Email Marketing Best Practices for Higher Engagement in 2025

In the world of digital marketing, email campaigns remain one of the most effective ways to connect with your audience. At The Digital Stride, we run numerous campaigns across various industries, always striving to deliver the best results for our clients. 

We’ve seen some incredible results; one of our current client campaigns experiences an open rate of 57.8% and a click rate of 12.5%, compared with industry averages of 34.6% and 2.79% respectively! And this isn’t just a one-off - we’ve sent almost a quarter of a million emails in this campaign!

This shows that with the right approach, email marketing can truly thrive. Below are some of our most effective strategies for 2025, based on the latest trends in the industry.

1. Personalisation Beyond First Names

While including the recipient's first name is a good start, true personalisation goes beyond that. In 2025, it’s about tailoring the entire email experience. Segment your lists by behaviour, preferences, and past interactions. Use dynamic content to present offers or articles that are relevant to each subscriber. The more aligned your content is with your audience’s interests, the better your open and click rates will be.

Personalisation can also extend to timing. By analysing when your subscribers are most likely to open emails, you can schedule campaigns to land at just the right moment. A well-timed email feels like it’s arriving at the perfect moment rather than another generic newsletter hitting the inbox.

2. Mobile-First Design

Let’s be honest, most of us design our emails while sitting at a desktop computer and then send a test to ourselves to make sure it works properly. And when it does, we’re happy and schedule it to go out. But have we tested it on a mobile device to make sure it works accurately there?

Mobile devices are the primary source for email opens, so optimising for mobile is a must. Emails that don’t display correctly on smartphones are often deleted within seconds. For higher engagement, ensure your email campaigns are fully responsive, with clear, large fonts, easy-to-tap buttons, and concise, compelling copy.

A single-column layout works best for mobile, allowing content to flow naturally and making it easy for subscribers to scroll through. Don’t forget about the importance of load speed - use optimised images to reduce email loading times, as slow-loading emails are often abandoned.

3. A/B Testing to Refine Strategy

A/B testing is one of the core practices we use to refine and perfect our email campaigns. It’s crucial to continuously test elements such as subject lines, call-to-action (CTA) buttons, images, and email layouts. Even subtle changes can significantly improve engagement metrics. If we’re sending out an email marketing campaign to a large audience, we never do it all in one go. We’ll segment the audience down and test things like subject lines to see if we can get a better open rate as we progress through the campaign.

4. Interactive Elements

Incorporating interactive elements into your emails is another way to enhance your click-through rate. Features such as polls, surveys, or even product carousels embedded in the email allow subscribers to engage directly without leaving their inbox. These elements encourage higher levels of interaction, giving you more insight into your audience while also making your emails more engaging and fun.

While you can’t add a video to an email, you can create a short gif with a play button - this makes it look like a video and can encourage a click to a landing page that is designed to convert.

5. Compelling CTAs and Minimalism

Too much information can overwhelm recipients, resulting in lower engagement. Instead, focus on delivering a clear message with a single, compelling call to action (CTA). By keeping your email design clean and uncluttered, you make it easy for subscribers to focus on your key message and the action you want them to take.

Ensure your CTA stands out visually. Use contrasting colours, bold fonts, or buttons to draw attention. The wording of the CTA is equally important - phrases like "Get Started," "Discover More," or "Unlock Now" are more effective than generic terms like "Click Here."

6. Nurturing Through Automation

One key area we see growth in is email automation. Platforms like Klaviyo and Campaign Monitor make it easy to automate sequences based on customer actions, ensuring the right message is delivered at the right time. Whether it’s a welcome series for new subscribers or re-engagement emails for lapsed customers, automation helps keep your audience engaged without overwhelming them with irrelevant content.

In Summary

Email marketing remains a crucial channel for driving engagement and building relationships. At The Digital Stride, we’re proud to help clients navigate this ever-evolving space, consistently delivering campaigns that outperform industry standards. By focusing on personalisation, mobile optimisation, A/B testing, interactive elements, and automated nurturing, businesses can expect to see impressive and improved results from their email marketing efforts.

If you’re ready to take your email marketing to the next level, contact us at The Digital Stride, and let’s explore how we can optimise your campaigns for higher engagement in 2025 and beyond.