Short vs long newsletter copy: no difference in unique clicks
Test run byMarketingExperimentsResearch publisher
Commentary byLiftArchiveOur analysis, not theirsCutting a newsletter announcement down to its key points made no significant difference to unique clicks, so we treat this test as flat.
MarketingExperiments (MECLABS) ran it on a MarketingSherpa newsletter.
The short version did get exactly twice as many total clicks, but that came largely from secondary headline links, not the main call to action.
- Unique clicks: no significant difference. This is the main result, and it is flat.
- Total clicks: exactly 2x for the short version, but much of this came from the 'More Recent MarketingSherpa Headlines' links at the bottom.
- Link spread: in the long email only about half the links got clicked; in the short one every link got at least six clicks.
- Clicks on the awards entry link itself were not reported as a clear win.
Control
A long newsletter item announcing the call for entries to MarketingSherpa's Email Marketing Awards, covering the grand prize, the free entry and other details before the call-to-action link.
Variant
A short version that hit the main points, added an 'And so much more' line and then gave the call-to-action link.
Why it likely came out this way
Our reading of the result, not the practitioner's claim.
- Readers who wanted to enter clicked either way, so length did not change the main action.
- A shorter main item left more attention for the other links in the email.
- Total clicks can be inflated by a few eager readers, which is why unique clicks are the safer measure.
Caveats: The headline unique-click result was a tie; the 2x figure is total clicks, driven mostly by secondary links. Sample size was not shared and the test is from 2011.
Who ran it
MarketingExperiments ran this test and published the results (MarketingExperiments). The numbers are theirs; the summary and commentary on this page are ours.
Read the original case study on MarketingExperiments →
How to run this test on your site
- Hypothesis
- If we shorten the main item in our newsletter, then unique clicks on its call to action will rise because readers reach the link faster.
- Primary metric
- Unique clicks on the main call-to-action link
- Guardrails
- Total clicks across all links
- Unsubscribe rate
- Downstream conversions from the main link
- Who should test it
- Lead-gen and B2B marketers sending multi-item newsletters. Short copy may not help when readers need the details, like rules or prizes, before they act.
Questions
Is short email copy better than long?
In this test it made no difference to unique clicks.
It did spread more clicks to other links in the email.
Should I measure unique or total clicks?
Unique clicks are the safer main metric because one keen reader can click many times. Total clicks can show where attention goes.
Does a long main story hurt other newsletter links?
It may. Here the short version got every link clicked at least six times, while about half the links in the long version got none.