{"id":4446,"date":"2019-09-05T17:08:18","date_gmt":"2019-09-05T14:08:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/snov.io\/blog\/?p=4446"},"modified":"2025-11-10T14:13:45","modified_gmt":"2025-11-10T11:13:45","slug":"emoji-for-emails","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/snov.io\/blog\/emoji-for-emails\/","title":{"rendered":"A Complete Guide To Emoji For Emails"},"content":{"rendered":"

Emojis are the pineapple on pizza<\/span> for marketers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Some love them, some hate them, but I\u2019ve never met anyone indifferent to them. The idea for this article came to me when I myself got annoyed by a particularly irritating ? email emoji in my inbox on a busy Monday morning. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>There\u2019s no way emoji for emails can work,<\/span><\/i>\u201d – I thought, but I <\/span>had <\/span>to check.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

And so I did. There are multiple articles on emojis in emails, but all of them seem to be losing their relevance in 2024, which is why I have collected the most relevant data to create the Ultimate Guide To Emoji For Emails.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Outline:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Do emojis improve email open rate?<\/a><\/li>\n
  2. Do emojis improve the CTR?<\/a><\/li>\n
  3. Should I use emojis in email subject lines?<\/a><\/li>\n
  4. Are there cons to emoji for emails?<\/a><\/li>\n
  5. Things to check before using emojis in email?<\/a><\/li>\n
  6. Tips for using emojis in email subject lines<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n

    Do emojis improve email open rate?<\/span><\/h2>\n

    Short answer: Sometimes.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

    Long answer: It depends on many factors, including <\/span>timing<\/b>, <\/span>audience<\/b>, and <\/span>emojis used<\/b>.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

    Having read and analyzed multiple studies, we can say one thing for certain –\u00a0 there is no sure-fire formula for using emojis that will give you an improved open rate<\/a> every time.<\/span><\/p>\n

    But before we begin, make sure you send your emails only to verified contacts<\/a>. If you skip this step, no matter whether your copy conains emojis or not, your outreach won’t bring you the desired results.<\/p>\n

    Timing<\/strong>\u00a0\u23f0<\/span><\/h3>\n

    One of the more recent <\/span>studies on emojis in email<\/span> from 2017 found that some seasonal and themed emojis do improve open rate, while others <\/span>majorly <\/span><\/i>reduce it. This unpredictability is what makes it so hard to give a definitive answer on emojis\u2019 effectiveness.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

    \"New
    Source: ReturnPath<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Check the stats on this New Year\u2019s promotion above. Pay attention to the two control rates: <\/span>18% read rate<\/b> and <\/span>0.11% complaint rate<\/b>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

    The Top 3 emojis performed <\/span>3-4% better<\/b> than average in terms of read rate, yet received <\/span>2-4 times<\/b> the average complaint number.\u00a0<\/span>What does this tell us? That emojis don\u2019t provide consistent results.\u00a0<\/span>Let\u2019s check another example.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

    \"Valentines
    Source: ReturnPath<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    With the average Valentine\u2019s Day promo stats of <\/span>20% read rate<\/b> and <\/span>0.19% complaint rate<\/b>, this seemingly similar promo shows us more positive results.\u00a0<\/span>Top 3 emojis yielded a<\/span> 2-4% better<\/b> read rate, yet received much lower complaint rates.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

    Note that the read rate with and without emojis is on average the same when compared to the All Promo Email average stats.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Emojis used \ud83d\udca1<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n

    As we\u2019ve seen in the first graph, different emojis receive different reactions. In another great <\/span>study<\/span> from 2018, Braze found that <\/span>\u2764\ufe0f<\/span> is currently the most commonly used emoji. Bear in mind, however, that the less popular emoji you use, the higher the chances to catch your recipient\u2019s attention in the crowded inbox. <\/span>
    \n<\/span>
    \n<\/span>Why? Because the insane popularity of the heart emoji means that the audience now is seeing a lot of messages with the same emojis again and again, quickly growing tired of this once exciting marketing trick. This is confirmed by another big <\/span>study<\/span> from Phrasee, according to which <\/span>100 most common emojis make up 66% of all emojis used<\/b> in email subject lines.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

    \"top
    Source: Phrasee<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    If you\u2019re not afraid to use emojis in the first place, why not experiment with some of the underrated ones? Why not try to use this little fella \ud83d\udc0c<\/span> in your next campaign.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

    Audience<\/strong> \ud83d\udc68\u200d\ud83d\udc69\u200d\ud83d\udc67\u200d\ud83d\udc66<\/span><\/h3>\n

    Many are convinced that the success of emojis depends on how well you know your buyer persona<\/a>, and they are correct. Sometimes, that includes understanding that emojis are not for your audience, too.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Younger vs older<\/span><\/h4>\n

    Common sense would tell you that younger audiences like Millennials and Gen Z are more likely to engage with emojis, and research confirms that. A <\/span>survey<\/span> from 2017 found that <\/span>68% of millennials prefer communicating with emojis<\/b> and gifs, and only <\/span>37% of those over 65<\/b> agree with them. We can only assume the % is even higher among Gen Z.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

    B2B vs B2C<\/span><\/h4>\n

    B2B emails tend to take on a slightly more serious tone, which makes using emojis in emails not just risky, but inappropriate. This is because B2B emails are closer to professional communication<\/a> than a massive email campaign, and\u00a0<\/span>research<\/span> on email faux pas shows that<\/span> emojis are considered unacceptable by 30% of\u00a0<\/b>respondents<\/b>, so save that for close business contacts.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

    Existing customers vs cold leads<\/span><\/h4>\n

    Don\u2019t underplay the importance of your relationship with subscribers. Emojis bring a sense of familiarity with them, which at times is not something you can afford with cold leads. For example, a 2017 <\/span>study<\/span> called<\/span> Effects of Smiling Emoticons on Virtual First Impressions found that \u201c<\/span>…Smileys do not increase perceptions of warmth and actually decrease perceptions of competence. Perceptions of low competence in turn undermined information sharing.<\/span><\/i>\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

    Women vs men<\/span><\/h4>\n

    A 2016 <\/span>study<\/span> by Braze (formerly Appboy) found that<\/span> men are more likely to have a negative reaction to emojis<\/b> (13% vs 4%). This great chart from the study shows even more details about how people view brands using emojis in messages (including email).<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

    \"brands
    Source: Braze.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    This same study also researched the channels through which people are most open to brands using emojis, with text messages receiving 37%, social media – 28%, and <\/span>email getting 14%<\/b>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

    Location\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n

    In a somewhat unexpected turn, a <\/span>study<\/span> by Mailjet found that among Spain, France, the UK and the US, each country\u00a0<\/span>had radically different reactions to emojis<\/b>. In France, all tested emojis in subject lines resulted in lower open rates (-11%), while in the US and the UK the use of emojis showed a growth in open rates (+42% and +62%, respectively).<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

    Do emojis improve the CTR?<\/span><\/h2>\n

    Yes and no. Emojis increase the CTR in a lot of mediums. However, it hasn\u2019t been proven that email is one of them.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    The closest stats we have are from <\/span>research<\/span> that claims that 45% of consumers \u201c<\/span>like brands that do not take themselves too seriously<\/span><\/i>.\u201d But claiming that the humanness of emojis will improve your CTR is a reach. Instead, why not try personalization<\/a>?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
     <\/p>\n

    \ud83d\udca1 Pro-tip<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

    Make sure you send emails to valid addresses by using email verification<\/a> tools.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

    Should I use emojis in email subject lines?<\/span><\/h2>\n

    If you are looking for reasons to use emojis that aren\u2019t connected to improving your CTR or open rates, there are plenty.<\/span><\/p>\n