Creating Emails That Convert
When crafting an email—whether as a one-off campaign or part of an automated journey—conversion should always be a key objective. But that doesn’t mean simply slapping a big “Buy Now” button at the top. Today’s email marketing success relies on understanding your audience’s mindset and delivering value in a way that resonates.
The conversion journey varies depending on your brand voice, product or service, and the lifecycle stage of your audience. That said, there are some universal content principles that remain critical for success. Below are six updated tips to help you design emails that drive clicks, build trust, and ultimately convert.
1. Define a Clear, Singular Message
Email inboxes are noisy. If your message isn’t clear within the first few seconds, your email won’t get the attention it deserves. Define the purpose of every campaign: Is it an event invite for loyal customers? A product launch announcement? A valuable industry insight?
Avoid vague or overly broad messaging. A focused email with a clear intent leads to stronger engagement, better click-through rates, and higher overall deliverability.
2. Put the Key Message (and CTA) at the Top
Email client diversity—from Gmail to Apple Mail, Outlook to Superhuman—means your content will be rendered differently across devices. Preview panes, clipping, and image blocking can obscure important elements.
To maximise visibility:
- Place your core message and CTA above the fold
- Use clear preheaders to reinforce your subject line
- Design for mobile-first viewing—over 60% of email opens happen on mobile devices today
This isn’t just a technical tip—it’s respectful marketing. Your audience is giving you their attention. Make it easy for them to understand what you want and why it matters.
3. Use Visuals Thoughtfully and Responsibly
Visuals remain essential to engagement. Animated GIFs, illustrations, and video thumbnails can help break up text and encourage interaction—but they need to be used with care.
Best practices in 2025 include:
- Using lightweight, responsive images (under 1MB, ideally <500KB)
- Ensuring alt text is present and descriptive, for accessibility and image blocking
- Hosting video on fast, reliable CDNs and linking out (many clients still don’t support embedded video)
- Making all clickable images point to your site or landing page—not dead ends
Bonus tip: Tools like Litmus or Email on Acid can help test rendering across clients and identify image load issues.
4. Calibrate Your Calls to Action (CTAs)
Aggressive CTAs like “Buy Now” can work—but only when they’re timely and relevant. In most B2B or high-consideration contexts, softer CTAs perform better by aligning with the buyer’s journey.
For example:
- Early-stage leads: “Read the full guide” or “See how it works”
- Mid-funnel: “Compare plans” or “Watch the demo”
- Late-stage: “Book a free consultation” or “Start your free trial”
Modern platforms allow for dynamic content based on user behaviour, so you can tailor CTAs accordingly.
5. Drive Traffic (and Tag Behaviour) Effectively
Driving traffic to your site is still essential—but what happens after the click is now just as important. Modern ESPs and customer engagement platforms (like Customer.io, Braze, or Klaviyo) enable click tracking, tagging, and automated workflows based on user actions.
Use UTMs for analytics tracking, and make sure your CRM or CDP is collecting behavioural signals so you can:
- Re-engage clickers who didn’t convert
- Exclude uninterested users from follow-ups
- Create progressive journeys across channels (email, SMS, push)
6. Keep It Concise
Email length still matters. Most inboxes truncate long content, and few readers scroll endlessly. Respect short attention spans by:
- Keeping copy tight (under 250 words where possible)
- Using clear hierarchy: headlines, subheads, bullets
- Placing the most important information first
Want to go deeper? Link out to a well-structured landing page or blog post instead of overloading the email itself.
Final Thoughts: Optimise for Today’s Inbox
Email has seen a resurgence in the past few years, particularly as privacy changes (like iOS Mail Privacy Protection) and cookie deprecation push marketers toward owned channels. With inboxes more crowded than ever, great content is your competitive advantage.
Email remains the highest-ROI marketing channel when done right. If you’re not seeing results, it might be time to re-evaluate your platform, segmentation, or strategy. At Email Expert, we continuously track trends, platforms, and deliverability shifts to help marketers stay ahead.
