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How to design bulletproof CTA buttons in email

Beefree team
Beefree team
Oct 17, 2015
How to design bulletproof CTA buttons in email
How to design bulletproof CTA buttons in email

Earlier this week, we gotinspired by the email design of a recent webinar invitation email from Skillcrush, a coding academy that focuses on teaching women how to code. Their webinar invitation email had all the relevant information—event time, cost, key details, and a way to register—but they didn't get boxed in by the standard, bland email template we so often see... and that we start to tune out. Instead, they created an engaging, personality-packed webinar invitation email. There's plenty to learn from! Check out our email design tips on How Skillcrush Built a Unique Webinar Invitation Email.In today's workshop, we're going to focus on a key design element of the Skillcrush email: the bulletproof call-to-action (CTA) button. But first, what does bulletproof mean? It's a term used by email professionals for a CTA button, written in HTML, that renders across all inboxes and, because it's HTML code and not an image, the CTA button will always be shown, no matter what.Now that we know what a bulletproof button is, the next step is to figure out: how do we design one? And this is where it can be a little bit tricky for some. You can either turn a standard CTA button bulletproof by adding a few lines of HTML code or check that the email editor that you're using generates bulletproof buttons (and that those buttons are not simply images). We'll look at how to design a bulletproof button with the use of the BEE email editor.

How a bulletproof CTA button should look

Let's start with a look at the bulletproof button from the Skillcrush email. For reference, here's the full email:

Skillcrush Webinar Invitation Email

And here's a close-up of their unique call-to-action button:

Webinar call-to-action button

It's a refreshing change of pace fromthe typical "webinar blue" button weoften see, like this one:

Screen Shot 2015-10-12 at 2.03.41 PM

Notice how Skillcrush uses smart design tactics for its CTA button, which in turn reflectits modern, feminine, and personable brand:

  • The button is on-brand pink with bright white text
  • It's the full width of the email and doesn't have a bulky outline (like the black one around the "Register Now" button), evoking a light, modern feel
  • "Claim your spot," with the use of a personal pronoun "your," has an approachable, friendly tone while still directing readers to act

But perhapsthe most important design feature ofthe CTA button is that it’sbulletproof, meaningthe button is written in HTML so that it fully renders on all inboxes. We can see how the button is shown even with images turned off on iPhone:

Webinar call-to-action button mobile

Let's now get much more hands-on and see how to design a bulletproof button ourselves and recreate the Skillcrush CTA button. We'll be using the BEE email editor, which generates bulletproof CTA buttons.

Be sure to follow along and open the BEE email editor in a new browser tab. The BEE email editor is free, online, and requires no registration. So, do give it a try!

Video Overview: How to design a bulletproof CTA button

As a quick overview, here's our video tutorial on how to design the bulletproof CTA button from the Skillcrush email in the BEE email editor:

A step-by-step guide in the BEE editor

Let's walk through how to easily create a stellar CTA button in the BEE editor, where we have full customization of width, border radius, border color, padding, and color and text styling.

screenshot-beefree.io 2015-10-14 12-57-07

To get us started, we took a couple minutes to recreate the top portion of Skillcrush's email,populating abasic one-column templatewith the header image and intro content. (For a step-by-step guide on how to set up a modular single-column email, check out this workshop post).Now, let's create our button!Over in the Structure menu to the right, we'll grab a button content block and simply drag it into the body of our email.

Screen Shot 2015-10-14 at 1.07.24 PM

Notice that the default button is blue, rectangular, and centered on the page:

Screen Shot 2015-10-14 at 1.10.46 PM

But there's a lot we can do to customize it! To match Skillcrush's button, we'll need to:

  • Change the background color
  • Update and style the text
  • Increase the width and adjust the padding
  • Insert a link

In the body of our email, we'll click on the button structure to activate it, then start making our adjustments in the Content menu on the right.

Button color

First, we'll set the button color to pink(#F16059 in hexidecimal format) to match Skillcrush.

Screen Shot 2015-10-14 at 1.24.23 PM

Then, we'll update the text. As we type, the button automatically widens to accommodate our content:

Screen Shot 2015-10-14 at 1.25.58 PM

We can keep our default font color (white #ffffff), font family (Arial), and font size (16px), but we'll make our messagebold (and be sure to type in all caps).

Full button width

Makingthe button stretch to the full width of the email body is easy. Back in the Content Properties menu, we'll adjustthe width slider to the right, up to 100%. From a design perspective, the full width makes sense: it mirrors the Skillcrush header at the top of the email, providing an aesthetically pleasing balance, and it also givesmobile readersmore space to click.

ScreenShot1411

Finishing touches

Under Content Padding, we'll make sure we have a padding of 5 px top and bottom.Let's also remember to insert a link to the button: in the same Content Properties menu we've been working from, we'll scroll to the Action section and paste in our link.

ScreenShot1414

Now, we have a fully functional bulletproof CTA button, identical to the Skillcrush email! Wasn't that easy?

Screen Shot 2015-10-14 at 2.24.53 PM

If you would like to further customize the CTA button, here are a few additional button design settings in the BEE editor:

Border radius

You can adjust the Border Radius to change your button's shape. From a design perspective, rectangular elements generally connote a senseof traditionalism, practicality, and balance, while circular elements can be perceived as softer and calming.

ScreenShot1412

Here's a rounded version of our CTA button after adjusting theradius to25 px:

Screen Shot 2015-10-14 at 2.35.15 PM

Button padding

We can also make the button taller (or shorter): make sure the "More options" button is turned on in the Content Padding section, and bump up thetop and bottom padding.

ScreenShot1413

Here's our button with an upper and lower padding of 20 px.

Screen Shot 2015-10-14 at 2.43.23 PM

Borders

Another adjustment we can make is the color and width of the button's border, found under Content Properties in the BEE editor. Notice how we have granular control on borders (to learn more watch a quick video tutorial on borders).

ScreenShot1415

The traditional "Register Now" button we looked at earlier had a thin black line around it. In the Border settings in the BEE editor, we can play with different colors and thicknesses.A thin, light border adds a bit of depth:

Screen Shot 2015-10-14 at 2.50.05 PM

And slightly thicker, darker border is more prominent but has a similar effect:

Screen Shot 2015-10-14 at 2.51.14 PM

Switching to a totally different color generally detracts from the light, modern feel of the button:

Screen Shot 2015-10-14 at 2.53.53 PM

But a border can also be useful in maintaininga light, airy, and modern look if weomit a background color, like this:

Screen Shot 2015-10-14 at 2.56.01 PM

As you can see, we could spend probably all day customizing a CTA button in the BEE editor!

Our CTA button design takeaways

As you're designing your own emails and customizing your CTA button, hereare the key thingstokeep in mind:

  • Buttons should be on-brand, too. Skillcrush does a great job of demonstrating how a well-designed button can go a long way in reflecting your brand so you can connect with your audience. Play with colors and styles to achieve a look that matches both your brand identity and your email's aesthetic. The button should attract attention (it should be obvious that it's a button) but not stick out like a sore thumb.
  • Balance the size of your button. Bigger isn't always better. Don't make your readers feel like you're shoving a demand in their faces. Strike a balance by making your button wide if it's not too tall, or by making it a little taller if it's not too wide. Remember, readers on mobile devices or tablets should be able to easily click with a fingertip, so allow ample white space around your button.
  • Don't forget content! "Register," "Learn more," "Sign up," and similar CTAs are overused. Think about how you can customize your message in a way that reflects the tone of your brand. Be sure to use a clear, direct action verb—and be concise. Try using personal pronouns like "my" and "your" that make your message friendly and engaging. You could try: "Reserve my spot now" or "Get my free ticket."
  • Placement is key. Research has shown that placing a CTA button below the fold actually increases clicks by 304%! Let readers know what they're signing up for first—with great copy and visuals—then invite them to act. Skillcrush does exactly this by placing their CTA button last.
  • Be bulletproof. Above all else, it's critical that your button looks great and works as it should, no matter the device or email inbox. Always use HTML instead of an image. We've seen that in the BEE editor, all buttons are bulletproof, so you'll never need to worry about how they'll render!

We have to ask: are your CTA buttons bulletproof? What did you think of our button design tips? Share your ideas and thoughts in the comments below!We'll see you in our next email design workshop, every Friday!

Email strategies you’ve likely heard of but haven’t implemented yet

While email marketing has come a long way and is changing faster than ever, there’s only so much you can do within 600x1,500 pixels. However, there are no limits to where your creativity can take you. 
Kruti Shah
Feb 5, 2025

How to Leverage Email Campaigns to Gather Sincere Product Reviews

What do customers think about your brand’s products? The best way to find out is to ask them directly, which you can do via strategic email campaigns. Keep reading to learn how!
Beefree team
Jan 22, 2025

How Beefree is Helping Email Makers Scale Their Production

2024 was a banner year for email markers everywhere. From sleek newsletters to interactive promos, you flexed your creative muscle to new heights and did it with a level of speed and efficiency that made crafting award-worthy emails look easy. Let’s dive into the numbers, trends, and stories that made this year unforgettable for email makers like you.
Beefree team
Jan 6, 2025

Email strategies you’ve likely heard of but haven’t implemented yet

While email marketing has come a long way and is changing faster than ever, there’s only so much you can do within 600x1,500 pixels. However, there are no limits to where your creativity can take you. 
Kruti Shah
Kruti Shah
5 Feb
2025

Now, let's be honest—you’ve likely heard about all of these rotating for the last few years. While email marketing has come a long way and is changing faster than ever, there’s only so much you can do within 600x1,500 pixels. However, there are no limits to where your creativity can take you. 

Let’s get into it.  

#1. Unique, tailored experiences 

Damian Grabarczyk, the co-founder and growth marketer of PetLab Co., says, “We faced the challenge of connecting meaningfully with an audience that expects more than one-size-fits-all communication.” 

When we speak about crafting tailored emails we mean going beyond the recipient's first name in the subject line. We’re talking about optimizing your entire email strategy to design multi-stage touchpoints to nurture leads across the customer lifecycle. As well as, leveraging data to send hyper-personalized, relevant, and engaging emails that feel less like a broadcast message and more like a conversation. 

Many are using AI machine learning algorithms and AI automation to analyze customer interactions, past purchases, browsing habits, website visits, and even social media behavior to curate engaging email content that resonates deeply with the real-time needs of recipients.

For PetLab Co this looked like including content such as an individual’s pet health history or product usage timelines. Damian Grabarzyk expands, “This approach transformed the conversion rate and strengthened customer loyalty. As we look ahead, I see brands in 2025 moving beyond generic personalization to adopt strategies that make customers feel truly understood and valued.”

On the other hand, many are leaning into user-generated content (UGC) for crafting tailored experiences. Customers today are more likely to trust the opinions of peers over branded messages. UGC like customer reviews, testimonials, videos, and photos are the best form of social proof depicting real people using and benefitting from your products or services. 

We see the benefits of using both AI and UGC to get the most out of your email conversions ;). 

#2. AI tools as an addition, not a substitution

Experts at NordPass state, "AI-powered content generation tools are not here to replace email copywriters and marketers. These tools make us more efficient. The smarter the tool is, the better equipped we are to create high-performing email content that drives results." 

AI tools can support us by significantly enhancing the speed, precision, and effectiveness of your emails. For instance while traditionally A/B testing has required a lot of time to analyze small variations with AI you quickly implement and test multiple email elements and make adjustments based on real-time engagement data. There are AI algorithms that can even predict which variations are most likely to resonate with different audience segments, leading to more accurate targeting and faster optimization.

In short, AI tools are revolutionizing the way we craft and optimize our email’s deliverability. There are many different types of AI solutions so we suggest finding the right one for your needs. 

#3. Even more transparency around data

With AI continuing to rise, folks are more and more concerned about where their data is going. That’s where zero-party data collection becomes a key strategy in email marketing, allowing you to gather data directly from customers rather than relying on third-party sources. 

Zero-party data includes information that consumers willingly share, such as preferences, interests, and purchase intentions. This data is often collected through surveys, preference centers, quizzes, or interactive content and is highly valuable because it is shared explicitly, ensuring accuracy and deeper personalization without privacy concerns associated with third-party tracking.

As privacy regulations tighten, zero-party data will empower you to deliver hyper-personalized email experiences while respecting user privacy. This approach will help you build trust, as customers feel more in control of their data, and you gain insights that lead to more relevant and engaging email content.

#4. The death of static emails

With attention span getting shorter day after day, digest-format emails are expected to rise in popularity in 2025. Presenting email content in an easy-to-scan, organized, and minimalistic layout will surely help deliver the most relevant information in a fraction of the time. 

Additionally, interactive emails will allow recipients to directly engage within the email without having to visit a landing page or website. Interactive elements like product carousels, polls, and quizzes create a dynamic experience that keeps subscribers engaged, especially in visually driven industries like fashion brands

So what now? 

You’ve heard these strategies before, but now it’s time to actually put them into action. The brands that win at email marketing in 2025 won’t just be sending emails—they’ll be creating experiences. Whether it’s hyper-personalized content, AI-driven efficiency, zero-party data collection, or interactive emails that break the mold, the key is to stay ahead of the curve.

So, what’s the first strategy you’ll finally implement? Your inbox (and your audience) are waiting.

How to Leverage Email Campaigns to Gather Sincere Product Reviews

What do customers think about your brand’s products? The best way to find out is to ask them directly, which you can do via strategic email campaigns. Keep reading to learn how!
Beefree team
Beefree team
22 Jan
2025

What do customers think about your brand’s products? The best way to find out is to ask them directly, which you can do via strategic email campaigns.

Email makes gathering authentic product reviews quick and easy. By collecting sincere feedback, you can build trust, increase sales, boost loyalty, and innovate product improvements. 

That said, requesting reviews via email requires precise timing, personalized messaging, and lots of engagement optimizations. But don’t worry—we’ll walk you through some key steps to create email campaigns that deliver the valuable feedback you need.

Why product reviews matter

Product reviews do more than confirm that you're meeting customers’ needs. Sincere feedback drives loyalty and sales, offers valuable customer insights, and helps you develop a strategic product development roadmap.

  • Fosters customer loyalty: Requesting and listening to feedback makes your customers feel valued and heard. It demonstrates that you prioritize customer satisfaction, which helps you build stronger, long-term relationships. Review requests also act as re-engagement emails by starting new conversations with customers.
  • Increases sales: Social proof drives sales. According to a recent survey by Power Reviews, 90% of potential customers use online reviews to make purchasing decisions. In fact, reviews have more influence over purchasing decisions than product prices. Turning product reviews into customer testimonials and encouraging reviews on third-party sites can significantly boost sales.
Image sourced from powerreviews.com
  • Builds Customer 360 insights: Customer feedback delivers insights into customer needs and sentiments, enriching Customer 360. Exactly what is Customer 360? It’s a unified, 360-degree view of customer data. It empowers you to tailor products and customer experiences to meet individual needs and preferences. 
  • Drives product improvements: Sincere customer feedback reveals what target customers like/dislike about your products. It provides key insight into their value, functionality, and usability, unlocking large-scale development opportunities.

How to create an email campaign to collect product reviews

Want to unlock the power of product reviews? Let’s explore how to create email campaigns that encourage customers to share their feedback.

Segment your audience

Like promotional emails, product review requests shouldn’t be sent to every subscriber.

If subscribers haven’t had the chance to try your product, product review requests will feel irrelevant and may trigger unsubscriptions. So, only send review email requests to customers recently trying your product.

You can do this by segmenting your email list based on where customers are in the buying cycle. Target loyal customers, recent purchasers, and first-time buyers with tailored email campaigns. This ensures that you’re sending emails to customers most likely to respond with insightful feedback.

Write a compelling email subject line

According to Superoffice, 33% of people open an email based on the subject line. 

Image sourced from superoffice.com

To get the click-through rates you want, your email subject lines should be personalized, relevant, and engaging. Here are some examples:

  • Did you love [product]? Or hate it? Let us know!
  • We value your opinion — help us improve!
  • We want YOU to help us make our product better!
  • Up for a discount? Share your feedback for 10% off! 

Learn more > Tips for writing open worthy subject lines.

Optimize for customer engagement

A successful email marketing strategy relies on customer engagement. Here are some key email elements you need to encourage interactions.

  • An attractive email design: With the right layout, color scheme, typography, and images, you ensure easy readability and promote interaction. Use these engagement-boosting email design best practices to help you create a design that boosts conversion rates.
  • Gratitude and value: Thank customers for reading the email and explaining why their feedback is so important. Also, consider including a personalized Gmail email signature with your content details to build trust and encourage customers to engage with your review request. 
  • Personalized, relevant content: Personalized email content motivates engagement. Use customer data platform (CDP) data to tailor messages to individual customers. What is a CDP? It’s a centralized platform that collects and unifies customer information, building comprehensive customer profiles. 
  • Incentives: Offering a small discount can motivate customers to leave reviews, especially first-time buyers. That said, incentives can (sometimes) generate insincere reviews, so stress the importance of honesty. 
  • A strong call-to-action (CTA): Your CTA should direct readers straight to the reviews submission page. Use clear CTAs with bold buttons and typography to make it stand out.
  • Mobile responsiveness: If your emails are slow to load or don’t display correctly on mobile devices, your bounce rate will spike. Leverage solutions that offer advanced mobile optimization features — such as Beefree— to create responsive emails every single time.

Ask specific, concise questions

Complex, drawn-out questions that are too open-ended can disengage customers. So, get straight to the point with concise, direct questions. Here are some examples:

  • What did you think of [specific product feature]?
  • How often do you use our product?
  • What are your favorite/least favorite features?
  • How likely are you to recommend this product?
  • What could we do to improve our product?

Use a mixture of closed and open-ended questions to increase your chances of receiving meaningful responses.

Make it easy to respond

The easier it is for customers to leave a review, the more responses you’ll receive. So, make the process as seamless and convenient as possible. One way to do this is with survey emails.

Email surveys have high response rates. They can be completed within the email with minimal effort, which is a big plus for busy customers. And, they can generate a wealth of quantitative data and metrics that are quick to analyze, leading to faster improvements. BeeFree has an extensive collection of email survey templates to suit every need.

For longer review requests, include a CTA that directly links to the review submission page. Review forms should use simple, clear language, be optimized for mobile, and have a progress bar. 

You could even provide your telephone contact details to allow customers to leave a review via telephone. It’s the preferred communication method for 55% of Baby Boomers according to Hubspot, so it’s worth considering. 

Leverage small business telephone services from Vonage to access call center capabilities like virtual receptionists and CRM integrations, streamlining processes.

Also consider directing customers to leave reviews on popular review sites, such as Google and Amazon.

Optimize email timings

If you send product review requests too early, there’s a chance your customers won’t have tried your product yet. But if you send them too late, your customer might have forgotten their experience. 

So, when’s the best time to request reviews? 

Aim to send review requests within 7-14 days post-purchase. This gives customers a chance to try the product a few times, leading to more sincere, meaningful reviews. Plan for seasonal surges such as Black Friday and incorporate them into your schedules.

Key takeaways

Do email campaigns work for gathering valuable product reviews that drive improvements, boost trust, and increase sales and loyalty? 

Absolutely — but they need to be strategic.

To generate sincere reviews and valuable data, ensure your marketing emails are personalized, engaging, and optimized for convenience. And, use email list segmentation and marketing automation to ensure they’re sent to the right customers at the right time.

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