What affects email click-through rates?

by Stratton Craig

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Most marketers know that there are different factors that determine how successful an impact their e-mails will have, but so far not much emphasis has been placed on the gender of the sender.

According to a new study from marketing automation consultancy CleverTouch emails sent by women achieve higher click-through rates (CTRs) than those sent by men. Analysis of more than 1,000 emails showed that the average CTR for messages sent by females reaches 18%, compared to 10% for those sent by men.

Meanwhile, the study also reveals that there is no notable difference between the open rates for emails sent on different days of the week. While many people believe that emails sent on Mondays and Fridays are less likely to create an impact than those sent on days in the middle of the week, the data collected by CleverTouch reveals no significant difference in the impact of the email, regardless of the day of the week.

This is not the case with the time of sending emails, though. The study indicates that sending emails in the afternoon leads to a slightly better CTR of 14%, while those sent in the mornings reach 12%. The best results are achieved through a three-step campaign, rather than relying on a single step message, with CTR coming in at 15%, 20% and 25% respectively, improving with every following email.