How to increase your unique click rate

Getting more people to click the links in your emails is key to driving real engagement and business results. Unique clicks, meaning the number of individual contacts who click at least once, give you a clear view of who is interacting with your content. This article gives you nine practical tips to improve your unique click rate and get more value from every send.

1. Create unmistakable calls to action

Your call to action (CTA) is your reader's next step, so make it impossible to miss. Use short, action-oriented text such as "Download your guide", "Claim your offer" or "Watch now", and style it as a button that stands out. If you want step-by-step instructions, learn more in our How to insert a CTA (call to action) button into an email article.

2. Personalise link text and offers with Segments

Tailored messages speak louder than generic ones. Use personalisation fields to reference a recipient's name, account or past behaviour right in your link text. Build Segments based on behaviour, preferences or intent so you can send highly relevant offers. This helps you avoid over-personalisation that feels "creepy" by keeping content useful and timely. If you want to learn more about personalisation and segmentation, read Scaling personalisation with intent and Segmentation and personalisation 101, or see our How to add personalisation fields article.

3. Place links where readers expect them

Readers often decide whether to engage within the first screenful of content. Put your primary CTA above the fold, within the preview area, so it's instantly visible. This makes the most of your inbox space and boosts your click potential. Place secondary links naturally in headings, images or button text further down to catch people who keep scrolling. To make the most of that limited "above the fold" space, read 3 Quick Wins to Maximise Your Inbox Real Estate.

4. Optimise for mobile readers

Over half of all email opens happen on mobile devices. Make buttons large enough to tap, keep link spacing generous and check that every clickable element displays properly at smaller screen widths. You can preview and edit your email's mobile view in Force24 to get this right. If you want to check or change your mobile view, learn more in our How to check your email in mobile view and How to edit mobile view articles.

5. Maintain a healthy, engaged list

Clicks only count when emails reach real inboxes. Use our data validation tool to weed out typos, disposable addresses and inactive contacts. A cleaner list raises your click rate naturally, because fewer dead addresses means a higher percentage of real clicks. If you want to set this up, learn more in our Apps in Journeys data validation article.

6. A/B test things over time

Subject lines get opens, but CTA wording, button colour and link placement drive clicks. Run A/B tests on different link phrasing, button styles and even image-based links, then refine based on which version gets more unique clicks. It's not enough to do this in one campaign - it will likely take a few tries over months to get the clearest data on what you need. If you want to run a test, learn more in our How to split test (A/B test) using Journeys article.

7. Safeguard deliverability and avoid spam triggers

An email stuck in spam can't earn clicks. Steer clear of known spam phrases, throttle your sends if you have a large audience and monitor your sending reputation regularly. Good deliverability means more inbox placements, and more opportunities for clicks. For the fundamentals, see our 200 known spam phrases and email tips and Masterclass Week 2: Deliverability.

8. Track, analyse and act on your unique clicks

Unique clicks tell you who's interested, but you can go deeper. Use heatmaps or Journey analytics to see which links get the most attention and which contacts click repeatedly. Then tailor future campaigns to those insights, for example by offering related content or upsell opportunities. If you want to get started with reporting, learn more in our How to report on your campaign article.

9. Watch the Think Differently masterclass series

For comprehensive guidance on email strategy, from creative to deliverability, watch the full Think Differently webinar recordings. They cover subject lines, content, personalisation and more in practical detail. You can find them all here.

Summary

Clear CTAs, smart personalisation, mobile readiness and a healthy sending reputation will raise your unique click rate and deliver a better return on your campaigns. Keep testing and iterating, as real-time data is your best guide.