Boost Push Notification CTR with Skillful Segmentation: 5 Proven Strategies

Let’s face it: not all segmentation strategies deliver equal results. Simple demographic targeting works—research shows it’s better than broadcasting push messages to the whole user base —but why settle?

Even higher engagement happens when you tap into data on how users interact with your app. By leveraging granular insights from onboarding flows, in-app behaviors, user preferences, and predictive analytics, you can create segments precise enough to drive your push CTR up by as much as 92%. Ready to level up? Here are five actionable segmentation strategies to boost your push CTR, all backed by real apps’ case studies and data.

1. Segmentation starts at onboarding: drive 92% push CTR through personalized data

Bantoa, a fashion social e-commerce app, uses detailed style quizzes during a multistep onboarding and tracks user actions to learn as much as possible about user preferences early on.

By leveraging detailed user profiles created during onboarding, Bantoa can send remarkably relevant push notifications based on individual style preferences and shopping habits. Bantoa achieved a maximum push notification CTR of 91.9%, significantly exceeding industry standards for e-commerce apps. 

SPORT1, a leading sports platform, also proved that the right onboarding strategy can significantly impact push CTR. By allowing users to select their favorite sports, teams, and leagues during onboarding, they build granular audience segments.

This segmentation enabled SPORT1 to send personalized push notifications, including live match tickers, red/yellow card alerts, and editorial content tailored to user interests. Since every push notification was relevant and timely, engagement skyrocketed to an 8% push CTR, 2–3 times higher than the industry average.

Your action plan:

1. Use short quizzes or quick surveys to collect essential user preferences from the start.
2. Leverage this data to build precise segments.
3. Create personalized push notifications that match your users’ genuine interests. Doing so, you can prove your app is a valuable solution to user needs.

💡 For this and the following five strategies, consistently track performance and refine your messaging based on insights gained from your user base.

2. Pinpoint high-value segments to scale user base growth

HungryNaki, a food delivery app, aimed to maintain rapid growth by engaging users through targeted promotions. They identified high-value users who placed five or more orders in the past 30 days. With these precise segments, HungryNaki sent visually appealing rich push notifications featuring personalized offers and meal suggestions. 

This approach significantly increased push CTR, order frequency, and average order value. 

Your action plan:

1. Identify your most engaged users based on specific behaviors, such as frequency of purchases within a set timeframe.
2. Leverage these insights to build high-value customer segments. 

Craft visually appealing and personalized push notifications, highlighting tailored promotions and relevant content that match user preferences.

💡 Implement dynamic personalization to ensure your messages feel appropriate to each recipient. This targeted approach will drive user engagement, increase purchase frequency, and enhance customer loyalty.

3. Maximize engagement with location-based segmentation

Telepizza, a global pizza delivery giant, aimed to boost revenue by strategically reaching customers with personalized push notifications. The company used precise segmentation based on customer location and pizza preferences to send hyper-localized, personalized offers.

This focused approach significantly increased push CTR, directly generating 300–450 orders per push. Telepizza’s success demonstrates the power of location-based segmentation and timely personalization in driving customer engagement and sales.

Your action plan:

1. Define user segments based on location and interests—research shows these outperform other segmentation criteria for push CTR.

To ensure users willingly share their location, show them how it enriches their experience. Introduce location requests at the right moment—when the benefit is clear and immediate, such as when they’re exploring local deals. This transparent, thoughtful approach encourages users to say ‘yes’ to location access.

4. Craft push notification copy that clicks

Small tweaks in your push notification copy can make a big difference, and A/B testing lets you discover what resonates best with users. Save yourself some time—research shows that these three tactics significantly enhance push CTR:

Statement or question? The power of phrasing

Data demonstrates that framing notifications as questions grabs more attention and achieves a 20% higher CTR than straightforward statements—especially if you send broad messages without detailed segmentation.

Make your CTA clear

Don’t confuse users—tell them exactly what action to take. A concise, direct CTA like “Claim your discount” or “Unlock your deal” makes the next step obvious, leading to higher engagement.

By clearly guiding users from Day 1, Omada improved retention and achieved a 5.7% increase in push CTR for the following message, effectively encouraging more users to share feedback and stay engaged.

Emojis: small icons with a big impact on CTR

Emojis aren’t just fun—they’re strategic! Adding emojis to your notifications helps your message stand out, injects personality, and quickly conveys emotions. This visual appeal makes notifications more engaging, leading users to click more frequently.

On top of that, the placement of emojis matters. Adding them to the push notification copy has a greater impact on CTR than adding them to the title. In the case of ecommerce apps, using emojis in the copy can increase CTR by almost 11%, while adding them to the title only results in a 3.5% increase.

Your action plan:

When crafting push notifications, remember that you have seconds to grab attention. Building on what we’ve discussed, keep these four golden rules in mind:

• Be concise—Less is more. Keep it under 50 characters so users get the message at a glance.
• Spark emotions—Create urgency with FOMO or time-sensitive language: “Only a few left!”
• Personalize—Speak directly to the user: “Your {wishlist item} is on sale!”
• Automate—use AI writing assistants, A/B testing tools, and marketing automation platforms to refine every word, optimize timing, and ensure your push messages drive real action.

5. Leverage optimal timing to maximize push engagement

Timing isn’t just a detail—it’s the difference between a hit and a miss. Send a push notification at the wrong time, and your push CTRs can be cut in half (or worse). Get it right, and you’ll see a serious boost in CTR. This isn’t just theory; real-world data proves it.

In some industries, there are clear patterns and best practices: for example, in gaming, Mondays show the highest CTRs, while on Tuesdays, they drop.

But things are more nuanced in other industries, like News, where sending time is crucial. Here, it’s important to test specific time slots, as GB News did, to find the optimal moment for audience engagement. For example, they’ve tested sending notifications right at the start of a match, 30 minutes ahead, and an hour before a broadcast to find the optimal moment.

The result? An average push CTR of 0.75%—a solid performance for a news app.

Your action plan:

1. Find out your audience’s rhythm. Start by tracking peak activity times within your app—when are your users most engaged? Segment users by their engagement time.
2. Tailor messages to their daily routines. “Morning Commuters” may receive quick updates before the workday, “Lunchtime Browsers” may be up for shopping or entertainment breaks, “Evening Users” for fun content, and “Weekend Engagers” for leisure and deals. Respect the time zones—use marketing automation platforms to save your audience from unwanted 3 AM wake-up calls.

A well-timed, personalized push notification is a conversation starter. To keep users engaged beyond that initial tap, use segmentation as a foundation to turn one-time engagement into lasting loyalty.