Stripo’s AI Assistant vs. manual email creation: Which saves time and drives more engagement?

Creating effective email campaigns is a core task for marketers, but it often involves time-consuming design and content structuring. Stripo’s AI Assistant speeds up the process significantly, reducing manual effort while maintaining efficiency. But how well does it actually perform in a real-world scenario?

To answer this, our marketer conducted a test: he created two digest emails — one manually using the traditional module-based approach and the other using Stripo’s AI Assistant. The test focused on several key aspects:

• design accuracy;
• content quality;
• time efficiency;
• overall email performance.

Test methodology

The test involved sending out two digest emails:

• email 1: Created manually using prebuilt modules and templates;
• email 2: Generated using Stripo’s AI Assistant with minimal manual adjustments.

The conditions were identical:

• both emails followed the same structure, branding, and purpose to ensure a fair comparison;
• performance metrics such as open rate (OR), click-through rate (CTR), and engagement levels were measured.

AI Assistant-generated email vs. manually created email test results

1. Time efficiency

One of the most noticeable benefits of using the AI Assistant was speed:

• creating an email manually required assembling modules, adjusting formatting, and inserting content, which took a significant amount of time;
• with the AI Assistant, the email was generated almost instantly, providing adraft ready for editing. This eliminated the “blank canvas” effect, allowing the marketer to start with a structured template rather than building from scratch;
• the AI Assistant’s ability to automatically place content in the right sections further streamlined the workflow, making it easier to refine the email rather than create it from scratch.

2. Design and layout accuracy

• the AI Assistant successfully structured the email according to best practices, ensuring a clean and professional look;
• brand colors were mostly applied correctly, but minor adjustments were required for specific elements;
• GenAI automatically inserted relevant images, such as “Add to Calendar” icons, based on the content provided. However, customization was required to match the brand’s unique visual identity.

3. Content quality and readability

• the AI Assistant generated clear and well-organized text;
• subject line optimization was a standout feature — the AI-generated subject line resulted in a nearly 5% higher open rate than the manually crafted email;
• while the AI-generated content was well-structured, some minor refinements were required to match the marketer’s preferred tone and style.

4. Engagement and click-through rate 

• the AI-generated email was more self-sufficient, meaning readers found enough information within the email itself. As a result, click-throughs and external transitions were slightly lower compared to the manually created email;
• on the other hand, the manually created digest included more explicit CTAs, leading to double the CTR but fewer total opens.

AI Assistant OR slightly higher by nearly 5% due to the GenAI-optimized subject line. But CTR was lower, as the email was self-sufficient with fewer external links.

Marketer’s opinions and experiences

Expert

Oleksandr Dieiev

Email Marketer at Stripo

After completing the test, our marketer shared his perspective:

Strengths of the AI Assistant

• saves time by quickly generating draft templates that can be refined instead of building from scratch;
• ideal for marketers without an extensive library of prebuilt modules;
• automatically optimizes content placement, ensuring a structured and readable layout.

The overall impression was positive, with the AI Assistant proving to be a valuable tool for simplifying the email creation process, particularly for multi-email campaigns. While manual adjustments were still necessary, the AI Assistant significantly reduced the initial setup time, making it an efficient companion in email marketing workflows.

Wrapping up

The test results showed that Stripo’s AI Assistant is a highly effective tool for streamlining email creation, particularly when efficiency and automation are key priorities. The AI-generated email matched the manually crafted email, offering notable advantages in time savings and higher open rates due to GenAI-driven subject line optimization.

While engagement patterns differed — with the AI-generated email achieving a higher OR but a lower CTR due to fewer external CTAs — the overall impact on campaign effectiveness was comparable. The test confirmed that both GenAI-powered and manually crafted emails are viable methods, with each offering benefits depending on specific marketing objectives.

Stripo’s AI Assistant is already proving to be an invaluable asset for marketers looking to speed up their workflow and reduce manual effort. With further enhancements, such as increased structural customization, it has the potential to become an even more powerful tool for email marketing professionals.