Newsletter A/B tests worth running

Welcome To The Orbit Marketing Newsletter 🪐 

This Week We’re Diving Into:

• 🧪 Tutorial: A/B Tests That Work, From subject lines to CTAs, never assume what worked once will work again.

• 🎙️ Podcast: Defining B2B Influence on LinkedIn, How Nick Bennett built a 7-figure GTM advisory and landed a book deal.

Read time: 4 minutes

At Orbit Marketing, we’ve helped 50+ businesses launch weekly newsletters. If you are struggling to nurture your prospects, stay top of mind, or publish consistent content, click here to learn more about how we can help.

🧪 Newsletter A/B Tests Worth Running

Let’s be honest, A/B testing sounds like a smart thing to do.

But if you’ve ever run one, you know the truth:
It’s slow. Confusing. Sometimes inconclusive.

And unless you’ve got 5,000+ subscribers and a focused plan, you’re probably just spinning your wheels.

Inspired by Dan Oshinsky’s massive framework that will show you what matters, what order to test in, and the common traps.

Here’s the breakdown:

✉️ First: Test Your Envelope

If your readers don’t open your emails, nothing else matters.

Start with these:

• Subject line style → serious vs. silly, emoji vs. plain, “Today’s News” vs. fresh every time

• Subject line length → <30 chars vs. 60+ chars (short usually wins, but not always)

• Preheader text → double down on the subject or tease something else entirely

• Sent-from name → Your name, your brand, or both (“Inbox Collective | Dan Oshinsky” style)

Track open rates, and don’t test two envelope elements at once unless your list is huge.

📬 Then: Test Body Content & Structure

Got the open? Now earn the click. Try this:

• With vs. without an intro

• Text link vs. button vs. image card

• Newsletter length → More links ≠ worse performance (BuzzFeed found that out the fun way)

• New content blocks → polls, Q&As, reader shoutouts

• Tone + cadence shifts → like changing a twice-monthly humor newsletter into a daily edition (New Yorker did, and it worked)

Track: click rate, total clicks, unsubscribe rate, reader feedback
And remember: not everything works forever, retest quarterly

🤑 Next: Test What Makes You Money

If an email drives revenue, treat it like a campaign, not a guess.

Here’s what to test:

• CTA design → button vs. text link

• CTA copy → “Get Started” vs “Save $30” vs “Plant a Tree”

• One CTA vs. Two → especially in donation/membership flows

• Email tone → benefits-first vs. urgency-based

• Offer framing → % off vs. $ off, 3-month trial vs. annual discount

• HTML vs. plain text

Track: conversion rate, LTV, and reengagement rates.

📈 Want to Grow Faster? Test Your Acquisition Paths

Most “growth hacks” fail. These don’t, if you test them properly.

• Landing page → long copy vs. short, testimonials vs. none

• Pop-up behavior → when it appears, what it says, how aggressive it is

• Welcome series → short (1–2 emails) vs. long (5–7), plain vs. personal, CTA structure

• Reactivation campaigns → “We miss you” vs “Still want this?”, 1 email vs. 3

Bonus: If you’re buying traffic, test every ad variant. The 1440 Newsletter ran 1,500 ad tests in 2023 alone.

🤔 Read This Before You Hit “Send to All”

1. If you run tests with a list under 5,000 subs, your results won’t be statistically significant.

2. If you test too many variables at once, you’ll never know what worked.

3. If you copy someone else’s test result—like the infamous “purple button” craze—you’re not optimizing. You’re mimicking.

Real newsletter operators test consistently, interpret carefully, and never assume what worked once will work again.

The point isn’t to win every test. It’s to build a system that makes every newsletter better than the last.

💡 Want help scaling your growth or monetization strategy without second-guessing every move?

Book a call with Orbit Marketing

BTW, check out Dan Oshinsky’s massive framework on A/B testing for further reading.

🎙️ Nick Bennett: Defining B2B Influence on LinkedIn

Nick Bennett is the Co-Founder of TACK and author of B2B Influencer Marketing, a go-to-market advisory focused on people-first strategies.

In this interview, you’ll learn:

• 🚫 What NOT to Do: Why most B2B influencer campaigns flop and what to avoid.

• 👍 The Power of Showing Up: Find out how the inbound leads started rolling in only after Nick posted daily for six months with no traction.

Whenever you are ready, here’s how we can help you:

1. Done-For-You Weekly Newsletter - Start a weekly publication to nurture your prospects on autopilot, build authority, and stay top of mind. Learn more.

2. Tune Into The Orbit Marketing Podcast - Actionable tips and insights on email marketing, directly from industry leaders. Listen now.

3. Join The Orbit Marketing Partner Program - Learn more about how to partner with Orbit Marketing. Get more info.