Email split testingThe spooky connection between icecream

and conversion rates

Some history• First banana split made in

Pennsylvania in 1904• First split test run a few

years later by Claude Hopkins in Michigan

• Coincidence???

Must read:

“Scientific Advertising” by Claude Hopkins

…now out of copyright and freely available!

Email recipients

50%

50%

A (Control email)

B (Experimental email)

1.9%

Successful form fills

3.8%

WINNER

BenefitsContinual improvement for your emails =Continual improvement for your Click-Through-Rate=Increasing amounts of money for free!

Additional bonus side benefits

Resolving awkward disputes in the office+

FUN!

Spot the difference

Spot the difference

What you already dovs

“Best practice”

Some things to tryName of senderImage / no imageHTML / plain textLong / short messageFormat of subject line

Type of greetingCall to action textButton / linkhttp://link.com/ or Click this link?

…and more advancedTime of day Day of weekPersonalise subject lineFraming of an issueNewsletter format / single subject letter

Type of imageUnsubscribe textHumour / guiltCalls to action: 1 or 2?1 or 2 columns?

And now some examples!

Logo redactedLogo redacted

Control Test

Email recipients 3,153 3,687

Donations 10 20

Total amount £455 £920

Average donation £45.5 £46

Conversion rate 0.32% 0.54%

Email sent to announce

letterLetter arrives Email reminder

Direct mail segment

Email sent with donation

ask

Email reminder

Email only segment

DM segment Sent Open rate CTR

Subject: I just sent you something

506 32.08% 9.29%

Subject: Cure a child [redacted]

474 27.64% 4.85%Statistically

significant!Statistically

significant!

Email segment Sent Open rate CTR

Subject: Warning: disturbing image inside…

362 23.81% 6.08%

Subject: Cure a child [redacted]

363 27.64% 7.71%Statistically

insignificant

Day Sent Open rate CTR

Thursday 19,415 24.9% 1.67%

Saturday 23,442 25.1% 2.34%

Statistically

significant!Statistically

significant!Statistically

insignificant

Link type Sent CTRBare URL 4,250 5.22%

Text link Doh! -

Big button 4,260 5.37%

Statistically

insignificant

Link type Sent CTRText link 20,148 1.10%

Big button 20,097 0.74%Statistically

significant!Statistically

significant!

Format Sent CTR

Plain text 4,246 3.44%

HTML 23,442 3.83% Statistically

significant!Statistically

significant!

Donors Sent Open rate CTR

Subject (long): Transcript of our webinar now available

46 45.65% 10.87%

Subject (short): Transcript

47 61.70% 23.40%

Statistically

significant!Statistically

significant!

Non-donors Sent Open rate CTR

Subject (long): Transcript of our webinar now available

4,138 18.37% 3.00%

Subject (short): Transcript

37,529 25.06% 3.35%

Statistically

significant!Statistically

significant!