How to make arrow shape CTA's and will they work?

CSS arrows do work to some extent in email however you need a VML fallback for outlook.

I did a write up on email code geek the other day

I've not tried putting this inside a link yet but it could work.

Let us know how you get on.

If you're happy with flat colors and want something more than a simple triangle, you can use a floated transparent png:

<table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0">
<tr>
<td width="160" height="35" bgcolor="#313131">
<div style="text-indent: 10px; line-height: 35px;">
<a href="#" style="display: block; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; color: #ffffff; text-decoration: none; mso-text-raise: 7px;"><img src="https://your-cdn.com/path-to-arrow.png" style="display: block; border: 0" alt="&rarr;" width="35" height="35" align="right" />Call to action</a>
</div>
</td>
</tr>
</table>

White space can be adjusted with transparent pixels in the image. This image can also be high res for mobile.

Would it be easier to not use CSS but just an image. Something like:

<table width="100" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0">
    <tr>
        <td width="80" bgcolor="#bababa" align="center" valign="middle">CTA Copy</td>
        <td width="20" bgcolor="#ffffff"><img src="your-arrow-shape.gif" width="20" height="25" /></td>
    </tr>
</table>

Thanks, Quiller - that might be a way to go but I really wanted to make it a 'bullet-proof button' somehow - those are so cool!

Mark - I am going to take a look at your article and test some code out . . . using Litmus of course! Thanks so much!