Zero-Click Marketing: Why Every Marketer Should Pay Attention

For decades, the holy grail of digital marketing was the click, a neat, measurable sign of engagement. But today, the landscape has shifted. We’re increasingly seeing a rise in zero-click interactions, where users get what they need without having to click through.

FYI, this isn’t a trend; it’s a reflection of changing user behavior, platform design, and content expectations. 

In fact, our internal analysis at Mavlers supports this as well, as you’ll see shortly. 

Welcome to the world of Zero-Click Marketing, where success lies in delivering value at the moment of exposure, not just at the destination. Let’s explore what the implications are.

What Is Zero-Click Marketing?

Why Zero-Click Marketing is Rising

Zero-Click in Email Marketing: Our Perspective

Rethinking Success Metrics

Final Thoughts

What is Zero-Click Marketing?

Zero-Click marketing is a strategy where content is designed to provide immediate value and answers to users directly on a platform, without requiring them to click through.

It’s when:

• A user finds their answer in a Google snippet and doesn’t click through (commonly referred to as zero click searches).
• A carousel post on LinkedIn educates or entertains directly in-feed.
• An email summarizes key updates so well that there’s no need to follow a link, or even open the email in the first place.

The core idea? You meet your audience where they are, and you respect their time. It’s at the heart of how zero click marketing works, by offering complete value at the point of first contact.

“The click might be fading, but your content’s job just got harder. In a zero-click world, you need to inform, persuade, and convert before the click even happens, if it ever does.”

— Kath Pay, Email Marketing Expert (Source)

Below are the key benefits of Zero-Click Marketing:

• Immediate Information: Provides users with instant answers or solutions directly within the search results or platform.
• Enhanced User Experience: Offers a seamless and efficient way for users to find what they need. 
• Increased Brand Visibility: Ensures your brand’s presence is prominent where users are actively searching. 
• Authority and Trust: Positions your brand as a reliable source of information, building credibility and trust. 

Zero clicks ≠ Zero Engagement

It’s important to clarify that zero click doesn’t mean your content wasn’t seen or absorbed. It often reflects high engagement, just without the traditional trail of clicks or redirects. 

Take, for instance, the case of viewing emails. 

An email open simply tells you someone viewed your message, but a zero-click in email might mean the recipient:

• Read the content directly from the inbox preview
• Understood the key information through AI summary
• Chose to reply instead of clicking a link
• Took action offline without needing to engage with the email

Source: Google Blog

Zero-click marketing isn’t anti-click; rather, it’s about prioritizing meaningful, passive engagement over forced funnels.

Why Zero-Click Marketing is Rising

We saw the benefits of zero-click marketing. But what precisely sparked its emergence in the first place?

There are 3 key reasons behind the rise of zero-click marketing and specifically, the shift toward zero click content. 

1. Platform Design is Evolving

Google wants users to find answers within the search results. These are often zero click SERPs. 

Social media platforms also prioritize content that keeps users in-feed. And even email platforms like Gmail now preview rich content in a snippet-style format.

2. Users are Decision-focused

People today are making decisions faster; they scan, skim, and evaluate without necessarily taking action. If the value isn’t immediately clear, your audience may move on. This behavior drives the rise of zero click results across digital channels.

3. AI has Become Widespread

Trust used to be earned after a click. Now, it’s earned before it, through clarity, utility, and credibility at the point of contact. 

Unlike traditional search engines that provide links, AI Overviews and generative AI interfaces often provide direct answers to user queries. In addition, AI can simplify complex topics, making them more accessible to a broader audience. 

What the Data Tells Us

The impact of zero click searches on marketing is real, as these numbers show:

• 58.5% of Google searches in the U.S. ended with zero clicks. (Source: SparkToro): This reflects the growing use of featured snippets, knowledge panels, and instant answers, where users get the information they need directly on the results page.
  
• LinkedIn carousels drive 5x more clicks than any other post format.

Source: SparkToro

In email, campaigns with visual summaries (charts, bulleted key points) saw:

• +22% increase in inbox dwell time
• +30% higher reply rates
• -18% lower CTR, but +15% increase in downstream conversions

(Mavlers’ internal campaign analysis, 2023–2024)

This shows that even when fewer people click, the audience that does engage is often more qualified and conversion-ready. It’s a compelling case for building a zero click marketing strategy that focuses on intent and relevance.

AMP for Email adoption has led to:

• Up to 3x increase in user engagement for interactive elements like surveys, forms, and cart recovery. 

• Significant reductions in time-to-conversion, especially in use cases like RSVP responses, in-mail feedback, and checkouts. 

These stats reflect a clear trend: users crave instant value, and marketers who deliver it build strong, stickier relationships.

Zero-Click in Email Marketing: Our Perspective

We work with hundreds of brands looking to optimize their email campaigns, not just for clicks, but for real value delivery. 

Here’s how zero-click principles are influencing our approach: 

• Designing for passive value: Instead of always prompting with “read more” or “view full report,” we present key details directly in the email using KPI blocks, timelines, or visual storytelling.

• Micro-engagements matter: From a well-crafted preheader to a compelling subject line, and even down to smart use of interactive modules, we focus on layered engagement that doesn’t rely on redirects.

• Content that completes itself: We aim to write emails that tell a full story, not teasers. Even if a user never clicks, they walk away with something useful, memorable, or thought-inducing.

All of this feeds into a zero-click marketing strategy that delivers clarity and utility from the start.

But Won’t This Hurt Conversions?

Not at all. When done well, zero-click strategies often improve conversions by nurturing more qualified, better-informed users who engage when they’re ready.

The goal isn’t to eliminate CTAs, but it’s to earn attention before requesting action.

“Email is the most valuable channel you’ve got. When you prioritize the reader’s experience with a zero-click approach, you create the opportunity to make a lasting connection with your audience. Don’t blow it by emailing them a bunch of teasers and link-filled promises.”

— Amanda Natividad, VP Marketing, SparkToro (Source)

Rethinking Success Metrics

Moving forward, marketers may need to look beyond traditional KPIs like CTR and instead consider:

• Time spent on email: How long a user stays on an email can indicate whether they’re actively reading, scanning, or engaging with the content, no matter if they click or not.
  
• Scroll depth: Monitoring how far a user scrolls through your email provides insight into how compelling and digestible your content is.
  
• Reply rates: A thoughtful reply can signal higher intent and trust than a simple click. It suggests the content prompted action, questions, or conversation.
  
• Direct responses via email or social comments: Sometimes, engagement happens off-platform. Users might respond directly to an email or comment on a related social post, especially when content resonates or prompts discussion.
  
• Offline action triggered by in-message value: Did a customer visit your store, call a sales rep? These offline actions, though harder to track, reflect powerful impact.

These “quiet signals” can be more telling than clicks, especially in B2B or high-consideration journeys.

Chase Dimond and Jimmy Kim highlight these additional KPIs for success in email marketing. 

“Your job is to measure confidence building, not just clicks,” they advise, while discussing high-ticket flows.

The key takeaway? When the stakes are high, success in email isn’t just about generating a click, it’s about reinforcing credibility, addressing doubts, and moving users closer to a confident “yes.” In that context, confidence becomes the KPI, and every email should contribute to building it.

Final Thoughts

Zero-click marketing isn’t about doing less; it’s about doing better. In a world of content overload, the brands that stand out are those that give more upfront, respect their audience’s time, and design for a more intuitive, seamless experience.

So, whether it’s in your next email campaign, LinkedIn post, or product update, ask yourself:

What value can I offer, even if no one clicks?

Let’s explore how we can bring zero-click thinking into your next campaign. Book a free call with us to start the conversation.