Cold Email · · 8 min read

8 Proven Ways to Improve Low CTR in Email Campaigns

Having decent open rates but low CTR? Get actionable tips to write compelling emails that turn readers into clickers and grow your bottom line.

low ctr

Getting your emails opened consistently is a win. But if no one’s clicking through, that win doesn’t count for much. A low CTR tells you your readers saw your email, maybe even skimmed it, but, for some reason, weren’t compelled to act.

This isn’t exactly uncommon. According to Mailchimp’s industry benchmark, only one in 14 people who open an email clicks the call-to-action. That means most readers are curious enough to look but not convinced enough to follow through. And when you’re counting on those clicks to drive traffic or sales, that drop-off stings.

The good news is that a low CTR is rarely random. It usually points to a disconnect. Maybe your call to action (CTA) isn’t clear. Maybe your offer doesn’t stand out. Or maybe your copy’s too long.

Whichever the case, this article breaks down eight proven ways to fix low CTR in your email outreach campaigns, so you stop losing clicks and start getting results.

Understanding the Click-Through Rate (CTR)

A click-through rate (CTR) is a key email performance metric that measures the percentage of recipients who click on any of the links within your email.

The CTR is different from the open rate. While the open rate estimates how many people opened your email, the CTR shows whether your content prompted recipients enough to make them take a desired action, like visiting your website, downloading a lead magnet, signing up for a service, or making a purchase.

How to Calculate Your Click-Through Rate

To calculate your CTR, divide the number of individual clicks by the total number of delivered emails and multiply the result by 100 to get the percentage.

So, if your email CTA receives 50 unique clicks out of the 1000 emails sent, your CTR would be (50 / 1000) x 100 = 5%.

What Does Low CTR Mean?

Low CTR in email marketing means that recipients who open your emails don’t engage with the content by clicking the links within. This indicates that your email content might lack relevance, the design could be unappealing, and the call to action may be vague or buried. 

From Mailchimp’s findings, across industries, the average CTR is 2.62%. That said, CTRs aren’t uniform across all industries, and industry-specific norms can influence what’s considered a low CTR. If your CTR ranges from 2% to 5%, it is generally considered good. Anything less, and there’s work to be done.

Practical Methods for Improving Low CTR in Email Campaigns

how to fix low ctr

Consider these tried-and-true fixes to improve low CTR in your email marketing campaigns: 

Nail Your Subject Line and Preheader Text 

High open rates are by no means irrelevant, but they’re just the first step. They pave the way for higher CTR, since links will remain unclicked if the emails aren’t opened to begin with.

Your subject line has just one job: to compel the reader to open the email and read. It’s your email’s first impression on your recipient, so make it count. You want it to be personalized, relevant, and engaging without clickbait.

The preheader text is equally important. This snippet supports the subject line by providing just enough context to keep the reader curious. A good way to approach writing subject lines and preheader texts is to include something beneficial to the recipient to give them a reason to engage.

Here are a few tips to employ for the best results:

  • Avoid using vague or overly ambiguous words
  • Personalize emails using relevant information you know about recipients
  • Keep your subject lines under 50 characters to ensure visibility on all devices
  • Steer clear of overused phrases that could send your mail straight to spam

Provide Value in Every Email

If your email doesn’t offer something useful, it probably won’t get clicked. Even if you’ve nailed your subject line, clicks will be scarce if the content doesn’t resonate. To fix low CTR, every message you send should give your reader a reason to care. Relevance is everything, after all.

Tailor your content to what your audience actually wants to know, not just what you want to say. A dry wall of text won’t get clicks, but a concise, thoughtful message that speaks directly to your recipient’s needs will. So, think of each email as a quick conversation, not a sales pitch.

Consistency also matters. When people know your emails regularly deliver value, they’re more likely to open and engage with future messages. That ongoing trust drives better CTR over time. In short, be relevant, be interesting, and show up with value every time.

Personalize Your Emails

The numbers are in. Over $361.6 billion emails are sent daily worldwide. Your recipients’ inboxes are undoubtedly full, and any email campaign you send out will likely get buried by the swarm of emails, unless it stands out.

Personalized emails resonate more with recipients, leading to higher open rates and engagement. A 2024 study from the Journal of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Economy has revealed that personalized emails:

  • Increase open rates by 26% and improve further engagement 
  • Enhance customer satisfaction and loyalty 
  • Drive higher conversion rates
  • Help build stronger relationships with customers, leading to increased customer retention

Instead of sending generic messages, tailor emails to feel more personal to the recipients. You can start by including their names, then extend the process to sending them curated product recommendations or special offers referencing past interactions with them.

If you’re having difficulty personalizing content at scale, Instantly helps automate email campaigns, allowing you to send tailored emails without compromising quality.

Keep Your Emails Concise

low email ctr

Most recipients spend just a few seconds deciding whether your email is worth their time. Essentially, that’s all the time you get to hook your reader before they move on or worse, hit delete.

This means that every word needs to earn its place. After reviewing over 40 million emails, Boomerang suggests that keeping your emails between 50 and 125 words could raise your CTR above 50%.

Long copy slows readers down. It hides your CTA, blurs your message, and increases the chances of abandonment. So, skip the long intros, extensive explanations, and wordy sign-offs. Trim and make it easy to skim. Here’s a format that works:

  • Sentence opener (why you’re reaching out)
  • Quick value points (why it matters to them)
  • 1 clear CTA (what they should do next)

Focus on One Compelling CTA and Make It Obvious 

When it comes to email CTAs, less is more. Studies have shown that emails with a direct message and a single compelling CTA tend to outperform those with multiple asks. Scattering multiple CTAs in your email dilutes your reader’s focus and could overwhelm or confuse them, leading to low CTR.

So instead, stick to one primary action per email and ensure your CTA tells recipients exactly what to do. Using direct and self-explanatory language that creates a sense of urgency or highlights the value proposition, like “Schedule a Call to Gain Exclusive Access” or “Start Your Free Trial,” tends to prompt action and help you secure your clicks.

Where possible, consider personalizing your CTAs, too. In an analysis of over 330,000 CTAs, HubSpot discovered that personalized CTAs perform 202% better than regular CTAs. Finally, your CTA needs to be obvious. Use contrasting colors to make it stand out and position it prominently above the fold so readers can see it without scrolling.

Test and Analyze Your Campaigns 

Sometimes the only way to fix low CTR is to test your way to the answer. That’s where A/B testing comes in. It's an exceptional strategy to apply when something’s not working, but you're not sure what.

Start by testing just one variable at a time. Subject line, CTA text, layout, send time. Each one can affect how people interact with your email. Everything else should stay the same, so you can clearly see what made the difference. Keep a close eye on three key email performance indicators:

  • Open rate tells you if your subject line pulls readers in.
  • Click-through rate (CTR) shows whether your content actually connects.
  • Conversion rate reveals if your CTA inspires action.

Once you start testing and tracking consistently, you’ll stop guessing and start learning what moves people to click.

Optimize for Mobile Devices

Ever opened an email on your phone and found it hard to read or navigate? Your subscribers feel the same when emails aren’t mobile-optimized.

A 2024 HubSpot report shows that over 40% of emails are opened on mobile devices. In other words, if your emails don’t adapt to smaller screens, you’re missing out on a large share of potential engagement.

If you want to keep your readers engaged and improve your click-through rates, your email design must be mobile-friendly and responsive, automatically adjusting to various screen sizes. Finally, your CTA button should also be prominently placed and click-friendly so mobile readers can easily use it.

Segment Your Email List 

Segmentation is one of the best ways to fix low CTR in your email campaigns. It involves dividing your audience based on demographics, behavior, engagement levels, or other criteria, and tailoring your content to match what each group cares about.

Segmentation has proven highly effective time and again in email marketing. A Campaign Monitor study tells us that segmented campaigns can deliver as much as a 760% increase in revenue. That’s a signal you can’t afford to ignore. So, how should you segment your email list?

You can start with basic filters like location, job title, or company size. Then take it further with customer behavior analysis: what they clicked, when they opened, what they ignored. Segmentation helps you speak to the right people with the right message. It can be as simple or advanced as you want.

The goal is to match your message with where people are in their journey. By catering to the specific interests and needs of each group, you can improve engagement and drive better CTR.

Turn Low CTR Into Clicks With Instantly.ai

improve low ctr

We’ve seen a few proven fixes for low CTR. But to implement them consistently and at scale, you'll need a stellar email marketing partner.

Instantly.ai gives you everything you need to turn things around without the guesswork. You get access to high-performing cold email sequences, a proven template library tailored for different use cases, and built-in A/B testing tools that help you pinpoint what’s working.

  • Need better targeting? Instantly lets you segment your leads with precision using verified data from over 450 million contacts.
  • Want better performance? Our AI-powered campaign engine system tracks how people interact with your emails and learns what gets clicks to help you optimize accordingly.
  • Not sure where to start? Our robust template library gives you email sequences already tested across different industries and situations.
email templates for low ctr

Plus, thanks to supporting features like personalization and even AI support through the new Instantly AI Copilot, you're set to build smarter campaigns from the ground up. Try Instantly for free.

Key Takeaways

Ultimately, a low CTR often signals a disconnect in your email campaigns. It's easy to get caught up in open rates, but the real impact on your sales pipeline comes from what happens after.

The key to fixing a low CTR lies in continuous improvement. Start with your worst-performing campaigns and apply the above fixes systematically. Track which changes move the needle most for your audience, then scale those insights across your entire email program.

That said, staying consistent across multiple campaigns can be difficult and time-consuming, especially at scale. That’s where Instantly.ai gives you an edge. With proven templates, campaign analytics, and AI-powered support, Instantly helps you fix low CTR faster and scale smarter. Sign up for a free trial.

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