How to Rectify Low Click-Through Rates in Email Marketing

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The Pain Point Every Marketer Knows

You’ve spent hours designing your email.
The subject line is catchy.
The visuals are on point.
The content feels right.

You finally hit “Send.”

And then, silence.

Your open rates might look decent, but the click-through rate (CTR)? It’s painfully low.

If you’ve been wondering why people aren’t clicking your links or offers, you’re not alone. Low CTR is one of the most common email marketing challenges faced by businesses across industries.

But the good news? It’s fixable.

Let’s unpack why your emails aren’t getting clicks, and how to turn them into powerful conversion tools, using proven strategies and data-backed insights.

The Reasons Behind Low Click-Through Rates

A low CTR doesn’t happen randomly. It’s a signal that something in your email journey is broken, either your audience, timing, message, or offer.

Let’s break it down step-by-step.

Your Subject Line Promises Too Much (or Too Little)

Your subject line is the first handshake with your reader. If it overpromises, people open and instantly feel disappointed. If it’s too dull, they never open at all.

A good subject line:

Sparks curiosity
Feels personal
Matches the content inside

Example:

Bad: “Our New Offers Are Here!”
Better: “Your Exclusive Offer Ends Tonight, Don’t Miss Out”

Keep it under 45 characters and make sure it aligns with the content that follows.

You’re Targeting the Wrong Audience

No matter how strong your email looks, if it’s going to the wrong list, it won’t perform.

Segmentation is key.

Divide your subscribers based on:

Purchase behavior
Location
Interests
Stage of the buyer journey

Example:
A fashion brand shouldn’t send “Men’s Sneakers Offers” to women’s fashion subscribers.

When your message matches the reader’s interest, CTR naturally improves.

Weak or Confusing Call-to-Action (CTA)

Your CTA is where conversion happens. If it’s unclear, buried, or uninspiring, your readers will scroll away.

Here’s how to fix it:

Make it visible (use contrasting colors)
Use action words like “Get,” “Start,” “Claim,” or “Try”
Keep it simple and specific

Example:

Weak: “Click here for more information.”
Strong: “Download your free guide now.”

You can even test multiple CTAs per email to see which drives higher clicks.

Content That Talks At People, Not To Them

Too many emails sound like advertisements instead of conversations.

Your subscribers aren’t waiting to be sold to; they want to feel understood.

Keep your content:

Conversational
Personalized (use names, locations, or recent behavior)
Value-driven, not product-driven

Example:
Instead of “Buy our new course today,” try “Here’s how 1,200 professionals improved their careers with our latest course.”

People click on relevance, not repetition.

Poor Mobile Optimization

Over 70% of emails are opened on mobile devices (Statista, 2024).

If your email layout breaks, loads slowly, or has tiny buttons, you lose potential clicks instantly.

Before sending, always check:

Responsive design (scales well on mobile screens)
Easy-to-tap buttons
Short, scannable paragraphs

Think mobile-first. Because that’s where most of your readers are.

Timing That Misses the Moment

Even a great email will fail if sent at the wrong time.

Studies suggest that the best times to send emails are:

Tuesday to Thursday mornings for business audiences
Evenings and weekends for consumer-focused brands

But the real trick?
Test your timing. Every audience behaves differently.

Use tools like Mailchimp, HubSpot, or Brevo (Sendinblue) to track open and click behavior, and adjust accordingly.

How Zomato Boosted Email Engagement

Zomato’s early email campaigns were witty but had inconsistent CTRs. The humor worked, but the links often got lost in the message.

What they changed:

Made CTAs bold and clear
Personalized recommendations (“Top-rated restaurants near you”)
Sent location-specific offers at peak meal times

Result:

30% higher open rate
55% increase in CTR over three months

Takeaway:
Personalization + timing + clarity = more clicks.

How to Fix Low CTR: A Practical Framework

If your click-through rates are underperforming, follow this simple step-by-step approach to repair and rebuild your email performance.

Step 1: Audit Your Current Emails

Start by checking what’s working and what’s not.

Look at:

Open rate vs. CTR gap
Link placement (too low in the email?)
CTA wording and color
Devices your audience uses most

This tells you where people are losing interest.

Step 2: Improve Email Copywriting

A few key writing principles can double your CTR.

Use short sentences and break text with whitespace.
Add power words that trigger emotion: “Now,” “Free,” “Exclusive,” “Limited.”
Speak directly to the reader: use “you” more than “we.”
Tell a quick story instead of listing features.

Example:

“You don’t need to spend hours on marketing. We’ve built a shortcut that saves time and brings results.”

Simple. Relatable. Clickable.

Step 3: Refine Design and Structure

Your design guides the reader’s eyes.
Good design = easier clicks.

Keep these rules:

Place your main CTA above the fold
Use contrasting button colors
Limit images to 2–3 (too many can trigger spam filters)
Maintain visual hierarchy, headline → body → CTA

Test different layouts using A/B testing tools.

Step 4: Segment and Personalize

Stop sending one email to everyone.

Instead, use segmentation to target specific groups:

New subscribers
Returning customers
Inactive users
High-value buyers

Then tailor each message to what that group cares about.
Personalized content can increase CTR by up to 70% (HubSpot, 2024).

Step 5: Re-engage Dormant Subscribers

If people haven’t clicked your emails in months, don’t delete them, re-engage them.

Send a simple, honest message like:

“We noticed you haven’t been opening our emails. Would you like to keep hearing from us?”

Add two buttons: “Yes, keep me subscribed” and “Unsubscribe.”

This transparency rebuilds trust and filters your list naturally.

Step 6: Analyze, Test, and Repeat

Every email you send is an opportunity to learn.

Check metrics weekly:

Which CTAs perform best?
Which subject lines drive more opens?
Which days bring higher CTRs?

Continuous testing creates steady improvement.

Why Working with Professionals Helps

Many businesses try to handle email marketing alone, but the strategy behind improving CTR requires expertise in copywriting, analytics, and automation tools.

A professional digital marketing company in amritsar brings: