What have we found to expand your email knowledge today?

Here are a few of our favourite links from across the email and business world, carefully curated just for you:

Find of the week ⭐

We’re massive fans of tools that make our lives easier.

This week, we stumbled across Mutato, a free file converter that ticks all the right boxes.

No ads. Multiple files. Anything from images to audio to video, across all the formats you’ll actually use.

Consider us impressed so far!

Get converting with Mutato here.

We’re also constantly on the lookout for new resources, news, tools and links, so hit us up if you’ve got something valuable to feature!

When it comes to email, most senders are now pretty much up to speed on the fact that open rates are unreliable measures of email success.

With inbox providers looking for true engagement, and your emails having been sent for a reason, most often the truest measure of success is the action your readers are taking within these emails.

And this, besides replies (which will be a topic for another day), is the links or buttons your audience will click on in your emails.

We’ve referred extensively to the “Rule of One” before, but when sending emails, what’s critical is the intention behind that email.

(A.K.A, what the heck does this email want me, as a reader, to do?)

Most often, the intended action across most emails is to get your readers to click a link or button, and continue the journey from there.

This is what we refer to as our “North Star” metric. The one action we use to determine if our emails have achieved their intended purpose.

The problem is that many email senders often make taking this action difficult or confusing for readers, and today, we’re going to help you optimise to make this process a little easier.

Let’s get to the optimisation part, shall we?

In email, links are essentially the critical connectors between your message and your desired action.

But not all links are created equal.

How you approach design and place your links can almost dramatically impact your click-through rates.

The next few elements can be used as a checklist to ensure that you’re getting folks to take the action you want them to, starting with your link placement.

Where you position your links can make or break your email's effectiveness, so when thinking about where to put links, ask yourself these 3 questions:

If you don’t focus on placement, you’ll wind up with links being missed or, worse, frustrated subscribers accidentally clicking something they didn’t intend to.

We’re going to say it: Your link text should be more than just "Click here." You want to entice action, not repeat the banal, generic nonsense your audience sees all the time.

Keep it different. Keep it interesting.

Use action-oriented, specific language (Take the plunge, Join the club… You know the drill). There are so many creative ways to entice action.

If you’re creating a relevant and honest sense of urgency or value, and clearly communicating what will happen after action is taken, you’ll be steps ahead of email senders who don't focus on this.

(Pro-tip here: It’s always good practice to keep to 3-5 words for maximum impact).

Links should stand out while remaining cohesive with your email design.

For accessibility best practices and to make sure you nail this, begin by using contrasting colours that match your brand while remaining clear and easily readable.

There’s more on mobile below, but make your links large enough to be easily tapped on mobile devices. More folks read emails on their phones than you may realise.

Leave enough white space around links to prevent accidental clicks. This is something we often forget when cramming in tons of info.

Don't overlook the technical side of email links:

There’s also the case for seeding out those damn bot-clicks, and that’s a topic of its own, but here’s a good place to start.

With most emails being opened on mobile, link strategy is crucial.

Make buttons at least 44x44 pixels for easy mobile tapping and leave enough white space for fumbling fingers to ensure they tap the right text or button links.

Don’t forget to test links across different devices and email clients, and if you’re feeling confident, begin A/B testing to find what’s working - Your clicks (and conversions) will thank you.

And, finally, remember that great email links that get clicked are a blend of good placement, compelling info to support them, and reader-first design.

Have a link tip to share? ~ Let us into your brain here ~ 💌

Think of this as a mental power-up.

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Overall—Morning Brew gives your business brain the jolt it needs to stay curious, confident, and in the know.

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Feature of the week ⭐

For anyone looking at where to begin writing a book covering their expertise, this might be just for you!

Melanie, a friend to our community, recently created a handy 3-step guide to publishing your lead-generating business book.

This is designed to help you turn your existing expertise and conversations into a client-attracting book, strategy calls, and paying clients (without ever facing a dreaded blank page).

Get your hands on Melanie’s guide here.

We’re also constantly on the lookout for new resources, news, tools and links, so hit us up if you’ve got something valuable to feature!

We make light of this, but seriously, if you’re hiring, the good ‘ol “why do you want to work here” is one of those you may want to potentially rephrase.

“What makes you the right choice for this role?”
“What experience do you bring to our company/ team?”
“Would you be willing to fight fellow candidates in an MMA match to see if you’re truly resilient enough to work under our authoritarian rule?”

That’s Capitalism for you, huh?