Buttons aka calls-to-action (CTAs)

Buttons are a great way to push your users towards taking a specific action. 

To use buttons most effectively:

  • Use only one button per email (two is okay...but one is better). Users are less likely to take a call-to-action if they have too many choices. Think about the purpose of your email. What is the number one thing you are trying to get your audience to do? Common choices include: Donate, RSVP, Sign up, Apply, etc.
    • If you have a lot of links you want to include in your email, that's okay! They don't need to be buttons, they can just be text links. (see below)
  • Make the button text clear. Buttons are a call-to-action, so make sure it has an action verb, and make it very clear what the benefit of clicking is. Be honest, and make sure the link goes where you would expect it to based on the text.
    • Good examples: "Donate to our center" "RSVP for the conference" "Sign up for our newsletter" "Take our survey"
    • Bad examples: "click here" "read more" "click to sign up"
  • Don't use words like "click" or "link". Users already know how buttons work. It's redundant.

  • Use descriptive link text. People who are blind or have low vision often navigate with screen readers by going from link to link. Providing users with descriptive link text is vital, because it tells them what is being clicked on, and where it will take them.

  • Don't use words like "click" or "link". Users already know how links work. It's redundant.
  • Don't use the URL as text. Screen readers will spell out every letter in the link. This is not only tedious, it is confusing, as it is unclear what the link is for.
  • Text links might be an action at the end of a section of text, for example:
    • "Sign up for our newsletter"
    • "Read more of our faculty research" 
  • Text links are also often just a part of the paragraph. For example:

Whenever you have an email address (ex: bentel@wisc.edu, weinert@wsb.wisc.edu) in the copy of your email, always add an email link. You can also add an email link to text like "Email our team"

  1. Select the email address text 
  2. Click the hyperlink button in the text editor options
  3. In the left sidebar, select "New Email Message" from the options
  4. Paste in the email address in the "Email Address" field
  5. Click off the sidebar
  6. Your text should now be blue and underlined. Click inside this to double check that the correct address is there. Eloqua automatically adds "mailto:" to the beginning of an email link.


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