I send HubSpot marketing emails every day, so I’m pretty familiar with what types of marketing emails marketers can take advantage of. However, which ones garner the most engagement and which ones don’t?
To answer that question, and bring that knowledge to you, we ran a survey with Glance, asking marketers what types of emails get the highest performance.
Here’s what I found:
4 types of emails that get the most engagement
According to our latest Glimpse survey, four emails get the most engagement.
1. Multimedia Email
Multimedia emails include videos, photos, GIFs, and other elements to make its content stand out. 44% of marketers in our survey say multimedia emails get the most engagement.
This makes sense because variety in media provides consumers with more dynamic content to interact with and is more engaging than text-only emails.
For example, Society6 sent the email below containing a GIF of dancing phones with changing cases to demonstrate the variety of cases available on the website.
It also features dynamic text with changing colors to emphasize the phrases “today only” and “flash deals.”
2. Original Email
When I think of basics, I usually think “boring,” but that doesn’t have to be the case with these emails.
39% of marketers say they get the most engagement through basic email formats that highlight a list of links, articles or pages to click on with light imagery.
For example, this email I received from Amazon Prime highlights links to movies on its platform with clickable images that take me to where it is available to stream.
Including photos in your emails will help illustrate the products, services or information you are trying to convey and entice readers to click.
3. Discount Email
Our survey found that nearly a third of marketers (31%) say emails promoting coupons, discount codes, free resources or sales get the most engagement. Who doesn’t love the opportunity to save money?
However, keep in mind that the secret to the success of these emails is not just their content; It’s even in their subject lines.
I get promotional emails highlighting deals in my inbox all the time, and I notice that almost every subject line includes quantitative information about these coupons, discounts, and sales. See example below.
Pay attention to all subject lines read:
- “50% off on art prints”
- “Earn $7 Rewards”
- “25% of everything”
- “Up to $100 off”
Include quantitative information about deals in the subject line so customers immediately know why they should click and open your email.
5 types of emails that get the least engagement
For reference, our surveys asked marketers to name the types of emails that get the most engagement. Emails are mentioned in this list because they received the fewest votes from marketers.
1. Product/Service Announcement Email
Only 24% of marketers say that emails announcing new products generate the most engagement. That said, I still find great value in sending product and service announcements via email – you just have to do it right.
To make your product/service announcement email stand out in your recipients’ inboxes and increase their engagement, really lean towards personalization.
Use the information you have about your consumers to send targeted product emails that are relevant to the recipient. For example, let’s say you’re a pet supply store.
If you’re selling a new cat toy, send an announcement of that product only to cat owners in your email list or to recipients who frequently purchase cat supplies. And if you’re now offering dog grooming services, only send information to customers who frequently purchase dog supplies.
2. Article-style emails
Only 23% of marketers in our survey say article-style emails with original content drive the most engagement.
Admittedly, this is not my favorite type of email to receive. Like most consumers, I spend only a few seconds reading an email before scrolling to the next email or going about my day.
In fact, people spend an average of only 9 seconds reading an email. Therefore, article-style emails are not the most useful emails marketers can send nowadays.
Instead, I suggest doing the same thing I do for HubSpot marketing emails: Include a short excerpt of articles or blog posts in the email and include clickable links and images so readers have access to the full article on your website. Have the option to read.
Even if the recipient doesn’t read the entire article, they’re at least more likely to click through to your website.
3. Emails promoting competitions/contests
This surprised me because I love the chance to win, but only 18% of marketers said that emails promoting contests and competitions drive the most engagement.
However, I wouldn’t let that statistic discourage you from taking advantage of contests and competitions in your email marketing campaigns. Instead, make your contests interesting and fun for your audience to encourage participation.
For example, I recently received an email from Canva challenging customers to design a mood board using the graphic design platform’s tools. If I create a mood board and share it with Canva, I could win a prize.
To make the contest even more interesting, Canva says users have to showcase their work on Instagram and X (formerly Twitter) with the brand’s hashtag #CanvaDesignChallenge for a chance to win.
Canva can then repost and share these creations as user-generated content.
This is a smart idea because the challenge does the following:
- Creates a fun and engaging experience for users
- Displays brand equipment and features
- Increases brand awareness on social media through hashtags and content sharing
- Takes advantage of user-generated content
So, to get the most out of your email contests and competitions, integrate social media and user-generated content in a way that is simple, engaging, and fun for recipients. Additionally, use the contest as an opportunity for recipients to experience aspects of your product or service.
4. Educational Email
Only 17% of marketers say educational emails about their industry rather than products or services get the most engagement.
This makes sense because consumers are generally less concerned with industry insights than the products and services that can benefit them.
If you want to take advantage of this type of email, make sure you tell your audience how the information benefits them and tie it to the products and services you offer.
For example, this email from InVideo shares a quick overview of valuable information:
“Using appropriate text and text styles in video can have a positive impact on many metrics, including watch time, engagement, and overall retention.”
The email then links the information back to your service with a call to action:
“Find the one that best matches your content.”
The text is followed by an image that shows the different types of text and text styles available on the platform.
In a way, the email presents a potential problem (you need the right appropriate text and text style), and then it presents the company’s product/service as the solution (check out all the text options they have). .
Do the same in your educational emails.
5. Event Announcements
Finally, only 10% of marketers say that emails announcing events like conferences, livestreams, and webinars get the most engagement. To boost engagement with this type of email, follow the same advice I gave for educational emails.
For example, let’s say InVideo is hosting a webinar about choosing the right text style for video. The email may contain the same email message as above:
“Using appropriate text and text styles in video can have a positive impact on many metrics, including watch time, engagement, and overall retention.”
However, this time, the email may then say:
“Sign up for our webinar to learn how to choose the right appropriate text or text style for your next video.”
InVideo can also sweeten the deal by offering email recipients a 20% discount on some of its features in exchange for signing up for a webinar.
What I’ve learned as an email marketer is that the type of email you send will depend on the goal of your email campaign and the type of content your recipients respond to. I also learned that every email has to provide value to your consumers.
So, make sure every email you send is linked to the solutions your organization offers. Keep this in mind, and your email marketing campaign will definitely be successful.
