Clearer value and lower-commitment CTA in email: +104% clicks
Test run byMarketingExperimentsResearch publisher
Commentary byLiftArchiveOur analysis, not theirsRewriting a lead-gen email to a rented list with a clearer value proposition and a lower-commitment call to action lifted clicks by 104%.
The MECLABS team ran this test for an anonymized research partner and published it on MarketingExperiments.
Several copy changes were made together, so the lift belongs to the full rewrite.
- Clicks: +104% for Email B over Email A.
- The publisher credits three things together: a clearer value proposition, less commitment in the call to action and better flow.
- Lead conversions after the click were not reported.
Control
Email A went to a rented list to generate leads. The original creative was only shared as an image.
Variant
Email B stated the value more clearly, asked for a smaller first step and led readers through the ideas in a tighter order.
Why it likely won
Our reading of the result, not the practitioner's claim.
- People on a rented list do not know the sender, so they need the value spelled out fast.
- A smaller ask feels safer to a stranger than a big commitment.
- A clear order of ideas keeps readers moving toward the button instead of skimming and leaving.
Caveats: Several copy changes shipped together, and the source gives no sample size, duration or confidence. The test is from 2011, and clicks are not the same as leads.
Who ran it
MarketingExperiments ran this test for an anonymized MECLABS research partner generating leads from a rented list 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 state the value of our offer clearly, lower the commitment in the call to action and order the copy around one idea, then more rented-list readers will click because the benefit is obvious and the next step feels low risk.
- Primary metric
- Click-through rate per delivered email
- Guardrails
- Lead conversion rate on the landing page
- Lead quality
- Unsubscribe and spam complaint rate
- Who should test it
- Lead-gen businesses sending to cold or rented lists. It matters less for warm house lists that already know your offer.
Questions
What makes a cold email to a rented list get more clicks?
In this test, a clearer value proposition, a lower-commitment call to action and a tighter flow together doubled clicks.
What is a lower-commitment call to action?
It asks for a smaller first step, such as reading more or getting information, instead of signing up or buying straight away.
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MarketingExperiments