Nothing pains the soul more than to write an incredible email, only to be hit in the face by rock-bottom click-through rates. A high click-through rate is an important thing, and not just for your ego.

High click-through rates mean your customers followed that link to your website, blog, or product page and got a step closer to buying your product. It means you got some leads and, with some gentle and consistent nurturing, you can eventually convert these leads into actual purchases.

However, before you get there, you need to start with an impressive email that will convince your recipients to click on the links. How do you do this? Here are 10 steps that will give you click-through rates like never before.

1. Start by Targeting your Emails to the right Segments

Your email subscribers are more than just a mass of emails that you can blast at any time with a salesy email. They all have different characteristics and interests. That means you need to segment and tailor your email for each segment. Send them a single one-size-fits-all email, and your click-through rate will be digging for oil.

You can begin the segmentation process right from when they opt into your subscriber list. Ask them a few fun but non-intrusive questions about their interests and demographics. Then you can fit each email subscriber into a category based on their answers to your questions. This makes targeting much easier.

2. Make your Email Personal

While we’re talking about getting to know your subscribers better, let’s also talk about a pet peeve among many email recipients. Nothing irks more than getting an email that is so obviously a mass email. It makes your subscriber feel like they’re nothing more than one in a long list of recipients. While that’s true, that’s most definitely not how you want them to feel!

An email strikes a chord with a recipient when they feel like it’s talking to them personally. A good place to start is to refer to them by their name right at the start of the email.

Also, remember that sign-up form we talked about? You would ask your subscribers about their interests. Make sure to craft the email such that you reference their particular interests somewhere in there. It should sound as natural as possible. You can even send them a happy birthday message every year to let them know they matter.

3. One CTA to Rule them all

Okay, yes, that’s a “Lord of the Rings” reference right there. But it’s a pretty apt reference in this case. More is not always better; especially not when it comes to calls to action.

A common misconception that pops up when writing emails is that the more CTAs there are, the higher the chance that the reader will click on at least one of them. This could not be any further from the truth.

When your subscribers see so many links and calls to actions, they tend to feel like they are under undue pressure. They feel overwhelmed and distracted. This will make them less likely to click on any of the links.

If you want optimal results, stick to one clear and concise call to action.

4. Use FOMO to your Advantage

FOMO stands for the Fear Of Missing Out. It’s a real phenomenon that affects people on a massive scale. You can use it to your advantage to get users to click on your links.

This particular tool works especially well if you have a product that’s running out of stock, such as tickets to a webinar, or an offer that ends soon. You can use specialized words in your email copy like “right now” or “quickly” or “today” to create a sense of urgency in your audience.

Even I can attest to the power of FOMO. Many of the emails that I did end up clicking on were about spots or offers that were running out soon, and I had to scramble to grab myself a piece of the action before I was left on the sidelines.

5. Optimize your Emails for Mobile

This one’s a very important one. It should come as a given, considering the fact that over 50% of emails are read on mobile devices. That means that, if you don’t optimize your email for mobile, you’re losing over half of your subscribers.

Don’t just make your email mobile friendly by fitting everything into a tiny screen, either. It also needs to be responsive so the fonts and layouts adjust as well, making everything easy to read and pleasing to the eye.

6. Simplicity is Key

Do not mistake complexity for effectiveness. An email that’s all over the place will get much fewer clicks than one that is simple and to the point. Have a single image or video that fits in with the copy, clear buttons under your CTAs, and a legible font that makes your copy easy to read. It’s that simple!

7. Your Buttons should look like Buttons

If you want your subscribers to click on your buttons, make sure they know exactly where to click. A large and clear button with colors that contrast the rest of the email will stand out very clearly and draw your subscribers’ attention.

While you’re at it, go for an HTML button, rather than an image button. HTML buttons are easier to resize for mobile, will display for all the recipients, and will load faster.

8. Utilize the Power of Social Proof

People are more likely to try something out if they know other people have tried it out before them, especially if some of those people who have tried it out before them are celebrities. This phenomenon is called social proof and is a very effective marketing technique.

One way to include social proof in your email is to include images and videos of previous customers who have used your product, along with their testimonials. This gives your subscribers a lot more confidence in the product, and they’re more likely to click on the links, even if it’s just to find out more.

9. Learn to Rinse and Repeat what Works

You will inevitably notice that some of your emails have much higher click-through rates than others. That’s because there’s something you did right in those emails. You should study them religiously and find out what made them so successful, then repeat it in your other emails to get the same results.

Ultimately, your email subscriber crowd is moved by some things more than others. By studying what works, you get to know what moves them. Once you know this, you rinse and repeat to get the best results from each email.

10. Use Images and Videos

Images and Videos can communicate a lot that you might never be able to effectively say with copy alone. Videos, for example, are engaging and fun to watch. The video won’t play in your subscribers’ inboxes. However, you can include a thumbnail of the video and make it into a link. This will improve your click-through rates incredibly.

The same goes for images. Just make sure the images are appropriate to the copy and enhance it, rather than distract from it.

Summing Up

Your email click-through rate isn’t some mysterious creature that can never be understood. It can be taken apart, studied, and improved. These 10 tips are a good place to start on the road to quadrupling your email click-through rate.