Learn more from your click reports: paragraph layout

Latest posts | Feed | | By Mark Brownlow

So what little islands (ilands?) of insight are still floating around our analysis of campaign reports? What else brings us more clicks?

We began with a look at link placement, before moving on to the call to action. In this final analysis, let's explore paragraph layout.

Can we really expect more clicks just by playing with paragraph length and number?

An analysis of article teaser texts in six months' worth of newsletters pumps out these graphs:

CTR and number of paragraphs in the teaser

CTR and average paragraph length

CTR and total teaser text length

Now the purpose of these graphs and all posts in this short series is not to tell you to use an average 3.2 lines per paragraph or keep your CTA to four words or less. It's simply to reveal:

the extraordinary richness of information sitting unexamined in your email campaign reports.
the strength of numerous factors in driving response. We've seen how simply adding an in-text link to a paragraph of teaser text can push up CTR by 25%.
the importance of taking a nuanced approach to your email marketing: the little things matter.

In terms of paragraph layout, it seems the "ideal" teaser has two paragraphs, each consisting of 2-4 lines.

An acceptable explanation might be that if the teaser is too short, it doesn't provide enough information to drive a response. If it's too long, people move on before clicking.

You should do the same analysis and find out what works for your audience. But the point about nuances is important...

The impact of paragraph layout (and any factor) often depends on interactions with a range of other elements in your email. Don't look at each factor in isolation, but as one part of a holistic whole.

[We all want step-by-step instructions for each part of the email, but the customized, holistic approach is what will win you more clicks in the end.]

For example, longer teasers might work just as well if you add more in-text links...so people can break off reading and hit the landing page at any time.

Or you might shorten teaser length, the further down the email it appears...if you believe that people's attention span dips as they read for longer.

Or you might explore whether you can send different teaser lengths to different sets of subscribers. For some recipients, three lines is too little information...others just want a headline.

No rules are set in stone. The never-ending long versus short copy debate tells us that there isn't just one way of doing things.

It's simply important to continually re-examine your assumptions using hard numbers and a broad understanding of your audience's preferences.

OK, that about wraps up this series for now, though sometime in the next couple of weeks I'll have a little bonus stat for you and a look at what the experts say about email copywriting.

More on metrics and copywriting | Tags: email marketing, cta, email design

[This post brought to you by Campaigner Email Marketing]
Permalink | May 22, 2009 | 7 comment(s)
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7 Comments:

Great post. I definitely agree that teaser lines improve CTR on email campaigns and even on text ads. I have to admit to me it doesn't matter if it's a short or long teaser line I still click on it to find out more. This is something that I'm currently working on and monitoring.

Thanks for this post.
By Erasmo Velez, on 22 May, 2009

Mark: This information looks like extraordinary relevant for analyzing but I cannot understand what a 'teaser line/texts' stands for? (I'm not native English speaker) Could you explain it to me?
By Juan Pablo Vittori, on 22 May, 2009

Juan, the article refers to an analysis of my email newsletter, which features new articles at my website.

For each article featured in the email, there is a headline, teaser text and link(s). The teaser text is a few lines of text that encourage the reader to click through to the full article online. Either by posing a question that the article answers, giving an overview of the article or "teasing" the reader by making them curious about what the full article reveals.

You can see examples of what I mean here.
By Mark Brownlow, on 22 May, 2009

Thanks for your quick reply Mark. Now I got it! If I am on the right path, it is what I use to call the 'abstract'.

Thanks again and keep on bringing-on such great content!
By Juan Pablo Vittori, on 22 May, 2009

Yep, abstract sounds right! Thanks Juan.
By Mark Brownlow, on 22 May, 2009

This is a great article - very valuable data and I'm going to take a much more careful approach to my campaigns. On a somewhat related note I'm wondering if you think it's best to build your own email list (using website forms and other means) or what you think of buying lists from companies like www.usadata.com, www.greatmailinglists.com, etc. Any stats on what kind of results you can expect from purchased lists? thanks much.
By Trish, on 24 May, 2009

Hi Trish. Building your own lists is best. This is why.

Short summary: buying email addresses outright is a death sentence. These are either scams or lists that have been emailed to death. The most likely outcome is zero response and you may find yourself blacklisted by Internet Service Providers.

Renting email addresses (where the list owner sends a message on your behalf) can work. But respectable, quality list owners charge a 3 figure dollar sum per thousand addresses. So it's hard to make it pay.
By Mark Brownlow, on 24 May, 2009

Comments closed during migration to a new blog platform in early May