Before you start A/B testing your email campaigns, there is one rule to remember – always make sure you’re testing only one element at a time. Otherwise you will not know what change was responsible for the shift in conversions.
You can A/B test different things in your newsletters – from the subject line to the colour of a call-to-action button. Each of those things is likely to have an effect on different parts of the conversion process.
There are many ways you can A/B test your subject line. Let’s take a look at some of them.
I believe that the ‘from’ field is even more important than your subject line. You don’t care what the subject line of the email is if you received from your mum, right? That’s the point. We usually open and read emails that are sent by someone we trust and know.
A call-to-action or CTA is the most important part of every email. It’s the final gateway before a reader converts.
Image is a powerful tool to convince your customers to act. Experimenting with images is a fun way to get the pulse of your readers to see what types of images they respond to and how your images can drive the engagement. Here are some ideas of what you can test:
You may also try to test different layouts of your emails. It is important that you find the best one which is conducive to engaging with your readers.
For example, you can test a single column versus multiple columns, one paragraph versus two, or different placements for different elements.
When customers receive your email, the subject and preheader text will be the key elements they will use to determine if opening and interacting with your email is worth their time.
Preheader text is like a continuation of a subject line so you can test it in the same ways as a subject line: ask a question, create a sense of urgency, etc.
A/B testing is never done. There is no end to what can be tested and what knowledge can be gleaned from testing. If something works well in a few A/B split tests – keep doing it, and move on to test another aspect of your email. Also remember, what works today will not necessarily work tomorrow.
Ready to have fun? Start A/B testing today to improve your email conversions tomorrow.
Editor’s note: This post was originally published in August, 2015 but has been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.
Hi, I’m Ilma, CMO at MailerLite. I love seeing our customers succeed. When they win, we win (like being named one of the top 5 fastest growing SaaS companies). Email is my passion, although I took a rather unusual path. Before MailerLite, I worked in finance and art, which turned out to be the perfect mix for marketing.