Targeted Email Design: Best Practices that Drive Results
Targeted email drives results when it leads with a strong offer, uses a brief and compelling subject line, and follows an inverted-pyramid layout that guides the eye to a clear call to action. Use responsive HTML creative, not a flat image, with a touch-friendly CTA button that links to a trackable landing page so you can measure performance.
- Start with a great offer that answers the reader's WIIFM, "What's in it for me?", since 72 percent of users expect an offer in their inbox.
- Write subject lines that are brief, personalized, and urgent, and avoid spam-trigger words like Free, Cash, Winner, and Risk-free.
- Use the inverted pyramid layout: brand logo, full-width image, short headline, concise body copy, then a prominent CTA button.
- Build emails in responsive HTML rather than a single .jpg or flyer image so they render and read well on every device.
- Make the CTA button touch-friendly and action-oriented, linking to a landing page so campaign results can be measured.
The design discipline here (a clear offer, tight subject line, and a single measurable CTA) still anchors how sO2 builds campaigns today. We now extend that email expertise across OTT/CTV and identity-matched social retargeting, all planned and activated on Atlas against a permissioned, identity-resolved data partner network.
For every dollar brands invest in email marketing, they receive 42 dollars in return, research on email marketing ROI shows. If your clients already send direct mail, now is a great time to add targeted email to their marketing efforts.
But email doesn’t sell itself, it needs to have a great offer, and to be presented well in the inbox to drive results. In this blog post, I will share tips on designing targeted email that will drive results.
When designing a targeted email, follow these expert tips to ensure the results your client wants. Your offer, subject line, layout and CTA matter.
Incorporating a Great Offer – “What’s in it for me?”
The very first step to creating a good email is a great offer. Think about it from the reader’s perspective: They want to know quickly WIIFM – “What’s in it for me?”
The good news is 72 percent of end-users expect an offer in their inbox. With targeted email, you can specifically send an offer to those who are most interested in your product or service. For example, if you have a sale on furniture you can send directly to people who indicated they are interested in home furnishings.
Guidelines for the Perfect Subject Line – the First Impression in the Inbox
The most effective subject lines are brief, descriptive and include a compelling reason for the user to open the email.
- Keep your audience (and your goals) in mind
- Localize and personalize
- Keep it short and sweet
- Convey a sense of urgency
- Offer value
- Avoid using words that may flag your email as SPAM. For example: Free, Cash, Winner, Call Now, Investments, Risk-free
Drive Results with Targeted Email Through a Strategic Layout
I suggest using the inverted pyramid layout as a simple way to optimize targeted emails. This layout works to draw people in, deliver the campaign’s key messages and get click throughs by guiding the eye to the call to action. This encourages readers to click through to explore your offer, resulting in better brand awareness, more web traffic and ultimately more sales.
Use creative designed to shine in the inbox. The best way to do this is by using an HTML email, not just a .jpg or an image of a flyer. Regardless of your client’s technical capabilities, you can ensure a good promotional email by having a layout designed to drive results.
Imagine an inverted pyramid, widest at the top and narrow at the bottom:
- Brand Logo: At the top, brand recognition
- Full Width Image: Use one large, eye-catching image to draw the reader in and get them interested
- Headline: Keep it short and concise. WIIFM; text large enough to read on mobile
- Body Copy: Include relevant offer details leading to actions you want the recipient to take
- Call to Action (CTA) Button: Large enough to be “touch-friendly” on mobile (rectangle is best) with a direct action like “Buy Now!”
How to Create a Strong CTA for Targeted Email
The header, headline, and copy all lead to this: The CTA Button where the recipient will actively engage with the email and how you will measure the results of the email. Make the CTA clickable to the offer’s landing page or the website. This is the best way to measure results from the campaign. Keep the text short and action-oriented, and large enough to read clearly – especially for mobile devices.
With these simple tips in mind, you’ll design an email to rock the inbox and get results. Ready to learn more about the ins and outs of targeted email campaigns? Read the previous posts in our series, and stay tuned for the next steps.
Frequently asked questions
- How do I design a targeted email that actually gets results?
- Lead with a strong, relevant offer, write a brief and compelling subject line, and use the inverted-pyramid layout to guide readers toward a single clear call to action. Build it in responsive HTML so it looks good and works on any device.
- What makes a good email subject line?
- Effective subject lines are brief, descriptive, and give a compelling reason to open. Keep your audience and goals in mind, localize and personalize, convey urgency, offer value, and avoid spam-flag words like Free, Cash, Winner, Call Now, and Risk-free.
- Why use HTML instead of an image for the email?
- A responsive HTML email displays and reads correctly across devices and lets you include a clickable, touch-friendly CTA button. A single .jpg or flyer image can't be optimized the same way and makes it harder to measure results.
Nicole Harriman contributed to Summit Thoughts as part of the sO2 Digital team, with a focus on targeted email, audience building, and the data that makes outreach relevant.
Christina Rice is the Founder & CEO of sO2 Digital (Supplemental Oxygen Digital, LLC). She has spent her career building the people, processes, and technology that make digital advertising perform at scale, and leads the team behind Atlas, sO2's media activation platform. She reviews and updates Summit Thoughts to keep the agency's thinking current.
