If you’re sending emails and hoping for the best… we need to talk.
Email marketing doesn’t work on guesswork. It works on experiments. And the best winery marketers? They don’t just write emails. They test them.
So before you spend hours perfecting that fall release announcement, run a few simple A/B tests to make sure your message actually resonates.
Here are 3 fast, winery-friendly email tests you can run this month, no tech degree or complicated setup required:
🧪 1. Subject Line Showdown
Your subject line is your first impression. Let’s make it count. Test this:
“Fall Club Release Details Inside” VS. “🍷 Something Delicious Is Coming Your Way…”
One’s direct. One’s playful. Which gets the open?
- ✅ Check open rates
- ✅ Repeat what works
- ✅ Learn what your audience responds to
Struggling to come up with contenders? Write 30 subject lines first, then test your best two against each other.
🧪 2. CTA Button Copy
“Shop Now” is fine… but you can do better. Test this:
- “Reserve Your Bottles”
- “Start Sipping”
- “Explore the Collection”
Your call-to-action doesn’t need to shout. It just needs to guide.
- ✅ More clicks
- ✅ Clearer direction
- ✅ A smoother path to purchase
🧪 3. Send Time Test
Think your emails always perform best at 10am on Tuesdays? Let’s prove it. Test this:
- Version A at 7:00 AM
- Version B at 3:00 PM
Then check your open and click rates, and start building your winery’s ideal send window. (Curious what the data says before you test? We dug into it in the best day to send winery emails.)
✨ Pro Tip: One test at a time. One variable at a time. And one big win waiting on the other side.
Want the fuller version of our testing method, hypotheses, champions, and all? It’s in A/B test your way to more online sales.
FAQs about winery email A/B testing
How big does my list need to be to A/B test?
Bigger helps, but don’t let a small list stop you. A few hundred recipients per variant gives you directional signal; just weight repeated results over any single test, and favor tests with bigger expected differences (subject line angle beats button color).
How long should I let a test run before picking a winner?
For a campaign send, most platforms’ champion-based tests decide within 2 to 4 hours based on opens or clicks. For send-time tests, give it the full day, afternoon sends need the afternoon to happen.
What should a winery test first?
Subject lines. They control whether anything else you wrote gets seen, the test costs nothing to set up, and the lessons compound across every future send.
Ready to press send with confidence?
Inside Mavens On Demand, you’ll get:
- Strategy reviews from email experts (hi, it’s me 👋)
- Pre-built templates you can tweak + test
- Support from other winery marketers who get it
Test smarter, and stop sending emails into the void. Let this be the moment you stop guessing and start growing.
📥 Get MOD
💌 Subscribe to the Email Party for weekly tips that actually help you sell more wine (without sounding salesy)
Let’s test, tweak, and turn your emails into your winery’s most profitable channel. 🥂
