive them all. It reflects the jazzy, hurry-up vibe of the rest of the email but also uses a design technique called the ghost button. It uses just a button outline and text and absorbs whatever background color is also on the page.

4th Runner-up: Kidpik

CTA: Get 50% off

Why it works: Putting the offer details in the CTA reinforces and highlights them in the email company and frees up a few extra words your copy can use to increase its persuasion factor.

5th Runner-up: Away

CTA: Get Away

Why it works: It’s another way to say “Shop now,” but it’s also more than that. It reflects the brand name, the longing to travel that luggage producers like Away capitalize on in their marketing copy, and it reminds readers that they deserve a vacation, too.

Abandoned cart CTA

People abandon carts for many reasons. But so many CTAs in abandoned-cart emails don’t recognize these fine points. They simply tell the reader what to do without explaining why they should do it, such as “Return to cart,” “Resume checkout,” “View cart” or even the slightly sinister “Finish what you started.”

Of course, you can’t write a single CTA that covers the myriad reasons why people leave their carts standing in the virtual aisles of your website, but you can soften the return-to-cart command with a subtler approach.

Winner: Death Wish Coffee 

CTA: Get the goods

Why it works: Every element in this abandoned-cart email works together to persuade abandoners to go back and finish checking out without being obvious. The CTA flows directly from the message copy and header. 

The CTA button is in a high-contrast but complementary color, and it renders even with images off. Plus, the animated image and the inverted-pyramid copy layout call even more attention to the CTA. It’s another irresistible CTA.

1st Runner-up: Philosophy  

CTA: I want it now

Why it works: This is the secondary CTA in this email but it’s more effective than the primary CTA tied to the abandoned cart. It creates more interest in the product and would appeal to impulse shoppers who are fans of the brand already.

2nd Runner-up: Huckberry

CTA: Make it yours

Why it works: It’s another secondary CTA that is more compelling than the “Check Out Now” CTA in the primary spot. The email focuses on urgency and potential scarcity, but those reasons might be irrelevant to the cart-abandoner. “Make it yours” is more personal and positive.

Note: We aren’t privy to the thinking behind any of the CTA email examples in this guide. Some consumers need to be prodded hard to act. That’s why it’s essential to test all parts of an email to discover which approach works best. 

3rd Runner-up: Snapfish

CTA: Finish your project

Why it works: Unfinished projects are the bane of a crafter’s existence, including the photo products Snapfish sells. “Finish your project” is a more relevant way of saying “Shop now” or “Finish checking out” because Snapfish can’t sell someone a  personalized mug or digital photo album until the creator completes the work. 

Seasonal deal CTA

Finding good call to action email examples was harder than we expected. So much time went into the subject lines, preheaders, headlines, and body copy of seasonal emails for holidays like Christmas and Valentine’s Day. And then every CTA was “Shop now.” But we did find a winner whose example is worth adapting and testing.

Winner: Currys 

CTA: Visit our Techmas grotto

Why it works: On one hand, it’s a bit directional. On the other, the word “grotto” caught our attention and made us want to click through to see what that was all about. That psychological appeal to curiosity is a solid persuasion tactic.

Runner-up: Paperless Post 

CTA: Send a Valentine’s Day card now

Why it works: It’s a prime example of when a direct, urgency-laden CTA is your best bet. This email was sent on Valentine’s Day morning, giving procrastinators enough time to create and send a virtual card that wouldn’t look as last-minute as it was. Click to view the email, too, to see what an email layout with multiple CTAs looks like. 

Feedback CTA

Asking for customer opinions is standard operating procedure for retailers, but how you ask for it can determine how much response you get. Most survey request emails have a basic “Take the Survey” or “Start Survey Now” CTA—cut from the same cloth as “Shop Now.” 

A CTA should focus on why someone should share their opinions, even if the copy immediately above it lists an incentive or explains what the company will do with the answers. 

Winner: JustFab 

CTA: Yes! I want rewards

Why it works: Some people share their opinions for altruistic reasons. The rest of us want the perks that come from filling out surveys. Just Fab knows its customers well enough to create a campaign that speaks to both types but especially to bargain-hunters who want bonuses along with shoe bargains.

1st Runner-up: Adore Me 

CTA: Yes / No

Why it works: View the full email to discover how Adore Me combines CTA buttons with survey responses. It’s efficient, it looks easy to do, and it should collect a wider range of opinions than the usual run of surveys using participant self-selection.

Loyalty email

Brands are increasing their time and investment in loyalty programs to get the greatest return on their acquisition investments and reduce customer churn. So they’re getting smarter both about promoting their loyalty programs, marketing to loyalty members, and getting them engaged as quickly as possible. 

Winner: Lenovo  

CTA: Reward Me

Why it works: Lenovo’s welcome email for new rewards members does double duty—trying to extract first-person data from new members and promoting rewards. “Go to Dashboard” might be a little technical for some users, but “Reward Me” is clear and direct.

Runner-up: King Arthur Baking Co. 

CTA: Start earning today

Why it works: It’s another way of saying “Shop now” but couching it as a benefit for new rewards program members so it’s more relevant. 

Sequential CTAs

If you’re using more than one CTA, you could simply repeat it all the way through, as the Paperless Post does in the example above. But if you have three or more CTAs, it can get monotonous. Create some interest with sequential CTAs that relate to or build on each other. You also can get some customer insight if you track which CTA people clicked on the most.

Winner: Carbon 38 

CTAs: Treat Yourself, Something Sunny, Something Pink, Something Fabulous

Why it works: They tell a little story that readers want to follow all the way to the end of the email.

Runner-up: L’Occitane

CTA: Pick My Gift / Pick Me

Why it works: The primary CTA would be enough on its own for a birthday email. Showing four products that the birthday person could choose from, each with a “Pick Me” CTA, adds a fun bit of whimsy to an elegant birthday email. 

Browse email CTAs from well-known brands

We hope this collection of CTA email examples will help you understand why the CTA matters so much and how to create one that persuades email readers to take the leap over your website to browse and buy. 

MailCharts makes CTA research faster and easier by curating dozens of special-interest email lists, each with dozens to hundreds of best-practice emails, collections of email journeys for triggered and transactional emails, and thousands of brands. MailCharts free users can examine a regularly updated selection of unlocked lists, brands, and journeys, while MailCharts Pro users have access to the full database.

And for all your email research and planning, browse MailCharts email campaigns by industry or brands to inspire your next campaign.

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