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Call to Action in Emails: Examples, Templates, Tips 

Ivan Djuric

A call to action in emails decides whether the reader will engage with your content or not. It is the bridge between curiosity and conversion.

And the moment your reader decides to take a specific action, congratulations, your call to action worked. A call to action is something that can make or break your campaign’s success.

In this article, we’ll define CTAs and explore proven email call-to-action examples, templates, and best practices. You will also learn how to write compelling call-to-action copies that resonate. 

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What is a call to action in emails?

A call to action in emails is a phrase, hyperlink, or CTA button that encourages a reader to take the desired action. It’s a clickable element that leads the user to subscribing to a newsletter, downloading a case study, completing a purchase, or something along those lines, you catch the drift.

A CTA keeps your email marketing campaigns alive by telling readers exactly what to do next. Without it, even the best email content loses direction.

Consider the following examples:

The second CTA adds clarity and urgency compared to the first one. Such CTAs increase the click-through rates (CTR) and drive conversion rates.

In your email marketing strategy, your CTA should align with your overall goal. If you’re sending sales emails, your CTA might lead to a landing page or e-commerce checkout. Or for lead generation, you can tell the audience to register for a webinar or download a resource.

Let your CTA guide your audience to the next step.

Email call-to-action examples

The first step is to identify what your reader wants most. Once you identify the motive, it becomes easy to write a compelling CTA.

Here are some call-to-action examples across industries that use different tone, phrasing, and action words:

  1. E-commerce:
    • Shop Now and Save 20%. Limited-Time Offer!
    • Add to Cart Before It’s Gone.

These examples use a limited-time offer and a sense of urgency to drive action.

  1. SaaS or B2B tools:
    • See How It Works in 60 Seconds.
    • Book a Demo and Find Out How Teams Use This Daily.

The ‘see how’ phrasing builds curiosity, while ‘book a demo’ makes the specific action clear.

  1. Newsletter sign-ups:
    • Join 10,000+ Marketers Who Read Our Tips Weekly.
    • Get the Insights Before Everyone Else.

Social proof is one of the best motivators for engagement.

  1. Educational content or webinars:
    • Reserve Your Seat Now. Spots Fill Fast!
    • Unlock the Guide to Smarter Automation.

Call to action email subject lines examples

Your subject line is essentially the first CTA your readers see. It sets the stage for your main message and determines whether your email is opened or not. 

Here are a few call-to-action email subject line examples that grab attention:

Subject lines with action verbs, limited-time triggers, and personalization are likely to perform best. So, for example, instead of saying ‘Thanks…..’, you can say:

Pro tip: Make sure your email marketing platform supports A/B testing. Test variations of tone, personalization, and CTA phrasing to see what increases your open and click-through rates.

Call to action in email templates to use

Creating a call to action in emails doesn’t always mean starting from scratch. The best CTAs follow simple and repeatable patterns that you can easily personalize for any audience.

So, here are some plug-and-play CTA templates designed for different email goals. All you need to do is fill in the blanks to make them your own.

Feedback/surveys

Re-engagement/win-back

Promotional/sales

Event/webinar invitations

Product launch/new features

Content/resource sharing

Trial/free demo

Upsell/cross-sell

Account/subscription reminders

Social/community engagement

How to write a call to action in emails

Here’s the framework for writing CTAs that drive results:

Step 1. Start with clarity

Clearly inform your readers about what happens after they click. Ambiguity kills action.

Step 2. Use first-person language

Phrases like “Start my free trial” or “Save my spot” convey a sense of personalization and drive ownership. First-person CTAs can boost click-through rates by 90%.

Step 3. Create urgency and exclusivity

Add limited-time cues like “today,” “only,” or “exclusive.” Your sense of urgency motivates faster decisions.

Step 4. Design matters

An interactive CTA button with a contrasting color can increase clicks by 20%. Keep it mobile-friendly, easy to find, and easy to click.

Step 5. Use curiosity strategically

Phrases like “See how top marketers…” or “Discover what happens when…” pull the reader in.

Step 6. Optimize through A/B testing

Change one variable at a time, the CTA copy, button color, or placement, and track the difference in conversion rates.

Also, remember to analyze your email’s website traffic with a simple website traffic checker. It’ll show how your email clicks affect landing page performance and where users drop off. 

Call to action in emails: best practices

You’ve seen the examples and templates. Now, it’s time to refine your approach with email CTA best practices:

Multiple CTAs confuse readers. Therefore, ensure you have only one CTA included in one email. You can use secondary CTAs like “Learn More” or “Contact Sales,” but your main CTA should dominate attention.

A good CTA speaks your targeted audience’s language. For instance, if your readers are e-commerce shoppers, “Shop Now” works. But for SaaS, “Get a Demo” feels more relevant. So make sure to match the tone, context, and intent of your audience.

The best emails use white space, contrasting color, and minimal clutter to get attention. Your CTAs should look like the next natural step. You should make it stand out and fit in at the same time.

Segment users by behavior or interest. Data ingestion tools can track which links they clicked in past emails and trigger dynamic CTAs. For example, if a reader clicked a “pricing” link, then the next CTA could be “See how our plan fits your team size.”

Monitor CTR, conversions, and engagement. Integrate tools that show you how many users clicked your call-to-action button and completed the journey. You can even connect this data to your CRM and best hiring tools if you’re running recruitment campaigns or HR automation flows.

For example, if you share a case study, your CTA could say, “See how they grew 300% with our tool.” This way, your CTA stays relevant to the topic of your case study, which builds trust and ensures that users take action.

Consistency is key. If your email says “Buy Now,” don’t send users to a generic homepage. Lead them directly to a matching landing page that fulfills that promise.

Even if you generate content with automation tools, your tone matters. Talk to your reader, not at them. Ask questions, share quick wins, and use good email etiquette to keep it personal.

No matter how well-crafted, an email CTA cannot work its magic on its own. Back it up on social media, LinkedIn, and ads. Cohesive messaging improves recall and action consistency.

Every email marketing campaign is a chance to learn something new. So, be sure to keep track of the key marketing KPIs to track the performance of your emails and see what’s working and what’s not. A 1% boost in CTR might sound small, but across thousands of emails, it means hundreds of new leads.

No matter how well-crafted the CTA you use, if your emails don’t land in recipients’ inboxes, your efforts will simply fall flat. That’s why you should choose an email marketing platform that will allow you to hit the mark every time and make your CTAs visible.

If you don’t know where to start, be sure to dive into our in-depth list of the best email marketing platforms out there. ⬅️

P.S. Mailtrap focuses on high inboxing rates, fast email delivery, and 24/7 expert support. It also has a generous free plan, so be sure to check it out. Happy sending! 📨

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