Discover how generative AI can transform your email marketing strategy by providing actionable tips, optimizing design and copy, and improving engagement. Learn from A/B test results, performance stats, and expert insights to craft high-performing email campaigns.
Building on the foundation laid in our previous article, we continue exploring how generative AI can revolutionize email marketing. This installment dives deeper into actionable recommendations provided by GenAI, outlining how they can enhance your campaigns. We’ll share key insights from A/B tests conducted to validate these strategies, analyze performance statistics, and conclude with an expert perspective from our email marketer. This comprehensive exploration showcases how AI-driven enhancements can elevate your email success.
Thanks to the advice and optimizations provided by ChatGPT 4o, we tripled our conversion rate! By leveraging GenAI-driven insights, we fine-tuned our email strategy and created campaigns that resonated more effectively with our audience. In this part, we’ll walk you through the process and show you exactly how we achieved these remarkable results.
GenAI-powered email optimization checklist and recommendations
A well-optimized email campaign is the cornerstone of effective digital marketing, driving engagement, conversions, and brand loyalty. With GenAI's analytical power, we’ve distilled the key strategies, design principles, and actionable insights into a comprehensive checklist. This section highlights the essential components of high-performing email campaigns, detailing how to refine every element — from audience segmentation to call-to-actions — while addressing common pitfalls and enhancing user experience, according to GenAI’s opinion.
In the previous part of this article, we asked ChatGPT to analyze three high-converting emails and three with lower conversion rates. From this analysis, we received valuable tips on improving the weaker emails and making the stronger ones even better. Using these insights, we ask ChatGPT to create a checklist for crafting high-performing emails.
In addition to well-known best practices, here’s what ChatGPT recommended based on our top-performing email campaigns.
1. Strategy and audience understanding
- define your audience: Know your target segment (demographics, behaviors, preferences);
- set clear goals: Identify the main goal of the email (e.g., drive clicks, conversions, awareness);
- work on a personalization strategy: Plan where to add personalized elements (e.g., recipient’s name, custom offers);
- consider user journey: Understand where the recipient is in their journey with your brand and tailor content accordingly (welcome, nurturing, re-engagement, etc.).
2. Subject line optimization
- be specific and action-oriented: The subject line must clearly define the email’s value proposition (e.g., “Unlock Interactive Email Strategies to Boost Your Engagement”);
- personalize when possible: Adding personalization can increase open rates (e.g., “John, Here’s How You Can Increase Your Clicks”).
3. Preheader text
- complement the subject line: Use the preheader to add extra information and reinforce the subject line (e.g., "Join our workshop and unlock 20% off your ticket");
- incorporate a call to action: Use a soft CTA or promise of value to intrigue the reader (e.g., "Learn expert tips on interactive email designs").
4. Design elements
- use clear visual hierarchy: Use bold headlines, subheadings, short paragraphs, group-related content, and consistent spacing between sections. You can also use contrasting colors for CTAs to make them stand out;
- create visual appeal: Avoid overly simplistic visuals — include animated and eye-catching images, especially for thematic elements (e.g., Valentine's Day, workshops);
- add whitespace: Balance your design. Use whitespace smartly to avoid overcrowding while maintaining visual interest;
- work on interactive elements: Include interactive features like carousels, hover effects, gamified elements, or animated buttons. Demonstrate what you’re offering;
- use icons and illustrations: Replace text-heavy lists with icon-based visuals or simple animations to break up long blocks of text;
- balance imagery and text: Ensure there’s enough imagery to engage but not too much to overwhelm (e.g., pair case studies with logos and photos).
5. Copywriting
- lead with a strong, engaging intro: Use a hook that immediately engages your audience and clearly states the value (e.g., “Ready to transform your email strategy with interactive features?”). Tie your content to current trends, industry changes, or specific audience pain points;
- maintain tone and language: Tailor the tone to match your audience (friendly, in our case) while maintaining excitement and energy throughout;
- add benefit-driven content: Ensure every section answers the reader's question: “What’s in it for me?” Focus on how your offer will benefit them, not just what it is;
- cut jargon: Use simple, easy-to-understand language, but be specific and value-oriented;
- be concise: Avoid long, dense paragraphs. Use bullet points, subheadings, and short sentences for easy readability;
- create a story: Structure the email like a story — hook in the reader with a challenge, offer a solution, and present a clear call to action at the end;
- test for readability: Aim for an 8th-grade reading level to ensure maximum accessibility across audiences.
6. Personalization and segmentation
- benefit from dynamic content: Display personalized offers, events, or articles based on user behavior, location, or preferences;
- address subscribers by name: Include the recipient’s name in the greeting or body text to increase engagement;
- use behavioral triggers: Segment emails based on user actions (opened emails, clicked links, specific interests) to ensure content is highly relevant;
- add localized content: If targeting multiple regions, adjust language or offers based on location and interests (e.g., for this test, emails targeted the United States, and we developed a separate plan tailored for Ukraine).
7. Call-to-actions (CTAs)
- make CTAs action-oriented and specific: Use strong action verbs (e.g., “Get Started Now,” “Unlock Interactive Features,” “Claim Your Discount”);
- avoid generic CTAs: Replace “Read More” or “Click Here” with more engaging phrases like “Explore Game-Changing Features” or “Join the Workshop & Save”;
- place CTAs strategically: Ensure CTAs are clearly visible and easy to click, especially on mobile. Place them at both the top and bottom of long emails for maximum visibility;
- limit the number of CTAs: Focus on one primary goal to avoid overwhelming the reader with too many options.
8. Accessibility and compliance
- check text for screen readers: Make sure all images include alt text and all content is accessible for recipients with disabilities (e.g., proper HTML tags, logical content flow);
- use readable font sizes: Ensure font sizes are readable (16px or larger), especially for mobile users;
- maintain high contrast: Use high-contrast text and background colors to ensure readability for all users;
- avoid excessive reliance on images: Important text or CTAs should not be embedded in images.
By following this checklist, GenAI ensures that emails will overcome the weaknesses of low-converting ones while amplifying the strengths of high-converting ones, leading to significantly improved engagement and conversion rates.
Putting GenAI to the test: An email marketer's perspective
To validate the effectiveness of the GenAI-powered email optimization checklist, we conducted a practical experiment. Our email marketing specialist Oleksandr Dieiev created two versions of a weekly digest email: one following the standard approach and another adapted using the recommendations from the checklist.
This section explores the step-by-step process, key differences between the two emails, the resulting performance statistics, and insights gained from the marketer’s experience.
Expert

Process overview
1. Creating the default email
Oleksandr began by designing a typical weekly digest email based on the usual principles and structure. This version adhered to established best practices but did not incorporate any specific recommendations from the checklist.
2. Introducing GenAI recommendations
Then Oleksandr presented the default email to ChatGPT-4 for analysis. After reviewing the provided checklist, he refined the email, applying changes to the subject line, copy, content modules, design layout, CTAs, and more.
3. Generating two versions
- default email: The original version, without adjustments;
- checklist email: A version customized according to the GenAI-powered recommendations and checklist principles.
Adapted email based on the checklist
The checklist-driven email showcased notable improvements in structure, tone, and engagement tactics.
Below is a breakdown of the key adjustments:
Subject line
What’s shaping email marketing in 2025? Trends inside!
- attention-grabbing: Highlights trends to pique curiosity;
- concise: Optimized for mobile with fewer than 50 characters;
- engaging: Prompts the reader to explore further.
Module 1: Spotlight on the eBook
Title: Email marketing trends 2025: Insights for marketers.
Description: 2025 is already shaping up to be a game-changer for email marketing. This eBook dives into key trends, like innovative personalization techniques and fresh design strategies, tailored for marketers like you. Don't miss these actionable insights.
CTA button: Download now.
Key enhancements:
- personalized tone tailored to email marketers;
- benefit-driven language for clear value communication;
- action-oriented, concise CTA.
Module 2: Featured blog articles
Title: 3 powerful strategies for your next email campaign.
Description: This week’s must-reads are here! Get proven tips to create engaging email blasts, repurpose content for fresh results, and craft subject lines that boost open rates.
- articles:
- Title: Email blasts that work: Real examples and tips
CTA button: Read more - Title: Maximize your email content’s potential
CTA button: Read more - Title: Subject lines that sell: Tips and examples
CTA button: Read more
- Title: Email blasts that work: Real examples and tips
Key enhancements:
- scannable format with brief descriptions and CTAs;
- dynamic content blocks segmented for diverse reader interests.
Module 3: Gmail promo builder case
Title: How Gmail annotations can boost your sales.
Description: eCommerce marketers are already using Gmail annotations to make their promotions stand out. This case study shows how you can highlight deals in inboxes and achieve measurable results with Promo Builder.
CTA button: See the case.
Key enhancements:
- strong storytelling to illustrate practical use cases;
- clear hierarchy for better readability and focus.
Oleksandr’s impressions and conclusion
Oleksandr observed several improvements in the checklist-based email:
- enhanced subject lines: The revised subject line was more engaging, concise, and curiosity-driven, resulting in a higher open rate;
- professional tone: The email tone felt more tailored and professional, aligning with the target audience of email marketers;
- improved CTA placement: The modified email had clearer and more action-oriented CTAs, driving better conversions;
- refined content distribution: The checklist email evenly distributed reader attention across modules, unlike the default email, which focused primarily on the first block.
Performance statistics
Default email |
Checklist email |
|
Open rate |
22% |
26% |
CTOR |
Higher due to fewer opens |
Slightly lower but balanced by higher total opens |
Conversions |
2 conversions, no paid subscriptions |
6 conversions, including paid subscriptions |
Reader feedback |
− |
More positive feedback for the checklist email, with increased interaction in the footer blocks |
Key takeaways
The checklist-driven email demonstrated that incorporating GenAI recommendations can significantly improve email performance. While engagement rates were similar, the optimized email achieved higher open rates, better perception among readers, and notably more conversions. Oleksandr concluded that this approach offers a scalable, repeatable framework for enhancing email campaigns.
Wrapping up
The experiment with our email marketer demonstrates the tangible benefits of integrating generative AI into email campaign optimization. By applying the GenAI-powered checklist, we achieved not only higher open rates but also improved conversions and better reader engagement. The recommendations refined the email’s tone, structure, and content distribution, proving that GenAI can effectively identify and address weak points while amplifying strengths.
When used thoughtfully, GenAI isn’t just a tool — it’s a valuable collaborator that can enhance your strategy, streamline workflows, and deliver measurable results. From crafting compelling subject lines to ensuring flawless execution, GenAI-powered insights have the potential to elevate your email marketing game.
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