Writing an Irresistible Email Call to Action

1. Writing an Irresistible
Email Call to Action
DJ Waldow
Waldow Social
September 20th, 2012

2. DJ Waldow
WaldowSocial.com
@djwaldow
waldowsocial.com/email

3. Before we talk about irresistible calls
to action...
we first must understand the anatomy
of an email

4. From Name
Subject Line
Preheader
Header (Image and/or Text)
Table of Contents*
Main Call to Action
Secondary & Tertiary Calls to Action
Social Sharing & Connecting
Source: Flickr - vidrio
Footer
An typical white guy. A list of typical email parts.
*Table of Contents is only found in certain types of emails.

5. Anatomy of a Typical Email
From Name & Address
Subject Line
Preheader
Header
Main Call to Action
Secondary & Tertiary Calls to Action
Social Sharing & Connecting
Footer
Email example provided by King Arthur Flour

6. We’ll come back to the anatomy in a minute.

7. What is the goal of each
and every email you send?

8. What action(s) do you want
your subscribers to take?

9. Only 5 Possible Actions
1. Open
2. Read
3. Share
4. Click-through
5. Convert

10. If your goal is to get your
email opened/read …

11. WHO it’s from (from name) and
WHAT it’s about determine
whether or not a subscriber will
open your email.

12. From Name
(WHO it’s from)

13. Source: NY Post

14. From: “Don Draper”
Date: July 27, 2012 11:43:41 AM EDT
Subject: Why I’m Not Attending
MarketingProfs B2B Forum

16. Read more about the MarketingProfs Don Draper email
Part I - http://waldowsocial.com/Don-Draper/
Part II - http://waldowsocial.com/Don-Draper-Part-II/
Part III - http://waldowsocial.com/don-draper-part-iii/

17. Subject Line
(WHAT it’s about)

19. [Read Blog Post]

20. Wait just a minute. I thought
this webinar was about writing
irresistible calls to action!

21. It is. I promise.

22. A recognizable and/or trusted
From Name combined with a clear,
direct, compelling, and/or unique
Subject Line leads to an open.

23. Once an email has been opened …
a clear, direct, compelling, and/or
unique Call to Action leads to a click-
through.

25. From Name: Groupon
Subject Line: Housecleaning - Rated ★★★★

26. From Name: Groupon
Subject Line: Housecleaning - Rated ★★★★

27. From Name: UrbanOutfitters.com
Subject Line: Big. Ass. Summer. Sale.

28. From Name: UrbanOutfitters.com
Subject Line: Big. Ass. Summer. Sale.

29. From Name: Black Fleece by Brooks Brothers
Subject Line:Yellow

42. Which call to action had
the most clicks?

44. 3 rd most: 10.7%

45. 26.2% of total clicks

46. What have we learned?

47. 1. Start with the From Name & Subject
Line
2. Test mostly text vs. large images vs. a
combination of both
3. Try including an image of a video
4. Give subscribers many options to click
5. Be sure the click-through landing page is
consistent with call to action
6. If it’s unclear what the main call to action
is …

48. Get a
FREE
Email
Review
ar.gy/rebelsguide

49. DJ Waldow
WaldowSocial.com
@djwaldow
waldowsocial.com/email