A/B testing is a great way to test different variants of emails to see which one is more effective. You can test subject lines, message content, layouts, and calls to action to improve replies, meetings booked, clicks, and open rates.
Below is a full overview of how to set it up, how distribution works, and how to check your results.
Define the goal and elements
The first step is to choose why and what you want to test. Focus on the details you want to compare: replies, booked meetings, clicks, and open rates. Once you are ready with the target, you can use these elements for testingš
Subject lines/calls to action and offers
Headlines
Images and layout
Text body
Added value for your prospects
The most important parts of every email are the subject line and call to action, so keep an eye on them.
Set up testing environment
The second step is picking a group of contacts you want to work with. You can get the matches from the Data tool, or existing lists, or import a new CSV file. When you are ready with the prospects, follow these steps to start:
go to the Steps tab of your sequence;
click the Add VariantĀ button;
paste the email text/subject into the step editor;
click the Save button to apply changes.
You can also manage your variants if needed ā for example, you can clone, edit, pause, resume, or remove a variant. Just use the available actions in the template to make the changes you need.
Examine results
The last step is comparing the expected and actual results. Reply has a separate toggle for A/B variants to check the stats within your campaign. Here is what you need to do:
go to the Stats tab of your sequence;
scroll down to the Brief/Detailed view;
turn on the toggle to see A/B variant metrics.
š” Important: A/B testing is random, so you will not know who exactly will get variant A or B. The same goes for sequence steps, contacts who received variant A in Step 1 may get variant B in Step 2.
šSee also: A/B testing for LinkedIn steps