Email Marketing remains one of the most effective channels for engaging customers and driving business growth. Email marketing is especially valuable in the insurance industry due to its ability to nurture long-term relationships, support renewal cycles, and educate clients on complex insurance products.

This article outlines the key best practices for crafting successful email campaigns, from building a healthy recipient list to creating compelling content and optimizing send times. These guidelines can help you improve deliverability, engagement, and the return on every campaign you send. 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Configure a Custom Domain
• Subject Lines
• Content
• Audience
• Email Campaign Timing
• Leverage Campaign Templates
• Campaigns Dashboard
• Bonus Tip: A/B Testing Your Email Campaigns

Configure a Custom Domain

While optional, setting up a custom domain enhances your brand credibility and improves email deliverability. By default, emails sent from EZLynx are sent using agent@agencyinbox.com. This is because we do not have permission to send emails out using your agency's email address. This might confuse some recipients or cause emails to be flagged as spam. To improve email deliverability, the Email Campaign Admin can add a Custom Domain in EZLynx so that the emails will display your email address instead. 

Important - This is an advanced option that will require you or your hosting provider to make changes to the DNS records associated to your domain. This option is only available for use with domains that you control. As a result, you cannot use this feature with third-party email addresses like @gmail.com or @yahoo.com 

1. Hover over the Communication Center icon.

2. Click Settings.

3. Click the Custom Domains tab. 

4. Click the Add Domain button.

5. Under Step One - Add Domain, input your domain into the domain.com box. 

6. Click the Next button.

7. Under Step Two - Validate Changes, copy the DNS records and either provide them to your domain registrar or the company that manages your agency's website.

8. Click Save and Validate Later. 

Once your domain registrar shas input the DNS records on their end, come back into Step Two - Validate Changes and click the Validate button. You will see green check marks if everything has connected correctly. 

Subject Lines

Your subject line is the first impression - and often the deciding factor in whether an email gets opened. To maximize engagement, follow these proven strategies that balance clarify, personalization, and value: 

• Keep it concise: The ideal length is between 30 and 50 characters, or 4-7 words. A shorter subject line is easier to read on mobile devices, where a significant portion of emails are opened. 
• Create a sense of urgency (without being pushy): Use caution to not sound spammy, it's often more effective to frame urgency around a need (e.g., "Renew your policy before it expires").
• Personalize it: Using the recipient's name or other personal details can significantly increase open rates. For example, instead of "An important update about your policy," try "John, an important update about your policy." 
• Ask a question: A subject line that poses a question can pique curiosity and make the recipient feel more engaged. For example, "Are you overpaying your car insurance?" 
• Use numbers or lists: People are drawn to numbers. A subject line like "3 ways to save on your home insurance" or "10 things to know about life insurance" can be very effective. 
• Focus on value and benefits: Instead of a generic "Policy documents," a better subject line might be "Review your new policy benefits." Frame the subject line around the customer gains, such as savings security, or peace of mind. 
• Highlight savings: If the email contains a potential for cost savings, make that clear in the subject line. "Save up to 15% on your auto insurance" is a powerful motivator." 
• Leverage educational content: For lead nurturing campaigns, subject lines can focus on providing useful information. For example, "How to prepare your home for winter storms" or "Understanding the difference between term and whole life insurance." 
• Build trust with social proof: If applicable, a subject line like "See what our customers are saying about our claims process" can build credibility. 

Tip: Use A/B Testing to experiment with different subject lines and identify which ones yield the highest open rates. more about A/B Testing later in the article.

Content

Here are some best practices for creating compelling email campaign content: 

1. Focus on the Reader, Not Yourself

Instead of talking about "our great new product," frame the message around "how this product benefits you." In the insurance space, this means focusing on benefits like: 

a. Financial security and peace of mind.

b. Protection for your family an assets. 

c. Cost savings and exclusive discounts. 

2. Make it Scannable and Easy to Read

People skim emails on their phones and have short attention spans. Avoid long, dense blocks of text. 

a. Use short paragraphs: Break up your copy into small, digestible chunks of 1-3 sentences. 

b. Use bullet points and numbered lists: These draw the eye and help readers quickly grasp key information.

c. Use bolded text and headings: Highlight the most important takeaways. 

3. Personalize the Content 

Leverage smart tags to make the content truly relevant to your audience.

4. Optimize image sizes

Large images slow-down load times, leading to frustration and abandoned emails. 

a. Use standard widths: Aim for 600px wide for full-width images. 

b. Keep file sized small: Ideally under 1MB file size for faster loading times. 

c. Choose efficient formats: Use JPEG for photos, PNG for logos/icons, and GIFs sparingly.

d. Compress images: Use tools like TinyPNG or Squoosh to reduce file size and without sacrificing quality. 

5. Have a Clear and Single Call-to-Action (CTA)

Every email should have a single, primary objective. Your CTA should be clear, prominient,. and compelling.

a. Be specific: Instead of "Click Here," use a button that says "Get Your Free Quote," "Review My Policy," or "Download Our Guide." 

6. Use your logo and brand colors: Place your logo in every email.

7. Be consistent with your brand voice: Whether your brand is professional and serious or more friendly and approachable, make sure the tone of your copy reflects this.

8. Avoid "Spammy" Triggers

Be mindful of language that can get your email flagged by spam filters.

a. Avoid excessive use of exclamation points and capital letters.

b. Be careful with common spam words: "Free," "win," "guarantee," and "limited time offer" can sometimes trigger filters. Use them with caution. 

Audience

The success of a campaign starts with sending the right message to the right people. Use the powerful Recipient List capabilities within EZLynx to build highly targeted lists.

Recipient List Creation and Targeted Filters: In EZLynx, you can build lists based on a variety of customer data points to ensure relevance. Consider using filters to target the following segments: 

• Cross-Sale Opportunities: Target clients who only have an Auto policy with you but not a Home policy (or vice versa). 
• Birthday Campaigns: Send a simple, personalized "Happy Birthday" greeting. This is a great, low-effort touchpoint. 
• Policy Renewal Windows: Target clients whose policies are due to be renewed in the next 30-60 days to initiate the review process. 
• Missing Lines of Business: Target clients for specific product offers (e.g., umbrella, life) based on their current policy portfolio. 
• Geographic/Weather-Related Alerts: Target clients in specific zip codes for local alerts (e.g., hurricane prep, wildfire risk).

Tip: Regularly clean your contacts by removing inactive bounced contracts to maintain high deliverability. 

Email Campaign Timing

When you send your email can be just as important as what's inside it. Strategic timing helps maximize open rate and engagement. 

Test different send times to determine when you specific audience is most responsive - this may vary based on demographics such as age or occupation. 

Here are some guidelines to consider: 

• Best Days: Mid-week, specifically Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, are generally considered the sweet spot. Monday are often chaotic with "inbox backlog" and Fridays tend to have lower engagement as people mentally check out for the weekend.
• Best Times: The most common high-engagement windows a re: 
  • Mid-morning (9 AM - 11 AM): People have settled into their workdays and are checking their inboxes. 
  • Lunchtime (12 PM - 1 PM): People on break are more likely to check personal emails on their phones.
  • Late Afternoon (2 PM - 3 PM): Secondary peak for engagement.

Leverage Campaign Templates

Email campaign templates are more than just time-savers -- they're strategic tools that help agents communicate consistently, professionally, and effectively. Whether sending email campaigns, automated communications, one-off messages, templates ensure every email is polished and purposeful. 

To make things easier, in EZLynx we provide ready-to-use campaign templates designed specifically for insurance workflows. You can customize these templates to reflect your agency's brand voice and local relevance or create your own. This helps build trust and recognition among your clients. 

Templates are built to save time and boost engagement -- so agents can focus on what matters most: building relationships and closing business.

Campaigns Dashboard

An email campaign dashboard gives insurance agents a clear view of how their emails are performing overtime. It's not just about tracking numbers, it's about understanding what's working, what's not, and how to improve future campaigns. 

By monitoring key metrics regularly -- weekly or monthly -- you can identify trends and take action to fine-tune the messaging of underperforming campaigns, optimize timing, and maintain a healthy sender reputation. 

Essential Metrics to Track (with Benchmarks) 

Data based on Mailchimp's Email Marketing Benchmark Report 2024

Why These Metrics Matter

• Open Rate helps assess subject line effectiveness and timing.
• Click Rate shows how compelling your content and call-to-action are.
• Bounce Rate reveals list quality and deliverability issues.
• Spam Complaints affect your sender reputation and inbox placement.
• Unsubscribes indicate relevance and frequency concerns. 

Use these benchmarks as a guide but always compare against your own historical performance. Trends over time are often more telling than one-off results. 

Most Clicked Links

This card highlights which links in your email are getting the most engagement. Use it to: 

• Identify what content resonates most with your audience
• Refine future calls-to-action based on actual user behavior
• Prioritize high-performing offers or resources in upcoming campaigns

Top Performing Subject Lines

This insight shows which subject lines are driving the highest open rates. Use it to: 

• Replicate successful patterns in tone, structure, or personalization
  
• Build a subject line library for different campaign types (e.g., renewals, promotions, education)

These insights go beyond basic metrics -- they help you make smarter decisions, improving targeting, and ultimately drive more conversations with less guesswork. 

Bonus Tip: A/B Testing Your Email Campaigns

A/B Testing is a powerful technique that allows you to compare two version of an email to determine which performs better. By testing different elements, you can optimize your campaigns for higher engagement and conversion. 

Purpose of A/B Testing

• Identify what resources best with your audience
• Improve open rates, click-through rates, and overall campaign effectiveness. 
• Make data-driven decisions instead of relying on assumptions

How to Set Up an A/B Test in EZLynx 

1. Create two versions of your email campaign (Version A and Version B).
   
2. Change one variable between the two version (e.g., subject line, send time, CTA).
3. Select a small percentage of your recipient list to receive the test emails.
4. Monitor performance metrics such as open rate and click rate. 
5. Send the winning version to the remaining recipients. 

What to Test

• Subject Lines: Try different tones, lengths, or personalization strategies.
  
• Send Times: Test different days of the week or times of the day.
• Content: Experiment with layout, images, messaging, or call-to-action buttons.

Interpreting Results

• Focus on statically significant differences in performance
  
• Use the insights to inform future campaigns and build a library of high-performing elements.
• Remember that small changes can lead to big improvements over time. 

Tip: Always test one variable at a time to isolate its impact. Over time, A/B testing helps you refine your email strategy and better understand your audience.

We hope this best practices article was helpful in learning best practices for creating effective Email Campaigns. Please let us know if this article was helpful by answering the question below. Check out our related articles on the right-side of the page to learn more about EZLynx!