How Elle Magazine does newsletter emails that earn clicks

This email aims to drive engagement by sharing a deeply personal, politically resonant first-person story about abortion access, while also promoting Elle’s brand identity as a platform for bold, authentic women’s narratives. It subtly encourages membership conversion through a bottom-of-email CTA.

Elle masterfully opens with a high-stakes personal story that humanizes a polarizing issue, using the Capitol Hill setting to amplify its political weight while keeping the emotional core centered on the individual’s vulnerability and autonomy.

The email strategically balances heavy, socially significant content with lighter celebrity-driven stories to maintain reader momentum, ensuring the audience doesn’t disengage after the intense lead article by offering familiar, visually appealing follow-ups.

The primary CTA 'JOIN NOW' lacks urgency or benefit-driven language; rephrasing it to something like 'Unlock Stories Like This, Become a Member Today' would better connect the emotional content to the conversion ask. • The hero image of the Capitol building, while symbolically powerful, doesn’t visually reflect the personal, intimate nature of the story; replacing it with a portrait or symbolic image of the author would strengthen emotional resonance and reader connection.

This email aims to engage readers with compelling human-interest stories that align with Elle’s brand values of empowerment and cultural relevance, while subtly promoting membership and sponsored content through strategic placement of CTAs and ads.

Elle masterfully opens with a deeply personal, intergenerational story of activism that humanizes political leadership, making the content emotionally resonant while reinforcing the brand’s commitment to social justice and women’s voices.

By weaving in celebrity culture and lifestyle content alongside hard-hitting narratives, the email maintains reader interest across diverse interests without diluting its core mission, creating a balanced editorial rhythm that keeps scrolling effortless.

The primary CTA 'READ MORE' is repetitive and generic across all content blocks; customizing CTAs to reflect article tone, like 'Discover Her Legacy' or 'See the Glamour', would increase click-through rates by creating emotional specificity. • The membership promotion at the bottom, while visually distinct, lacks urgency or social proof; adding a limited-time benefit or testimonial quote like 'Join 500K+ readers who get exclusive access' would strengthen conversion intent.

This email aims to drive engagement by teasing exclusive content around 'The Summer I Turned Pretty' Season 2 while showcasing other trending celebrity stories to keep readers scrolling. It also seeks to convert casual readers into paying members by highlighting premium benefits at the bottom.

The email opens with a high-emotion visual and a teaser quote from the star, instantly hooking fans by making them feel like insiders with exclusive access to the show’s emotional arc before the premiere.

By placing the membership CTA at the bottom after a scroll-worthy content cascade, Elle strategically builds value perception first, readers are more likely to convert after being reminded of the magazine’s cultural relevance and exclusivity.

Add a visual hierarchy to the CTA buttons, consider using a contrasting color or bold border on the hero section’s 'READ MORE' to make it stand out more than the others and guide users toward the primary content. • Include a short countdown or release date for 'The Summer I Turned Pretty' Season 2 in the hero section to create time-sensitive urgency and encourage immediate clicks, rather than relying solely on curiosity.

To engage readers with a thought-provoking, emotionally resonant editorial on the evolving definition and legal status of embryos in the U.S. post-Roe v. Wade, while driving traffic to the full article and encouraging membership sign-ups through curated content and visual storytelling.

The email opens with a deeply human, multi-perspective narrative that frames embryos not as abstract medical entities but as emotionally charged symbols of hope, loss, and identity, a storytelling technique that invites empathy before analysis.

By juxtaposing a heavy, culturally urgent topic with visually arresting, emotionally neutral imagery, like the surreal blue flower, the design creates a tonal contrast that draws the reader in without overwhelming them, balancing gravity with aesthetic grace.

Add a secondary CTA beneath the main article teaser, such as 'Explore Our Reproductive Health Archive', to guide readers interested in related topics without forcing them to click through the full article first. • Integrate a brief, one-sentence pull quote from the article, perhaps from Becky Alprin or MD Sitzes, directly under the headline to immediately anchor the emotional hook and increase scroll retention.

This email aims to engage readers with thought-provoking content about the value of liberal arts education while subtly promoting lifestyle, travel, and retail offers that align with the audience’s aspirational interests. It balances editorial depth with commercial appeal to drive clicks and brand loyalty.

The email opens with a bold, culturally relevant headline that immediately addresses a pain point, college ROI, while positioning liberal arts as a counterintuitive but valuable investment, making it irresistible to parents and students alike.

By weaving in lifestyle and luxury offers, like a European river cruise or designer sleepwear, the campaign transforms educational content into a broader aspirational narrative, subtly aligning intellectual value with consumer desire without feeling salesy.

The CTA for the river cruise giveaway is visually strong but buried at the bottom; relocating it to a sticky banner or floating button would increase conversion by capturing attention earlier in the scroll journey. • The Fisher Investments ad interrupts the editorial flow with a jarring tone and visual style; replacing it with a native content partnership or branded editorial would preserve the email’s curated, high-end aesthetic.

This email aims to engage readers with a deeply personal, thought-provoking article questioning the conventional wisdom around antidepressants, while also driving traffic to additional celebrity-driven content and encouraging membership sign-ups through a compelling value proposition.

The email opens with a raw, vulnerable personal narrative that instantly humanizes a complex medical topic, making readers feel seen and emotionally invested before they even reach the first CTA.

By juxtaposing a serious mental health exploration with lighter celebrity fashion content, the email strategically balances depth with escapism, keeping the reader engaged without overwhelming them with heavy subject matter.

The primary CTA 'READ MORE' is visually underwhelming and repeated identically across all articles; consider varying the CTA text (e.g., 'Discover the Science' or 'See Her Style') to better reflect each article’s unique hook and increase click-through intent. • The email lacks a clear visual hierarchy between the lead article and the celebrity content, adding a subtle divider, background tint, or icon to distinguish editorial depth from entertainment could help guide reader attention more effectively.

To drive immediate clicks and conversions by highlighting a time-sensitive discount on a premium beauty tool, leveraging urgency and credibility through Elle Magazine’s editorial voice to appeal to style-conscious shoppers seeking value.

Elle Magazine masterfully combines editorial credibility with e-commerce urgency by framing a Dyson flat iron deal as a breaking fashion industry scoop, making the discount feel exclusive rather than just promotional.

The email uses emotionally resonant language like 'OMG' and 'Groundbreaking' to mirror how readers talk among friends, turning a product promotion into a shared cultural moment that’s more likely to be clicked and shared.

Add a visible countdown timer or 'Limited Stock' indicator near the CTA to reinforce urgency, since the current 'Right Now' phrasing lacks tangible time pressure that drives immediate action. • Replace the generic 'READ MORE' CTA with action-oriented text like 'Grab the Deal Before It’s Gone' to better align with the promotional intent and increase conversion intent.

To drive engagement and clicks by curating shoppable fashion and lifestyle picks that align with seasonal trends and reader interests, while subtly promoting brand partnerships and sponsored content.

The email strategically opens with a visually rich hero image of beauty advent calendars to immediately tap into holiday gifting psychology, making the reader feel prepared rather than pressured to shop.

By blending editorial-style headlines with product-driven CTAs, the campaign successfully blurs the line between inspiration and commerce, encouraging readers to explore items as discoveries rather than sales pitches.

Add a subtle countdown timer or limited-time badge near the beauty advent calendar CTA to create urgency, since holiday shoppers respond strongly to time-sensitive framing when gift planning. • Replace generic 'READ MORE' CTAs with benefit-driven text like 'Shop the Trend' or 'See How to Style It' to better align with the product-focused intent and increase click-through relevance.

This email aims to drive immediate purchases of the 2024 Prevention Calendar and Health Planner by positioning it as an essential tool for achieving holistic wellness goals in the new year, leveraging urgency and social proof from last year’s sell-out.

The email brilliantly frames the planner not as a passive organizer but as an active wellness coach, using benefit-driven language like 'calm your mind, feel younger, eat better' to emotionally align with the reader’s aspirational self.

By highlighting 'limited supply' and 'sold out last year,' the campaign taps into scarcity psychology without sounding pushy, making the product feel exclusive and desirable rather than just another calendar in a crowded market.

Add a small countdown timer or stock counter near the CTA to amplify urgency, since the 'limited supply' claim is currently static and lacks real-time reinforcement that could nudge hesitant buyers to act now. • Include a short testimonial or user quote from a 2023 buyer near the product description to strengthen social proof, currently, the sell-out claim is implied but not backed by a relatable voice that validates the product’s impact.

This email aims to drive immediate book purchases by offering Elle Magazine readers a limited-time 25% discount through Barnes & Noble, leveraging celebrity appeal and holiday gifting urgency to convert interest into sales.

The email brilliantly pairs celebrity-driven content with holiday gifting language, making the Harry Styles book feel like a must-have cultural artifact rather than just another product, which elevates perceived value and urgency.

Each product description is framed as a gift solution with emotional resonance, whether it’s a Christmas stocking stuffer or a chic home decor inspiration, making the offer feel personal and timely, not transactional.

Add a countdown timer near the CTA to reinforce urgency, since ‘LIMITED TIME OFFER’ is mentioned but not visually enforced, which could increase conversion by creating real-time pressure. • Include a short testimonial or social proof snippet under one of the books, like ‘Over 10,000 copies sold this week’, to build credibility and reduce hesitation for first-time buyers.