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!
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