Email CTA Best Practices: 9 Tips That Get Clicks

Your email CTA best practices probably came from a blog post written in 2019 by someone who's never actually run a campaign. For the rest of the email, see our email copywriting tips and email design best practices.

You've got the subject line. You've got the copy. And then you slap a sad little "Click Here" button at the bottom and wonder why your click-through rate looks like a rounding error.

Here's the thing: your call-to-action is where the entire email either works or doesn't. Everything else is just foreplay.

Let me show you what actually moves the needle.

Why Your Email CTA Matters More Than Your Subject Line

Bold statement, I know. But hear me out.

A great subject line gets opens. A great CTA gets revenue.

You can have a 40% open rate and still make zero dollars if nobody clicks. I've seen it happen. I've done it myself. Had a welcome sequence with gorgeous open rates and a click-through rate that would make a fax machine look innovative.

The average email click-through rate hovers around 2-3% across industries (Mailchimp benchmarks, 2026). That means 97% of people who opened your email looked at your CTA and said, "Nah."

That's not a design problem. That's a persuasion problem.

1. One CTA Per Email (Seriously, Just One)

"But I have so many things to promote!"

Cool. Send more emails.

Every CTA you add dilutes the impact of the others. Studies consistently show that emails with a single call-to-action get more clicks than emails with multiple competing options.

Think about it: you're asking someone to make a decision. One decision is easy. Three decisions is a chore. Five decisions is a reason to close the tab and go check Instagram.

If you absolutely must include multiple CTAs (newsletters, digests), make one clearly primary. Bigger button, brighter color, above the fold.

2. First Person Beats Second Person

This one's backed by actual data, not vibes.

Unbounce ran a test changing "Start your free trial" to "Start my free trial." The result? A 90% increase in clicks.

Ninety percent. From changing one word.

Why? Because "my" creates ownership. "Your" is someone else telling you what to do. "My" is you claiming something for yourself.

Instead of: "Get your discount" Try: "Claim my discount"

Instead of: "Download your guide" Try: "Send me the guide"

It feels weird at first. Do it anyway.

3. Action Verbs That Actually Mean Something

"Submit" is not a CTA. "Submit" is what you do to a bureaucratic form at the DMV.

Good CTAs use verbs that promise something:

• Get (implies receiving value)
• Claim (implies scarcity, ownership)
• Start (implies a journey, transformation)
• Unlock (implies exclusive access)
• Try (implies low risk)

Bad CTAs use verbs that ask for labor:

• Submit
• Enter
• Sign up
• Register
• Continue

See the difference? One group gives. The other group takes.

4. Specificity Crushes Vagueness

"Learn More" tells me nothing. Learn more about what? Why should I care? What's on the other side of that click?

Compare these:

The specific version answers the question your reader is subconsciously asking: "What happens when I click this?"

If they don't know, they won't click. Simple.

5. Make It Look Like a Button

I shouldn't have to say this in 2026, but here we are.

Text links get fewer clicks than buttons. Buttons that look like buttons (rounded corners, contrasting color, adequate padding) get more clicks than buttons that look like confused rectangles.

The ideal email CTA button:

• High contrast with surrounding content
• At least 44px tall (so it's tappable on mobile)
• Plenty of white space around it
• One clear, benefit-driven phrase

And yes, color matters. But not in the way you think. There's no magical "buy now red" or "trust blue." What matters is contrast. If your email is mostly blue, an orange button pops. If your email is mostly white, almost any saturated color works.

6. Repeat Your CTA (Strategically)

One CTA doesn't mean one button.

If your email is longer than a few paragraphs, put the same CTA in multiple places:

• Once above the fold (for the skimmers)
• Once after you've made your case (for the convinced)
• Once at the very end (for the thorough readers)

Same CTA. Same destination. Different locations for different reading styles.

Litmus research shows that repeating your primary CTA can reinforce its importance without creating the decision paralysis of multiple different CTAs.

7. Add Urgency (But Don't Fake It)

"Only 3 left!" when you have infinite inventory is a lie. Your readers know it's a lie. And now they trust you less.

Real urgency works. Manufactured urgency backfires.

Good urgency examples:

• "Sale ends Sunday at midnight"
• "Enrollment closes Friday"
• "Limited to first 50 signups"

Bad urgency examples:

• Countdown timers that reset when you refresh
• "Act now!" with no actual deadline
• Fake scarcity on digital products

If you have genuine urgency, use it. If you don't, focus on value instead of manufactured pressure.

8. Test the Obvious Stuff First

Before you A/B test button shapes or get clever with animated gradients, test these:

1. CTA copy: "Get my free guide" vs "Download now"
2. CTA placement: Above fold vs below
3. Button color: High contrast vs low contrast
4. First person vs second person: "My" vs "Your"

These basic tests will move your numbers more than any fancy optimization hack.

I once increased click-through rate by 23% by changing a button from "Learn More" to "Show Me How." Took five minutes. No design changes needed.

9. Mobile First, Desktop Second

Over 60% of emails are opened on mobile. If your CTA doesn't work on a phone, it doesn't work.

Mobile CTA checklist:

• Button is at least 44px tall (tappable)
• Button has breathing room (no accidental clicks on nearby elements)
• CTA is visible without scrolling (above the fold on mobile)
• Text is readable without zooming (16px minimum)

Test every email on a real phone before sending. Not a preview. An actual phone. In your actual hand.

FAQ

What is the best color for an email CTA button?

There's no universal best color. What matters is contrast with your email's background and branding. A red button on a white email pops. The same red button on a burgundy email disappears. Test what stands out in your specific template.

How long should a CTA be?

Two to five words is the sweet spot. Long enough to be specific, short enough to scan. "Get My Free Template" works. "Click Here to Download Your Free Marketing Template Now" doesn't.

Should I use CTA buttons or text links?

Buttons outperform text links for primary actions. Use text links for secondary actions or within body copy. Your main CTA should always be a button.

Where should the CTA go in an email?

Above the fold for short emails. For longer emails, repeat the CTA: once early, once after your main pitch, and once at the end.

Can I use multiple CTAs in one email?

You can, but you probably shouldn't. Newsletters and digest emails can handle 2-3 CTAs. Sales emails and promotional campaigns should stick to one primary CTA repeated in multiple locations.

The Bottom Line

Your email CTA is a three-second decision point. Either it's obvious and compelling, or it's ignored.

Stop hiding weak verbs behind pretty buttons. Stop asking people to "Learn More" when you could tell them exactly what they'll get. Stop sending emails to your list without testing them on an actual phone first.

The fundamentals work. Use first person. Be specific. Make it look clickable. Test religiously.

Do those four things and you'll beat 90% of the emails landing in your subscribers' inboxes.

And hey, if you're still getting crickets after all that? The problem might be what you're selling, not how you're asking. But that's a conversation for another email.

Related reading:

• How to Improve Click-Through Rates
• Email Design Best Practices
• Email Marketing Automation Strategy