Almost there! How progress bars keep subscribers moving
Interactive emails boost engagement, that’s why we’ve been talking so much about them in our blog posts. These elements are worth talking about because emails that include dynamic elements like progress bars produce 320% more revenue than non-automated emails. Who doesn’t want that?
Progress bars, specifically, are a topic we haven’t tackled yet, and it’s about time. Sometimes, the most effective way to motivate someone is to show them how far they've come and how close they are to achieving their goal. That's where progress bars in email come in.
Why visual progress matters
Progress bars offer marketers a straightforward yet impactful method to visualize a contact's movement toward a specific goal. Whether it's completing an application, reaching a donation target, or unlocking a loyalty reward, seeing progress visually can drive engagement and prompt action directly within the inbox.
Actually, progress bars can do more than just get that final click you wanted:
- Create momentum: Visual cues of near completion encourage recipients to take the final steps. LinkedIn increased the rate of fully completed profiles by up to 55% by using a progress visual indicator.
- Enhance personalization: Progress bars can dynamically update in real-time using user-specific data, making each email feel personal.
- Improve clarity: A quick visual snapshot helps recipients understand their current status…or just remind them about that thing they forgot to do.
- Elevate user experience: Emails with interactive elements are more modern, interactive, and thoughtfully designed—it’s harder for subscribers to ignore than text.
Because progress bars are typically served as dynamic images at the time of email open, they reflect the most current status for each recipient. This makes them both powerful and refreshingly simple to include.
Tip: Adding descriptive alt text to your progress bar images can also improve accessibility for subscribers using screen readers.
For a step-by-step breakdown on creating dynamic, personalized progress bars—including setting templates, adjusting colors, and working with merge tags—check out our guide to progress bars.
Progress bars can be effective conversion tools for any industry
You may have fallen into the trap of thinking progress bars are only for donation goals. Although that is a common use, there are so many your business can take advantage of them. Real-world uses for progress bars can look something like this:
Nonprofits
Example: “We’re 80% of the way to our goal, help us cross the finish line!” Creates urgency and motivates last-minute donations.
Example: “Your grant application is 50% complete – attach supporting documents to move forward!” Encourages timely submissions and reduces incomplete applications.
Education
Example: “Your application is 60% complete – just one more step to submit!” Inspires prospective students or applicants to complete their applications.
Example: “Application received ✅ → Interview scheduled 🔄 → Final review ⏳” Provides clarity on the application process and reduces follow-up inquiries.
Example: “You’ve completed 3 out of 5 sessions, attend 2 more for a special reward!” Encourages full participation in courses, webinars, or training programs.
E-commerce
Example: “You're only 2 purchases away from Gold Status! Keep shopping to unlock exclusive perks.” Promotes loyalty and drives repeat purchases.
Example: “Your cart is 60% full! Add a few more items to qualify for free shipping.” Increases average order value and reduces cart abandonment.
Example: “Your subscription is 90% through its cycle—renew today to stay uninterrupted!” Offers a timely reminder to reduce churn.
And voila! These are just a few of the many options at your fingertips.
How to add progress bars to your emails without the headache
While the concept of dynamic content like progress bars might sound complicated and annoying to set up, it doesn’t have to be. With the right tools, adding this feature to your emails can be straightforward and stress-free.
Delivra makes it easy. Our drag-and-drop email designer includes a built-in progress bar widget, so no coding is required. Simply drag it into your email layout, connect it to your contact data, and you're ready to send. You can customize everything from there to match your campaign goals.
Because Delivra supports real-time personalization, every recipient sees their progress the moment they open the email. By combining that with segmentation, automation, or triggered sends, you can build truly behavior-driven campaigns that are easy to scale. So if you're looking for a practical, high-impact way to boost engagement, without adding complexity to your workflow, progress bars are a great place to start.
Want to take your next campaign further? Try experimenting with a progress bar to show subscribers just how close they are to the finish line, and give them that final nudge to cross it.
