11 A/B Testing Strategies in Email Marketing to Boost Sales

Reading Time: 8 minutes

A/B testing is fundamental in every industry, especially in digital marketing.

You test ad copy, ad banners, CTAs, and verify what works and what doesn’t.

But what if you’re not doing A/B testing or if you don’t know how to do it?

No worries, in this post, you will learn:

• What is A/B testing and how it works.
• What you can A/B test and how to verify its usability.
• What 11 elements are crucial to boosting your sales through A/B testing.

These are the 11 proven strategies that’ll help you boost your sales faster and more easily. And it doesn’t matter what you’re selling.

1/ What is A/B Testing?

A/B testing, also known as a split testing; it is the comparison of two elements to determine which one performs better. 

It involves comparing the two variations (A and B) to similar audiences at the same time to see which one has a higher conversion rate. 

For the test to be well-executed, you must consider only one element during testing.

Why? 

Testing two or more elements simultaneously, how will you know which variable actually caused the change? 

You can test many elements, from headlines to CTAs, but the main rule is: one A/B test, one variable. 

Generally, the larger the audience size on which you test, the more accurate the conclusions that generate change. 

That’s why A/B testing can lead to significant improvements in conversion rates and sales (as this is its final point).

2/ How A/B Testing Works?

First of all, determine what you want to A/B test.

You start by identifying a goal, like improving click-through rates on a webpage or email.

Two versions are created: the original (A) and a variant (B) with one key change, such as a different headline or call-to-action.

Then, divide your audience, to whom you will send one variable.

Example:

Let’s say you run a mailing list with 40,000 subscribers.

A/B test 4 elements, so divide the audience by 10,000 for each variable. These can be:

• headlines
• ad banner
• email body
• CTA (call-to-action).

Then, having the data on which of the elements worked best in the example of the particular group, adjust it as a standard in your campaigns.

Technically, you can test anything. A/B testing is not limited.

However, there are certain elements that are most desirable in building testing, and we’ll focus on them below.
Here is a list of the 11 elements that are most commonly tested:

1. Call to Action

Every marketer loves a call to action (CTA).

They are so important because they encourage your (potential) client to take the next step.

Often, they are presented as buttons or hyperlinks, making them stand out from the rest of the content.

The effectiveness of a CTA depends largely on its clarity, brevity, and relevance to the reader. And, of course, the tools you use for implementing the CTA.

A call to action should be:

• eye-catching
• sufficiently large
• in a distinctive color (different from the rest of the content)

This increases the likelihood of it being noticed.

This increases the likelihood of it being noticed.

And a key element: the CTA must lead to the next step.

Here are 3 examples of call-to-action buttons:

• Sign Up Now: Direct and urgent, this CTA is often used to encourage users to register or subscribe to a service.

• Learn More: Ideal for educational content or detailed product descriptions, this button invites further engagement without a hard sell.

• Add to Cart: A classic e-commerce CTA, this is straightforward and indicates a clear next step in the purchasing process.

2. Email Body

The email body, simply put, is the content of the email.

A/B testing for it can involve aspects such as the length of the email, the tone of the message, and the use of emojis.

Also, personalization can make the email body more relevant and engaging for each recipient.

It’s important to modify the email body each time you notice a drop in the open rate by at least 5%.

By comparing month-to-month data, you can see the percentage of the open rate. When it decreases, take the right steps to modify the email content accordingly.

Pro Tip: Including visuals or links within the body can enhance the message and user experience.

However, be mindful of the number of links and the deliverability of emails that contain them. Often, emails with more than two links fall into spam and are not opened at all.

3. Send Time

Send time is often applied to emails or SMS.

Send times are crucial if you work across different time zones, with diverse clients, or if you want to verify which clients most frequently engage with your messages.

Typically, C-level executives read messages before and after work, while specialists and managers tend to respond during working hours.

Test different hours and days of the week.

Want to surprise a client in the Middle East? Send a message on Sunday.

Want to show your favorite CEO that you respect their time during working hours? Send them a message at 9:00 p.m. and mention that it’s been sent purposely at that time.

A/B test those variables and check out the outcome.

4. Email Length

Short or long emails?

This is the key question in this section.

Sometimes a brief “Hey, do you still remember me? :)” email works better and gets more responses than a 500-word one.

Choose a group of recipients and send them two different emails: one longer, one shorter.

However, remember a crucial point: Most people scan emails using an F pattern.

That’s why you should start using:

• Headlines
• Subheadlines
• Whitespace
  

To make your emails skimmable, and easy to catch the most important points.

Without these elements, the mere length of the email may not be sufficient.

5. Email Subject Lines

Personalization, length, and curiosity play the main roles here.

How you construct your email subject line influences whether it will be read or discarded.

It used to be believed that an email subject line should contain 8–12 words. Nowadays, such emails often end up in spam.

The ideal length for an email subject line: 1–5 words. The best scenario involves 3 words.

—> Personalize it with the recipient’s name.

—> Limit the subject line to 5 words.

—> Stimulate curiosity by addressing a topic that is urgent for the client (and do research before).

One of my interesting experiences:

Email subject line: [Recipient’s Name]

Email body: this image above

Give it a shot.

6. Segmentation

Segmentation refers to dividing your recipients based on relevant criteria.

Some of these criteria could be:

• Purchase frequency
• Purchase size
• Email open frequency
• Target country, and a few others
  
• Segmented campaigns often result in higher open and click-through rates.

Segmentation aids in personalizing content (including SEO) to suit the specific needs of each group.

Adequate and consistent segmentation is associated with higher ROI and can turn your clients into brand advocates.

7. Personalization

People love personalization because everyone likes to be spoken about and remembered.

When sending emails, personalize the name and headline.

When calling a client, address them by their name.

In sending a letter, refer to your client by name more than once.

Referring to someone’s name gives your recipient the feeling that you are speaking to them, not a group.

Pro Tip: switch from plural to singular.

Don’t say: “We will help your company.”

Instead, say: “I will help your [Company’s Name], Simon.”

Changing from plural to singular makes your client feel that they can rely on and trust you.

As the old sales proverb says: a client first buys you, then your product.

8. Links & Navigation

Links and navigation in an email should be clear and intuitive.

Links should be easily identifiable and direct to relevant and secure web pages.

Overloading an email with too many links can be overwhelming and counterproductive.

Navigation elements, like menus, can be useful in longer, newsletter-style emails.

The design of links and navigation should be mobile-friendly, considering many users access emails on mobile devices.

Use tracking tools on your links to provide valuable insights into user behavior and preferences.

Note: Broken or irrelevant links will damage credibility and the user experience. Simply, your readers can step back once they see more broken links in your emails (or website).

9. Images and Visuals

Research at 3M Corporation concluded that we process visuals 60,000 times faster than pure text.

People remember and analyze images faster than plain text, so use them as much as possible.

And test them just as often.

A/B test their size, colors, and the content of the image itself.

Moreover, images need to be optimized for quick loading and proper display on various devices.

High-quality, relevant images can increase the attractiveness and effectiveness of the email, as well as the performance of various creatives, remarketing, and TikTok (or any other) campaigns.

10. Testimonials

We know well how positively testimonials influence purchase decisions.

The more positive reviews there are, the easier it is to acquire new customers.

The more people who have bought, the more likely new customers are to buy.

Create your own ecosystem, where you first gather a notable number of testimonials, and then regularly send them to customers.

Enhance the attractiveness of your testimonials and divide them by industry: gather 10 testimonials from each of the 5 industries most desired by you (50 in total), and then send them in emails to your clients.

This is where A/B testing begins.

Some customers will appreciate it, while others may feel it’s intrusive. But it won’t be anything new.

Consider which customers, from which industries, like this and which do not.

After a successful test, automate email sequences where you include testimonials by default.

11. Subject Line Emojis

To include or not?

Less or more emotional?

These are the questions that marketers and salespeople struggle with.

However, as humans, we base the vast majority of our decisions (especially purchasing ones) on emotions.

Sending such an email after your customer wants to cancel your service:

—> Simon, why did you leave me? 😭

Will certainly have a better response than such an email subject line:

—> Simon, why did you leave me?

A/B test many variables and choose the best one for yourself.

Here you’ve got 11 A/B testing Strategies in email marketing to boost sales.

But don’t worry—you’ll find many more posts about using A/B testing on my blog, as there’s a lot of scope for experimentation 🙂

And what do you A/B test most often?

Let me know in the comments, and share it if you liked it.

As always, if you need my help with SEO, Content, or Email Marketing—hit me up on LinkedIn or X.

Thank you for reading!
Simon

Author Profile

Simon Gorlak

Simon Gorlak is a Digital Marketing Expert with over 8 years of experience. He specializes in 3 areas: SEO, Copywriting, and Email Marketing. Simon's blog gathers knowledge that helps Marketers & C-level to increase profits from their online businesses. Also, his content helps to reach the most difficult customers, make others' content to be read & purchased. Besides digital marketing, Simon speaks 4 languages: English, Spanish, Portuguese, and Polish & works as a Head of Business at an Indian Start-up.

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