April is when spring is in full bloom. Your audience will naturally feel more upbeat as the weather improves. 

As a result, the newsletter themes that will get the most subscriber interest during this time of year are cheerful and uplifting in nature.

This comprehensive list of April newsletter ideas includes themes that work well for one off, weekly and monthly newsletters.

April Newsletter Themes: Holidays & Special Occasions

April has a lot of days dedicated to a particular cause or idea. Some days are meant to raise awareness on an important issue. Whilst some days are more about having fun or promoting certain kinds of activities.

Use these occasions to grab more attention by making your email newsletter content relevant.

April Fool’s Day (April 1st)

April Fool’s Day is the perfect time for practical jokes. Be sure to keep the humor in your newsletter on the lighter side and let your audience know (at some point) that your silly gag is meant to get a few laughs, not lawsuits.

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Alternatives to April Fool’s Day

• International Fun at Work Day
• Walk to Work Day 
• Edible Book Day
• Fossil Fool’s Day

World Autism Awareness Day (April 2nd)

World Autism Awareness Day is a United Nations led initiative that brings more attention to people with autism spectrum disorder. Most conversations will center around children and their daily struggles with autism. Show your support with your own charity drive or by rallying behind a local Autism awareness campaign.

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Alternatives to World Autism Awareness Day

• Love Our Children Day
• Children’s Picture Book Day
• Handmade Day
• International Fact-Checking Day

World Party Day (April 3rd)

It’s all in the title. World Party Day is a rather good excuse to organize your own after-hours office party. Invite your subscribers to join you in your fun night out.

Alternatives to World Party Day

• Independent Artist Day
• Film Score Day
• Chocolate Mousse Day
• Tweed Day
• Find a Rainbow Day

Tell a Lie Day (April 4th)

Tell a Lie Day is yet another jokester occasion that would make a great follow up (or revenge) for an April Fool’s Day prank.

Alternatives to Tell a Lie Day

• Vitamin C Day
• Walk Around Things Day
• Hug a Newsperson Day

First Contact Day (April 5th)

Star Trek fans will not miss this for the world. First Contact Day is a fictional holiday derived from the film Star Trek: First Contact. The occasion celebrates humanity’s (fictional) first contact with intelligent alien species. 

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Alternatives to First Contact Day

• Deep Dish Pizza Day
• Flash Drive Day
• Caramel Day

Day of Hope (April 6th)

Day of Hope came to be known through an awareness campaign spearheaded by the nonprofit ChildHelp. Day of Hope was originally about fighting child abuse and has since expanded to advocating for child welfare in general.

Alternatives to Day of Hope

• Walking Day
• Student-Athlete Day
• Plan Your Epitaph Day
• New Beer’s Eve
• Sorry Charlie Day

Beer Day (April 7th)

National Beer Day will be celebrated with plenty of alcohol. It’s also a great time to let your audience know you’re available for a chat. Fireside chats and informal talks are interesting tie-ins you can use to mark the occasion.

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Alternatives to National Beer Day

• World Health Day
• Alcohol Screening Day
• No Housework Day

Zoo Lovers Day (April 8th)

Zoos help preserve endangered species. They also educate and raise awareness on animal rights and conservation efforts. Zookeepers will jump at every opportunity to bring awareness  to environmental issues, which makes brand partnerships easy.

Alternatives to National Zoo Lovers Day

• Flower Festival (aka Buddha’s Birthday)
• All is Ours Day

International ASMR Day (April 9th)

Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR) is a type of sensory experience that comes from certain types of relaxing sounds. ASMR is often associated with meditation and sleep aids.

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Alternatives to International ASMR Day

• Name Yourself Day
• Unicorn Day
• Cherish an Antique Day

Siblings Day (April 10th)

Celebrating siblings – especially twins, is a hallmark of National Siblings Day. Create special offers that come in pairs to fit the occasion.

Alternatives to National Siblings Day

• Golfer’s Day
• Farm Animals Day
• Encourage a Young Writer Day

Pet Day (April 11th)

Spend your day cuddling up with a furry friend. Giving your pet and yourself a treat is what National Pet Day is all about.

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Alternatives to National Pet Day

• Education and Sharing Day
• World Parkinson’s Day

International Be Kind to Lawyers Day (April 12th)

Everyone deserves to be treated with kindness and respect. Even lawyers.

Alternatives to International Be Kind to Lawyers Day

• National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day
• National Licorice Day

National Scrabble Day (April 13th)

Word games are more popular than ever. It’s no wonder Wordle enthusiasts love National Scrabble Day. Include fun word games in your newsletter to mark this occasion.

Alternatives to National Scrabble Day 

• International Day of Pink

International Moment of Laughter Day (April 14th)

Give your newsletter an extra dose of humor to celebrate this occasion. A funny story will surprise your subscribers and give them another reason to look forward to your email updates.

Alternatives to International Moment of Laughter Day

• Gardening Day
• Look Up at the Sky Day

Good Friday (April 15th)

Good Friday is observed two days before Easter and is the beginning of a long weekend. While not a bank holiday, it’s normal to see a lot of folks taking the day off work. 

Plan your marketing around get-togethers with friends and family to ensure your newsletter is as inclusive as possible.

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Alternatives to Good Friday

• Anime Day
• Take a Wild Guess Day
• Passover

Husband Appreciation Day (April 16th)

Also known as World Husband Day, this occasion celebrates husbands by giving them special attention and praise for their role in the family.

Alternatives to Husband Appreciation Day

• Librarian Day
• Bean Counter Day
• Auctioneers Day
• Record Store Day

Easter (April 17th)

Easter is a religious holiday that 8 in 10 Americans celebrate. While half of those who don’t, still plan to buy gifts or travel to commemorate the occasion.

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Alternatives to Easter

• Blah Blah Blah Day
• World Hemophilia Day

Tax Day (April 18th)

Tax day is the last day most Americans are required to file their federal tax returns. 

Be especially proactive with email reminders aimed at customers in the early half of April if you provide accounting or bookkeeping services.

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Alternatives to Tax Day

• Easter Monday
• World Heritage Day

Wear Your Pajamas to Work Day (April 19th)

Set right after Tax Day, the completely appropriate Wear Your Pajamas to Work Day is meant to relax the mind after a weary day of last-minute tax filing.

Give your subscribers something to take their mind off of serious topics like taxes – besides pictures of your favorite jammies.

Alternatives to Wear Your Pajamas to Work Day

• Hanging Out Day
• Poetry And The Creative Mind Day

420 (April 20th)

The unofficial Weed Day is still a taboo talking point in corporate culture despite recreational marijuana having been legalized in 18 states – and medical marijuana legalized in 38 states.

Segment your email list to keep all your email subscribers happy.

Alternatives to 420

• National Stationery Week
• National Look-Alike Day
• Volunteer Recognition Day

World Creativity and Innovation Day (April 21st)

Think of ways to inspire creativity and innovation in your audience. Add open-ended questions and out-of-the-box solutions to your regular newsletter.

Alternatives to World Creativity and Innovation Day

• Kindergarten Day
• High Five Day
• Tea Day

Earth Day (April 22nd)

The official theme for Earth Day is “invest in our planet”.

Promote sustainable development by advocating for your role in the fight against climate change. Areas you should focus on include recycling, renewable energy, and reforestation.

Consider putting together your own carbon calculator to help you set targets and strategies for your company to reduce your carbon footprint. Aim for carbon positive outcomes.

Communicate your goals and progress publicly to keep your audience informed and motivate others to do the same.

Have an open dialogue with your audience to help you explore the best opportunities for local community partnerships.

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Alternatives to Earth Day

• Day of Silence
• Teach Your Children to Save Day

World Book Day (April 23rd)

Also known as International Day of the Book – World Book Day is a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) event meant to promote reading, publishing, and the use of copyright to protect written works.

Promote a book tie-in or an upcoming publication if you plan on introducing your subscribers to World Book Day.

Alternatives to World Book Day

• Shakespeare Day
• National Take a Chance Day
• National Lover’s Day

Scream Day (April 24th)

Despite its scary name, it has nothing to do with horror movies. Scream Day uses screams as a form of stress relief. Its themes include self-care and mental wellness.

Rather than encourage your audience to let out disturbing screams, share personal stories and talk about ways to improve mental health.

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Alternatives to World Book Day

• Shakespeare Day

DNA Day (April 25th)

The National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) began to promote DNA day to get students and teachers more interested in genetic research.

Talk about human ancestry and the development of an interconnected world in your newsletter if you plan on sticking to the DNA theme.

Alternatives to DNA Day

• National Telephone Day
• National Lingerie Day
• Hairstylist Appreciation Day
• Hug a Plumber Day

Get Organized Day (April 26th)

Detailed planning and decluttering your workspace are the core ideas behind Get Organized Day. 

Make time savers a key part of your message if you plan on referencing this occasion in your next newsletter.

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Alternatives to Get Organized Day

• National Dissertation Day
• World Burlesque Day

Tell a Story Day (April 27th)

Storytelling can involve sharing personal stories or reading a book aloud. Tell a Story Day tends to focus on lived experiences.

Share a personal experience with your audience. If you’re promoting an in-person meetup, use storytelling as a way to break the ice. 

Alternatives to Tell a Story Day

• Administrative Professionals Day
• Stop Food Waste Day

National Superhero Day (April 28th)

Everyday superheroes are everywhere. National Superhero Day celebrates local do-gooders whose jobs or volunteer work have had a positive impact in their communities.

Bring attention to the good work of your team members or partners in your newsletter update. Highlight acts of kindness that’ll inspire your audience to carry out their own good deeds.

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Alternatives to National Superhero Day

• Workers’ Memorial Day
• Take Our Kids To Work Day
• Clean Comedy Day
• Cubicle Day

Arbor Day (April 29th)

Usually observed on the last day of April through tree planting and reforestation initiatives. Arbor Day has caught on all over the world with the actual date varying according to local springtime weather.

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Alternatives to Arbor Day

• International Dance Day
• World Wish Day

Honesty Day (April 30th)

Is the practical opposite of Tell a Lie Day. Speaking truthfully and candidly is the easiest way to celebrate Honest Day.

Gently remind your audience about the power of having honest conversations with others, including their customers.

Alternatives to Honesty Day

• International Jazz Day
• World Veterinary Day

Weekly April Newsletter Themes

National Robotics Week (April 2-9)

Also known as RoboWeek, is geared towards exciting students in STEM fields. National Robotics Week has a big focus on scientific breakthroughs in robotic technology.

Tie in your product or manufacturing process to advancements in robotic technology. Your newsletter should include photos that visualize the work of robots.

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Library Week (April 3-9)

Is meant to cultivate a habit of reading. Library Week also extends to the work of librarians and lesser-known authors that have contributed to local libraries.

Reference your favorite books or any kind of published work that has influenced you in your newsletter. Your audience should feel inspired to create their own reading lists.

Public Health Week (April 4-10)

Was first organized by the American Public Health Association (APHA). Public health week is about living healthier lives and creating healthier community spaces.

Show your support for public health by leading a health awareness campaign or contributing to local community spaces. Your subscribers will happily support public health initiatives.

Wildlife Week (April 5-9)

Is about conserving animal habitats and protecting animal diversity. Originally called Wildlife Restoration Week, the new Wildlife Week now embraces the theme of communing with nature.

Promote conservation efforts or highlight the diversity of wildlife in your area if your brand doesn’t directly benefit the natural environment.

Passover (April 15-22)

Is an important Jewish holiday that has a lot of festivities and family engagements. Ensure your email content is kosher and family-focused. 

Keep in mind that the first and last days of Passover are usually taken as legal holidays. 

Start sending out your Passover newsletter at least a month in advance to accommodate any travel arrangements your customers may need to make to take advantage of your offers.

Monthly April Newsletter Themes

Keep America Beautiful Month

Is a nonprofit and a movement dedicated to beautifying public spaces. Recycling and cleanups are its main activities.

Organize a local cleanup and involve your local community. Spread the word in your newsletter to get positive publicity for your organization.

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Alternatives to Keep America Beautiful Month

• National Decorating Month
• National Garden Month

Couple Appreciation Month

Romance is at the heart of Couple Appreciation Month. Think of it as a month-long version of Valentine’s Day.

Romantic overtones and gifts aimed at couples are the surest way to spice up your newsletter.

Month of Hope

Broadly covers the subject of hope and survival. Recovery and rehabilitation are the main themes of the Month of Hope.

Share powerful personal stories where victims recovered from trauma or overcame a debilitating setback.

Alternatives to National Month of Hope

• Sexual Assault Awareness Month
• National Alcohol Awareness Month

Move More Month

Backed by the American Heart Association (AHA), the Move More Month is part awareness campaign and part fitness program. The AHA recommends every person take at least 10,000 steps a day, or the equivalent of 20 minutes of aerobic exercise to enjoy better overall health.

Toss in a fun fitness routine or a few exercise hacks that you know your subscribers will love into your next newsletter.

Jazz Appreciation Month

Is as the name suggests, all about the love of Jazz music. 

Share your favorite jams with your email list and wait for the positive feedback to chime in.

Financial Literacy Month

Knowing how to budget, save and invest are the basics of financial literacy.

If you’re qualified to give financial advice or have an expert on hand that you can consult, feel free to share saving and investing tips with your audience.

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Poetry Month

Is as much about appreciating poetry, as it is exposing a new generation to the art form.

Share a short haiku or a few lines from your favorite song to stir up more interest in your audience.

Humor Month

Is not just about fun and games. Humor is a great way to encourage and uplift people in difficult times.

Use humorous anecdotes to add more flair to your newsletter. If there’s room to spare, add a section where your audience can contribute their own jokes.

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Volunteer Month

Brings to mind good deeds. Nonprofits and volunteer groups are keen to highlight the work of their volunteers – to inspire others and to appreciate the hard work they’ve put in.

Organize volunteer opportunities for your team and customers and use your newsletter to guide to share volunteer opportunities in the communities where your brand has the most influence.

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Ramadan

Is mainly centered around religious observances in a family setting. Food and good company are a big part of the celebrations.

Include a Ramadan greeting in your next newsletter to make your brand more friendly and inclusive.

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Free April Newsletter Templates

Newsletters are one of the best ways to start building relationships with your customers — so don’t wait to start sending!

The post 130 April Newsletter Ideas & Themes That’ll Delight Your Subscribers appeared first on Sendinblue.

Easter Email Subject Lines for the Long Weekend

Plenty of folks will take Monday off to extend their Easter weekend plans. Use these Easter weekend email subject lines for your holiday email marketing strategy.

• Ready for the Easter Weekend?
• Everyday Deals Over the Long Weekend!
• Good Deals on Good Friday 
• Give the Family a Treat with our Easter Sunday Special
• Spring Festivities Near You
• Easter Shopping for Homemakers
• Spring Decor for the DIYer
• Last Chance to Grab our Easter Weekend Deal
• Eggs-tatic Easter Weekend Offers
• Don’t get your ears twisted – we’ve got your Easter weekend plans covered!
• Easter Sunday Cookout
• Shell out your pantry for these Easter weekend goodies
• Easter Weekend Shopathon – 10% Off Sitewide
• Celebrate Easter in Style – Dinner for 3 at the cost of 1 
• Free Easter Gift Cards – HURRY! – *Expires on Easter Sunday*
• Easter Monday Extended Offer – 24 Hour Sale!
• Free Shipping on Every Easter Weekend Purchase
• Join us for an Easter Weekend treat!
• Sweet Easter Deals → Ends Midnight on Easter Sunday
• Long Weekend Special → 30% off our Easter Collection

Easter Email Subject Lines with a Spring Theme

Easter is the best time to promote your spring collection. Give your subscribers a sense of wonder and adventure with these spring email subject lines.

• Spring Fever Is Here – Join the Party!
• Don’t Let Spring Pass You By
• Are You Ready for Spring Cleaning?
• DIY Spring Starter Kit
• Throw Off that Blanket → Your Spring Wardrobe is Ready
• Get Warm & Cozy with our Spring Special
• Great Springtime Reads
• Early Spring Clearance Sale
• Happy Spring Giveaways
• Spruce up Your Home with Spring Decor
• New Spring Arrivals – 30% Off
• The Comfiest Spring Wearables
• New Arrivals – New Savings!
• Shake Off the Winter Chill with a Cool 15% Off
• Cuddle Up with our Early Spring Lineup – 10% Off
• Rise & Shine – Spring is Here!
• Early Spring Pre-order Discounts (up to 40% Off) 
• Newest Spring Flavors with Delicious Discounts 
• Our Spring Collection
• Early Spring Flash Sale! Happy Discounts!
• Winter is out – Spring is in full swing!
• Spring bites that will make you smile
• The Coolest Spring Collectibles
• Gift a Smile this Spring
• Spring Makeover Tips – with Delightful Discounts!

Easter Email Subject Lines for Family Gatherings

Easter is one of the few holidays long enough for families to organize get-togethers. Use these family centric Easter subject lines to promote group activities.

• Easter Decor Done Right
• Easter Treats the Kids Will Love
• Easter Delights for You & Fam
• Easters Gifts for Him & Her
• Let’s Hatch a Plan for Mom & Pop
• The Soup Thickens – Easter Cookout Ideas
• Easter Holiday Getaways – Our Hoppy List
• No Fowl Language → Easter Standup Night
• The Easter Bunny Tour
• Hold on to Your Carrots – We’ve Got Rides for Adults & Kids
• Easter Trails → Hiking Trips for Everybunny
• Family Meals Delivered Free – Easter Special
• Spring eats that will leave the whole family hungry for more!
• Our Top Easter Gift Picks – 30% Off
• Kids Dine Free – Easter Weekend Special

Easter Email Subject Lines for Easter Egg Hunts

Give your audience an Easter treat they’ll always remember. Start your Easter egg hunt with creative Easter egg subject lines that are sure to catch their attention.

• Sitewide Sale – The Hunt is On! 
• Easter Deal Hunters Wanted
• Hide & Peek! Grab Your Easter Coupon Early!
• Fill your Easter basket with these hidden offers
• No Eggs-perts Allowed! Easter Quiz Games (with Prizes!)
• Does no Bunny know where we put our Easter Deals?
• Eggs-ceptional Deals → If you can find Them!
• Don’t Count Your Eggs Before You Find Them
• Great Mysteries with Great Prizes! Get Cracking!
• Eggstra Savings In-Store & Online! Go Catch ’em all!
• Can you crack the case? (70% Off if you can!)
• Hunt down the best deals → And we’ll match’em!
• Easter Egg Surprises, Sneak Peaks & More!
• We’ve snuck in a few coupons here – Can you find them?
• Deals That Only a Rabbit Could Love? Find Them All

Easter Email Subject Lines for Easter Deals

Include an Easter offer in your email marketing to boost your ecommerce conversions. Link your CTAs to a custom landing page so your customers can browse your Easter collection comfortably.

• Get Your Yummy Easter Treats Here
• Free Shipping on Easter Gifts
• All Your Favorite Deals in One Basket
• Here’s a Deal That’ll Egg-cite You
• Easter Delights
• We’ve Got Something Special Just for You – Let’s hop to it
• Hop on over to our new easter store!
• Deals You Can’t Egg-nore
• Eggs-tremely tough nails – great for DIY projects
• 50% Off Easter Deals
• Easter Sale Egg-stravangaza 
• Free Delivery on All Easter Gifts
• Eggs-citing Deals Ahead!
• Big Basket Deals! Get $30 Back on Orders Over $125
• Everybunny loves a Good Deal!
• Looking for the right Easter Deal? Hop on over for a chat!
• Easter Treats You Don’t Wanna Miss!
• Easter Deals Galore! 
• Get the Best Rates – Book your Easter Trip Early!
• Splurge this Easter with Half Off on Everything! 

Easter Email Subject Lines with Puns

Puns are an Easter tradition. This list of Easter email subject lines are filled with cheeky wordplay that will leave your audience giggling in delight.

• Everybunny is looking forward to this
• Here’s an Eggstraordinary Deal
• Eggstra Special – We Ain’t Yolking!
• An Egg-cellent Offer Just for You
• An Egg for You, and You Too and You Over There!
• Eggs-ercise Away That Extra Fluff
• Look at the Sunny-side Up
• Have a Hoppy Easter!
• No Bunny Can Turn Down This Deal
• 24 Carrot Gold? 
• Take a seat and grab some carrots
• Make Some-bunny Feel Special
• A carrot for your thoughts?
• Bad Hare Day? We’ve Got Your Carrots
• Eggs-hausted? Drink This
• No Fowl – No Harm → Easter Dishes for Vegans
• Easter Workout Tips – No Eggs-cuses!
• Have an Egg-cellent Easter Holiday!
• We Worked Round the Cluck on This
• Eggs-perimental Ideas for your Easter Get Together 
• Fresh Outta Cluck? We Make Easter Deliveries Easy
• Our Most Eggs-plosive Discounts!
• Whisk it all with these amazing Easter family dishes
• Everybunny has their own style – 30% off this Easter 
• Win Over Anybunny with these Charming Easter Gifts

Easter Email Subject Lines with Emojis

Emojis are fun visual cues that everyone understands. Toss in a few emojis into your next batch of emails to give your Easter email marketing campaign extra flavor. 

• Easter Special  
• Happy Easter  
• Spring Greetings
• Tasty Easter Treats
• This Easter Will be Lit
• and for the whole
• Grab our Spring Special
• Say Hello to Spring
• New Beginnings
• It’s Spring – Let’s Chill
• Grab our Spring Offer before it’s Gone
• Goodbye Winter Chill Hello Spring Vibes
• Late Riser? Here’s an Extra Hour for Ya!
• Free on Easter
• Easter Delights
• Cool Gear for Cool Chicks
• Here’s Some Chocolatey Goodness
• No Bunny Can Top This
• March into Spring with the Best Gear
• Spring Potluck Ideas
• Join our Easter Breakfast Club
• The Sweetest Easter Deals
• Easter Treats for the Little One
• New Offers for Newborns
• Easter Delectables You Should Try
• Get Cool in Spring
• More Goodies for Your Easter Basket!
• Mouthwatering Easter Treats
• Easter Deals You’ll Love!
• Spring to action with these amazing DIY ideas

Get Your Free Easter Email Template by Sendinblue

Sendinblue has an amazing selection of free email designs, including this free Easter email template:

This Easter template is just waiting to be customized with our intuitive, drag-and-drop email designer. Create your free account to access the template.

The post 150 Easter Email Subject Lines to Spruce up Your Spring Email Campaign appeared first on Sendinblue.

Why You Should Do Easter Email Marketing

From a business standpoint, Easter can be a very lucrative holiday for most companies. 

Last year, nearly 8 out of 10 Americans celebrated Easter while over half of those who didn’t mark the occasion by taking advantage of Easter promotions.

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While not as widely celebrated as Christmas and Mother’s Day, in terms of sales, Easter ranks ahead of Valentine’s Day, Father’s Day, and even Halloween.

Easter sales in 2021 rose to $21.6 billion. The average shopper spent $179 on Easter gifts and celebrations with their friends and family.

The National Retail Federation had surveyed US adult consumers on what they planned to purchase to celebrate Easter. Food, candy, and gifts were the most popular picks. 

And unsurprisingly, more customers will shop for Easter deals online rather than cruise through malls. 

Religious undertones aside, Easter is a festive holiday centered around gift giving and family gatherings.

With the right holiday email marketing strategy you can expect to enjoy a leap in ecommerce sales. 

In this article, we’ll help you choose the right theme and content to get the most value out of your easter email marketing campaign.

What Do You Put in an Easter Email Campaign?

Customers expect an Easter sale.

Wishing your customers a happy Easter would be a nice gesture, sure. But why not surprise them with an Easter treat?

An Easter email blast with a unique Easter offer can add a fun twist to your everyday marketing strategy.

You’ll need to first think about whether to include an Easter egg and what that will be. We’ll dig into the details later.

Then you’ll need to figure out whether you want your Easter email to just have content with an Easter theme in your regular newsletter or be its own separate Easter email promotion.

Do you already have a growing subscriber list and want some fun ways to capitalize on the holiday fervor? We’ve got a handy list of Easter newsletter ideas that are sure to inspire you. 

When Should You Send Easter Emails?

You’d be surprised how early folks start planning their Easter Holidays – 38% of Easter celebrations are planned in late January.

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Part of the planning is centered around vacation and travel arrangements that fit the holiday calendar. 2 out of 5 Americans will attend family get-togethers or meet up with close friends. 

Promote your Easter weekend special as early as January if it it involves extended travel or an out-of-the-way trip. 

Make the upfront costs clear so that your customers can budget accordingly. Early bird discounts will work in your favor.

Want to promote an Easter weekend shopping spree or an Easter Sunday discount bonanza? Then consider putting together a teaser series for your Easter email campaign.

Sticking to the best time to send an email will ensure your Easter email campaign has a higher open rate.

To Whom Should You Send an Easter Email Blast?

Engage your audience fully to get the best conversion rates in your promotional email campaigns.

To avoid having your beautifully designed Easter emails falling into spam inboxes, focus on building your subscriber list early.

Don’t buy email lists. Instead, let your audience know about holiday offers on social media. Ask your followers to subscribe to your newsletter to get the best deals, including your upcoming Easter special.

Segment your email subscribers. Ensure that each offer meets customer needs on a personal level.

Here’s how to create a newsletter that your audience will love.

6 Easter Email Marketing Ideas for Campaign Success

1. Make an Easter offer

Source: Freepik

Holiday email marketing is no different from your typical seasonal sales campaign.

Again, customers will expect an Easter exclusive. Even if your Easter offer doesn’t tie into an Easter theme, it’s still an eggcellent time to experiment with price cuts and free giveaways.

An Easter email CTA will nudge your customers to make a quick purchase so they don’t miss out on a big discount or a limited-time offer.

Link your CTA to an Easter landing page that showcases your best offers. Use persuasive copy and Easter visuals to clinch more sales.

2. Target the long weekend

Easter is the only holiday that always includes a long weekend.

Spread your Easter sales efforts over the Easter weekend so your customers have every opportunity to get the offers they want.

Include special offers for Good Friday and Easter Sunday when shopper turnout peaks.

While Easter Monday isn’t a public holiday in the US, it is an official holiday in Canada, Australia, most of the UK, and many parts of Europe including France and Germany. 

Lots of people take leave on Easter Monday, so treat it as part of your long weekend campaign.

Extend your Easter emails beyond the Easter Weekend with a last chance email campaign.

3. Include an Easter theme in your email design

Source: Freepik

Decorate the content of your email with pastel colors, chocolate bunnies and blooming sprigs. 

The more inventive your thematic tie-in, the greater the interest in your Easter offer.

However, if visuals of candies and flowers don’t jive with your brand, ditch them. 

You can still tap into the holiday mood by associating with warm feelings of friendship, family and new relationships. 

Spring is also closely associated with Easter. So, you can safely use visuals around the idea of new beginnings and fresh opportunities. 

4. Use puns and fun wordplay

Distinguish your brand from the hundreds of other businesses running Easter promotions with humor and creativity.

Catch the attention of your audience with an eggcentric Easter email subject line. Add in emojis to give your Easter email a more playful tone.

Create a short promo video or mini commercial. You can get eggstraordinary results if it goes viral. Attract more attention by including simple animated GIFs in your email.

5. Send plenty of reminders

Holidays are a time when most consumers will go shopping for gifts. 32% of Easter shoppers will buy gifts.

Source

This brief window of inflated Easter sales is just as important to strip malls as it is for online outlets. 

Send regular email reminders to your customers to let them know your Easter offer is either on its way or already available. 

Include a countdown timer when it’s time for a huge sale to go live on your website or in certain stores.

If your business is extending its operating hours to meet increased demand, let your customers know. If stock that had previously run out has been refilled, make an announcement.

6. Hide an Easter egg in your email

You might be wondering, what is an easter egg in an email?

An Easter egg is a clue that is meant to be hard (but not impossible) to find. 

Here are four ways to include an Easter egg in your email:

• Hide teasers of new or upcoming products 
• Include throwbacks to fan favorites
• Let your customers search for hidden coupons
• Create riddles that come with fun prizes

Build the suspense around your Easter egg email on social media before the campaign goes live. Use it as a way to get more subscribers onto your email list.

Add an eggstra limited offer into the mix and you’ll have the right ingredients for a successful Easter email campaign. 

Don’t worry about being too sales-y. A third of Americans will plan their own Easter egg hunts. So, think of your own brand’s Easter egg hunt as a time-honored tradition.

Just make sure there’s something for everybunny there.

Easter Email Design Inspiration: Our Favorite Easter Campaign Examples

Here’s our list of most eggciting Easter email examples. Our choices are based on how interesting each take on an Easter email theme is, in no particular order.

1. Shrimps

Subject Line: Easter in Gingham

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The London-based fashion brand Shrimps went all in on their Easter theme, complete with an Easter bunny, a giant chocolate egg, and pastel paintings.

Their Easter theme tie-in is fun and energetic. Despite the effort and care they’ve put in, there is no special discount in their Easter email.

2. Boden

Subject Line: Go straight to size (and basket): Up to 40% OFF sale

Source

Boden brings a massive 40% discount to shoppers interested in their British apparel brand. 

Their Easter email offer is an enticing site-wide sale. The background photo of intricately painted Easter eggs is friendly and inviting. It makes this rather sales-y email more colorful and interesting.

3. PSD2HTML

Subject Line: Join the special Easter discount hunt at PSD2HTML.com!

Source

PSD2HTML invites its customers to go on an Easter egg hunt for the best discounts. In return for browsing through their site their customers stand to win a hefty discount coupon.

Their CTA inspires its customers to start their own deal hunt with the words, “Go Hunting!”

4. Tattly

Subject Line: DIY Tattly Eggs

Source

Tattly took a unique approach with their Easter email. Instead of applying the temporary tattoos they sell to your body, they’ve encouraged their customers to tattoo their own Easter eggs.

5. Fancy Sprinkles

Subject Line: Easter Sale Ends Tonight!

Source

Fancy Sprinkles created their own Easter collection of sprinkles that wonderfully conveys the bright colors and light-hearted nature of an Easter holiday party.

6. Wightlink

Subject Line: Say bye to boredom this Easter

Source

Wightlink arranged their own Easter themed family travel guide. There are no eggs, chocolate bunnies or pastel colors in this email. They’ve focused entirely on adventure and fun with the whole family.

7. Jackpot Candles

Subject Line: Easter Basket stuffers? We gotchu!

Source

Jackpot Candles provides an adorable selection of Easter and spring-themed candles in their Easter email. 

Their Easter subject line appeals to shoppers that want to fill their Easter baskets with new goodies.

Their discount coupon “Bunny25” is a cute and memorable play on words.

Get Your Free Easter Email Template by Sendinblue

Sendinblue has an awesome selection of free email inspiration, including this free Easter email template:

This Easter template is just waiting to be customized with our intuitive, drag-and-drop email designer. Create your free account to get started!

The post Easter Email Marketing: Tips, Ideas & Examples appeared first on Sendinblue.

In email marketing, choosing the right font isn’t difficult, but it does require some careful consideration.

The last thing you want is to spend hours crafting your email copy only for it to be unreadable or give a poor impression of your brand.

Typography plays a key role in the look and feel of your email. It’s a powerful tool when it comes to capturing and holding the reader’s attention.

With such a wide selection of fonts out there, choosing the best email font may seem overwhelming at times.

In this guide, we’ll explain the different font families and font styles out there. As well, we’ll give you our recommendations on how to choose one that does justice to your brand image and drives home your message.

Elements to Consider When Choosing the Best Email Font

Your company’s branding 

Typography is an important aspect of your brand image and the impression you give your contacts. You want to choose a font that accurately reflects your brand voice, aesthetic, and the professionalism of your business.

You may be thinking, “It’s just a font… What’s the big deal?” Font choice is so important to brand image because fonts convey meaning too. (Albeit more subtly than the email copy itself).

Sticking to just a few fonts or even a single one for business emails helps keep your brand’s communications familiar and professional in the eyes of subscribers and customers. 

For example, if your tone is formal and serious then you should avoid novelty fonts. If your brand image is more playful and friendly, then experimenting with more custom fonts may be a good choice.

Readability & legibility 

Your font should be suitable for scanning and skimming on screens of all sizes (desktop, mobile devices, and tablets). Your subscribers’ inboxes are likely flooded with email marketing content. So if the typeface you choose for your email is too hard to read, it’s likely that your audience won’t make an effort to read your email.

For this reason, legibility and readability are main considerations to make when choosing an email font. Try staying away from overly ornate email fonts, as they can be more difficult to read and can sometimes lead to display issues with certain email clients. Considering the spacing between the letters is important too. 

As well, it’s typically a good idea to stay away from cursive and italicized fonts, as they can be particularly hard to read on mobile devices.

Neutrality

The best email fonts are ones that are neutral and blend in harmoniously with the other aspects of your content. After all, you don’t want to draw attention away from your CTAs or other important buttons. 

The right font should match your brand image, but shouldn’t draw a lot of attention to itself. Readers don’t have the time to be thinking deeply about the typography of your business emails. The font you choose shouldn’t be remarkable. Instead, it should leave readers with an unconscious positive impression of your brand. 

Email Font Families and Font Styles Explained

Serif and sans-serif fonts

Before we go any further, now’s a good time to explain two font styles: serif and sans-serif. ‘Serif’ means that there is a little tail at the end of each letter. ‘Sans-serif’ means ‘without a tail’.

Take a look at the example below. On the left, the font is serif. (It’s got little tails attached to the longer strokes.) On the right, it’s sans-serif font.

Next we’ll cover the three main font families: web-safe fonts, web fonts and monospace fonts.

Web-safe fonts

Also known as standard fonts or cross-platform fonts, these are the fonts that are recognized globally across all devices and email providers. For this reason, they can also be referred to as “email-safe fonts.”

Pros of web-safe fonts:

Accessibility: A web-safe font is the safest bet if you want your email font to show up exactly as intended in subscribers’ inboxes. It’s the type of font that’s most widely supported across devices and email clients.

Another bonus: The email is also likely to load faster as the font is already available in the operating system.

Cons of web-safe fonts:

The selection is limited and already used across a large number of marketing emails and websites, leaving little room for originality. You may find some of these fonts don’t fully embrace the spirit of your business.

Discover Sendinblue’s collection of Web Safe fonts

When you use Sendinblue, you can choose from the following selection of popular fonts. If the font you’re looking for isn’t listed here, don’t worry. We’ll explain how to add additional email fonts in the next section.

Serifs

Formal yet versatile, Georgia has been used for screen display since it was released by Microsoft in the 1990s. Frequently used in online newspapers and magazines, it’s great for reading long passages of text on a screen.

It offers a dignified, yet accessible way to present your content to subscribers. For this reason, it’s safe to say Georgia is one of the best fonts for email.

Commonly used in printed publications like books and newspapers, Times New Roman is both classic and practical. It’s traditionally been the go-to font for academic writing. However, it’s often preferred in printed content than digitally. For shorter passages of text, this isn’t typically a problem though.

Because it’s been so widely used and was seen as the default formal typography in the early 2000s, it has recently come to be seen as slightly outdated. That said, Times New Roman can still work for branding and email marketing. Try pairing with some creative visual content to create a juxtaposition of new and old.

Known for its elegance and sophistication, Palatino is commonly used in books because it’s ideal for reading long passages. Its thin strokes can give text an elevated appearance while keeping things easy to read. 

Sans-serifs

Verdana ranks high in terms of readability as it is one of the most easily used web-safe fonts. In fact, it was designed specifically for on-screen text. Verdana is easy to read, simple, and highly functional as it can be used for any on-screen purpose.

The letters of Trebuchet MS have subtle curves that give the font a decorative and artistic feel. Trebuchet MS is an established web-safe font that will add style to your text. But be wary of using it for long passages as the decorative features can become difficult to read after a while.

Arial is known for being contemporary, modest, and versatile. It’s used across all types of documents both online and printed such as newspapers, magazines, reports, advertising, etc.

Arial is one of the most standard and widely used computer fonts. Some would even say ‘over-used,’ meaning it can sometimes be seen as bland and boring. If it’s originality you’re after, then it may not be the best email font for you.

Arial Black is simply the bold version of Arial.

Designed especially for screen use, Tahoma is highly versatile. One of its strongest points is that it maintains readability regardless of font size, meaning it can be used for both headings and small blocks of text.

In the Comic Sans font, each letter is clearly distinguished from the others which makes this a great font for people with dyslexia.

Although largely considered outdated and unattractive to look at, this is still a useful font if you are writing for fun or want to come across as playful.

Lucida works for both print and on-screen documents. Classic and sophisticated in appearance, this font is popular for websites.

Impact works well for headlines, taglines, or any short combination of words. Because of its tight spacing and bold typeface, it’s not suitable for long passages of text.

Web Fonts

Web fonts are specifically designed and licensed for use on websites, examples include Google Sans and Roboto.

While very commonly used in website design, web font is still a bit experimental when it comes to HTML email.

The intended font will only display in the recipient’s email if it’s compatible with their email service provider.

Web fonts are great if you know what email providers your recipients use. If the web font is incompatible, they will be shown the email provider’s default font, or a fallback font that you specified when designing the email.

One way to get around this is to use the desired web font in an image – but never send an image-only email. Emails composed entirely of images pose problems such as taking too long to load and being inaccessible to screen readers. Only use this option for small pieces of text, i.e., avoid large images with too many pixels.

Pros:

The variety of web fonts is much greater than web-safe fonts. You have the flexibility to choose an attractive font that’s on-brand, shows personality and adds to the overall brand experience.

Cons:

Not accepted everywhere: Web Fonts are only sure to display correctly with certain email providers (Apple mail, iOS Mail, Outlook app, Google Android (default email client, not the Gmail app), Outlook for Mac, Thunderbird, and Samsung Mail).

While Web Fonts are on the rise, they’re not going to be 100% suitable for bulk email campaigns until the day all email providers recognize them. 

Monospace fonts

Monospace fonts are essentially typewriter fonts. The letters and characters occupy the same amount of horizontal space. 

Sendinblue offers one Monospace font: Courier New, which is similar to Times New Roman but with equal letter spacing.

Pros:

They’re great for giving your email a minimalistic feel.

Cons:

Words take up more space as a result of the fixed character width. Not suitable for long passages or blocks of text as characters tend to blend together, making the text harder to read.

In addition, Monospace fonts don’t display for all email providers. If you’re dead set on using a monospace font, consider adjusting the line spacing of your body copy to make the content as easy to read as possible.

How to Choose the Best Email Font

When it comes to choosing the best font for your emails, we recommend you choose from one of the following two options:

Choose a web safe font that’s readable and fits your brand as closely as possible

It may not match your brand tone and personality exactly but the selection is varied enough that you should be able to reach a relatively close fit.

The advantage, of course, is that your font is going to show up exactly as intended for ALL your recipients.

Using the same font for both header and body guarantees a seamless design but that’s not to say you can’t combine fonts when they go well together. For example, it’s common practice to combine a sans serif header with a serif body text.

Choose a web font but set a web-safe fallback font (just in case!)

Select a web font that matches your brand perfectly but set a web-safe fallback font as your backup. This way you’re covered if the first-choice web font isn’t compatible with your recipient’s email provider. 

Good to know: Sendinblue gives users the option to add both web fonts and fallback fonts when designing emails in developer mode.

How do I add a web font link to an email on Sendinblue?

The easiest way to add web fonts to your email campaigns with Sendinblue is in the drag and drop editor.

First, go to the “Design” tab in the left-hand menu of the editor. Next, open the “Text Appearance” submenu. 

There, you’ll be able to search for and select the Google font of your choice. Once you’ve chosen the best font for your email, click “Add to list.”

The font will now appear in the pop-up menu bar in the drag and drop editor.

Find the Best Email Font for Your Brand

Never underestimate the power of typography when it comes to getting a message across effectively.

It’s time to take what you’ve learned and choose the best email font for your marketing emails – or perhaps update your current font to something that suits your brand better.

Doing so with Sendinblue is quick and easy. Try saving your preferred fonts in a template so that you’re ready to go every time you create an email marketing campaign.

The drag and drop editor on the Sendinblue platform is a great place to experiment with different fonts. Once you’ve opened an account, you can send up to 300 emails a day for free. Perfect for those just starting out with email newsletters and marketing.

The post What’s the Best Font for Email? The Sender’s Typography Guide appeared first on Sendinblue.

Research shows that in 2019, roughly 294 billion emails were sent worldwide every day. That figure is expected to reach 347 billion by 2023.

Yet many of these emails remain unread, or even worse – unopened. They get marked as spam, deleted, or completely ignored.

That’s why a well-designed, attractive email is essential to drive engagement and conversions. From the moment an email appears in your reader’s inbox, you want them to feel compelled to click through, even after just a glance. Beautifully designed and informative emails result in greater ROI and fewer unsubscribers.

To make the most of these best practices, follow along in your Sendinblue account and create your own stunning email content. Don’t have an account yet? Create one today!

Sendinblue’s free plan includes access to 40+ email templates, unlimited contact storage, email marketing automation features, and more. 

1. Nail Your Email Marketing Basics

First impressions count for a lot in the world of marketing, and your emails are no exception. 

You can spend all the time in the world crafting compelling email copy, but if your envelope content doesn’t hit the mark, it’s unlikely that your target audience will engage much. (That means low click through rates. )

Your envelope content consists of three key elements: sender name, subject line and preheader. These are the basic foundations of effective email marketing. Without them, your body copy doesn’t stand a chance of holding its own.

Sender name

We’re considering sender name as an element of email design. It’s a hugely influential factor when it comes to open rates and is arguably even more important than your subject line. Why? Because it’s inextricably linked to trust. 

The first subconscious question readers ask themselves when scanning their inbox is ‘Is this genuine?’ Your contacts generally look at the sender name first to determine whether the email is spam.

The best way to reinforce trustworthiness and brand recognition is to incorporate your brand name into your sender name. 

This could mean opting for your company name on its own, or personalizing it with an employee’s first name, for example, ‘Sarah at Sendinblue.’ Including a name can be an effective way to engage your readers on a more personal level.

Many larger companies use a distinct sender name to differentiate departments, products, services, or types of emails to reveal key information about the message itself, for example, ‘Sendinblue News’ or ‘Sendinblue Automation.’

The most important thing is to make sure your sender name displays a real name, whether it be the company’s name or an employee’s name – not just an email address.

Subject line

Aim to make your subject line relatively short (to avoid being truncated) but as informative as possible to capture your reader’s attention. This means highlighting the most important information that you want to communicate upfront. Users tend to only take a glance at the subject line, so you need to grab their attention with the first few words!

Based on the character limits set by various email providers, aim to limit your email subject line to 50 characters or less. In addition, be aware that mobile device users may see even less of the message.  

TIP: Don’t overdo it with excessive capitalisation, special characters, or punctuation. Not only will this kind of messaging compromise your reputation, but your email could also end up being classified as spam.

Email subject line A/B testing is a handy Sendinblue feature that can help you drastically improve your email open rates. This is your chance to entice your prospect to open and click, so don’t waste it – use data to determine which subject line works best!

Check out some of our other content on writing the perfect subject line:

• 40 Black Friday & Cyber Monday Email Subject Lines to Boost Your Open Rate
• 24 of the Best Email Subject Lines & Why They Rock
• The 7-Step Process For Writing Fantastic Email Subject Lines

Preheader text

Preheader text is the short snippet of text immediately following the subject line when viewing an email in the inbox. Preheaders add valuable context to your subject line and can also boost your open rates.

Your subject line and preheader text should work together to start telling your readers a story. If you don’t customize it, it will read as the text that first appears in your email, which could be ‘View this email in your browser’. Now that wouldn’t give a great first impression, would it? Get customizing!

Further reading: 5 Simple Answers to Email Preview Text FAQs

2. Design Your Emails Using Visual Hierarchy

As consumers, we tend to follow predictable patterns when engaging with content. Visual hierarchy is a powerful email design best practice that marketers can use in emails to exploit these tendencies.

Employing visual hierarchy not only allows your email content to be scanned and understood easily, but it also helps to direct your reader to the most important elements of your email. 

Let’s take a look at two email layouts utilizing visual hierarchy…

Email layouts

First, the Z pattern is an effective way to get subscribers to read through all your email content. (Or at least more than they otherwise would.) This strategy plays on patterns of eye movement. Reading left to right, we have a tendency to jump ahead when engaging with content.

As marketers, we can capitalize on this tendency by dispersing particularly eye-catching content throughout the copy. This way, readers are less likely to get bored part-way through.

Z-patterned visual hierarchy (Source)

Second, the inverted pyramid email layout is another strategy to consider. As you’ll see in the example below, this layout works by broadly catching readers’ attention at the top of the email before narrowing their focus to a call to action, product feature, or whatever the primary goal of your email is.

Inverted pyramid visual hierarchy (Source)

Whichever layout you opt for, your content should be arranged to tell a story that guides your reader toward the action that you want them to take. Email design aspects such as placement, size, color, contrast, and fonts all play an important role in establishing visual hierarchy.

Optimize your CTAs

Now’s a good time to discuss optimizing your CTAs. As you’ve seen in the examples above, there are CTA buttons placed strategically in accordance with the email layout. 

This strategy helps boost click through rates. Laying out your content to figuratively point toward a call to action is like giving your contacts a gentle nudge.

As well, the text on your CTA buttons should be specific and to the point. If you’re promoting a new product line, you could write something like, “explore our new collection.” If you just launched a promotion, try something along the lines of “save 20% on shoes.” 

Phrases like “read more” or “learn more” are better suited for lower level CTAs.

Some final tips on email layout:

Here are some additional factors to consider when mapping out your content: 

• People tend to place more value in objects that are larger, so consider displaying the most important information as larger blocks, in bigger fonts, or in heavier weights.
• Elements higher up on the page are perceived as more important too, so start your email with the most important information.
• Contrast is key, especially for readers who are scanning your email. Important elements, like your call-to-action, should generally stand out from the rest of the email. 
• Separating sections with white space allows the reader to understand where one element ends and the next begins. This helps to communicate information in a clear, organized, and attractive way.

NOTE Great email layout is also vital for accessibility. It’s important to make your email easily readable for all contacts, including those who are visually impaired. Don’t forget to include descriptive alt text for any images and make sure the background color of your emails allows for ease of reading.

3. Use an Email Template

For those of us who aren’t experts in graphic design, using an email newsletter template is a great way to get started creating beautiful emails.

Email templates will help give your content a professional looking structure and speed up the design process. 

As well, be sure to use responsive email templates. This means templates that automatically convert the content layout to be viewable on desktop, tablets, and mobile devices. 

Your email marketing tool should have some type of drag and drop editor. This lets you create content without having to know HTML or code. Once you’ve selected a template, all you need to do is rearrange the design elements the way you like and add the email copy.

Brand image

Now, to make the most of a template, you’ve got to go a bit further than replacing the placeholder text with your copy. Templates are a great foundation for effective email design. But moreso, they’re an opportunity for your brand image to shine through.

Don’t feel obligated to stick to a template’s design features. In fact, we recommend changing anything that isn’t consistent with your brand image like the background color or the fonts, for example!

To build a sense of reliability and trust with your audience, your email campaigns should be consistent in terms of design. This means sticking to a color scheme, font, heading structure, and a consistent email footer.

Email marketing design doesn’t have to be only for the big guys. Businesses of all sizes can create a brand image for their email campaigns. For inspiration, check out Coolors.co. Their site lets you experiment with different color palettes. Perfect for discovering your brand colors!  

4. Add Images where They Add Value

Another email design best practice is using images where they add value.

Now, you may be tempted to flood your email campaigns with all your latest product photos. While photos are a great way to break up your email message and make your content a bit easier to digest, there’s something to be aware of…

Put yourself in the shoes of the email recipient here. Sending emails with too many photos, infographics, or illustrations can result in a few scenarios:

• Emails taking a long time to load;
• Issues in displaying the content;
• A vague and unfocused message to your audience.

To avoid these pitfalls, be sure to always ask yourself what kind of value an image adds to your content.

Including a few high-quality photos of your products, spotlighting a team member, and using an explanatory infographic are typically great ways to include images in your email campaigns. 

By contrast, stock images or excessively large files are great ways to get your readers to click on the unsubscribe link.

Looking for more content on email marketing campaigns and newsletter design?

• 8 Newsletter Design Tips to Drive Engagement
• 7 Newsletter Best Practices to Boost Audience Engagement
• The Email Marketing Checklist: 25 Steps for a Successful Email Campaign

5. Use Interactive Content in Your Email Design

Interactive email design is a powerful way to boost engagement by enabling subscribers to interact with content without ever leaving your email. 

Interactive elements create a sort of gaming experience within the email that not only reduces barriers to engagement, but also provides a better user experience as subscribers can interact with content without the need to follow links or click through to your site. This is key to generating high intent clicks within your email. 

Take a look at this example of an embedded survey in an email from Bellroy:

Here are some exciting interactive email elements to consider in 2022: 

• Animated buttons and call-to-actions
• Hamburger menus and search options
• Product carousels
• Rollover effects to showcase products and offerings
• Offer reveals
• Accordion features to make your emails more compact
• Add-to-cart functionality
• Polls, surveys, and user-generated interactive content

Of course, you’re going to need skills in HTML and CSS to be able embed such interactive content into your emails using an email editor.

NOTE When you design interactive elements, keep in mind that not all email clients may display them correctly. You may need to create segments for email clients (Gmail, Apple Mail, etc.) to ensure optimal user experience.

6. Feature User-Generated Content in Your Email Design

The 2021 Edelman Trust Barometer Report found that 68% of consumers said trusting brands is more important today than ever before. 

More often than not, people trust peer recommendations over brands. So why not let your customers have a say in your email content? 

What is user-generated content?

User-generated content (UGC) is any piece of content that has been created by the end-user. This includes product reviews, customer feedback, photos, and social media posts. 

Incorporating these elements into your email is an effective way to tap into social proof and reinforce your brand’s credibility and reliability. Highlighting real people brings a two-way dialogue into your emails that helps humanize your brand.

Through skilful targeting and segmentation, marketers can streamline the UGC experience by delivering personalized content, like reviews or Instagram posts, based on email subscriber interests and behavior. 

Including relevant buyer endorsements across the email journey is a powerful method to drive conversions. Here’s an example of it in action:

User-generated email content (Source)

7. Get Personal with Dynamic Content

As we move into 2022, you can expect to hear less and less about B2B and B2C marketing and more about H2H – human-to-human marketing.

One of the biggest trends we’re seeing in email design is a move away from the one-to-many generic approach in favor of personalized one-to-one emails based on customer behavior.

Features like email automation, lead scoring, and segmentation mean content creation can be tailored to the individual like never before, resulting in the most dynamic, innovative, and subscriber-relevant email design to date.

What’s more, email personalization goes even further than using contacts’ first names in the greeting. We’re talking about dynamically changing entire sections of content based on a user’s interests and behavior, such as personalized product recommendations, offers, abandoned cart emails, and customer surveys.

Take a look at this example from a Sendinblue customer. It incorporates a live countdown timer leading up to an event. Animations like this create a sense of urgency and push those on the fence about purchasing a ticket to commit.

Countdown timer example from the Oddities and Curiosities Expo

Here’s an example from Barnes and Noble featuring personalized book recommendations.

Personalized product recommendations (Source)

More and more, we’ll see email newsletter design centered around master templates that can be tailored with relevant, personalized content.

Want to see what we’re talking about? Check out this article on 12 Email Newsletter Examples! 

Put These Email Design Best Practices to Use with Sendinblue

Email design trends, like all digital marketing trends, will come and go. It’s easy to find yourself working on the latest shiny thing, only to discover it was another fleeting fad!

That’s why it’s important to stay focused on the end-user to keep your efforts centered on what matters most –  trust, personalization, and effortless user experience will always lie at the heart of great email design.

The post 7 Email Design Best Practices for 2022 appeared first on Sendinblue.

The preview text is a short copy that displays below the subject line in many email clients, such as Gmail and Outlook. It’s a teaser that gives more info about the email.

In one-to-one email exchanges, it’s often the email’s opening: “Dear Katja, Thanks for your email…” Most email marketing software, however, let you choose what preview text to be displayed. That’s because for business communication it’s important to control this real estate in the inbox. It’s additional space for your message. Relevant preview text increases email open rates.

As an email marketer, you don’t want to waste this vital space. It’s your last chance to impress your readers in their inbox before they scroll on, leaving your email campaign unopened.

Here’s all you need to know about email preview text so you can get the most out of it.

Send my next email campaign with Sendinblue! >>

1. What’s the difference between a preheader and a preview text?

Most marketers use “preview text” and “preheader” interchangeably. That’s because in many emails, these are one and the same thing.

But …

If you want to get technical about it, they are actually different things. You’ll often find subtle differences in what your email marketing software lets you do with your preview text and your preheader.

The email preview text is the text that displays in the inbox. It shows a brief preview of the email you’re about to read. Typically, it simply is the first line of the email.

The preheader is a small text that appears at the very top within the email itself. In most email marketing software, by default it is a link to the browser version of the email. Which is why unless you change it manually, your preview text will read, “View this email in your browser.” But you can do better than that!

The preheader text that appears above the header within the email body. In this case it is “View in browser.”

2. What should I write in the preview text?

The preview text adds value, expands your message, makes it clearer what the email is about, and helps get the recipient to open it.

Now, with that purpose in mind, the email preview text should complement the subject line, not complete it.

When writing preview text, remember that it doesn’t display in all email clients. This means you want to avoid including information necessary to understanding the subject line because then some subscribers will miss it. Don’t make the message of the subject line + preview text dependent on the preview text.

Now, supplemental doesn’t mean boring! Write your preview text using the same methods you use for crafting a subject line:

• Create a sense of urgency
• Drive action
• Spark curiosity
• Put key terms at the beginning
• Keep it short

Email preview text best practices

One common practice is to put an additional CTA in the preview text. An example would be: “Check out our latest articles!”

Another good practice is to use the preview text to summarize the content of your email campaign. This way the recipient sees what it’s about at a glance.

This strategy is particularly useful if you send a regular newsletter. From nonprofits to blogs, just listing the top stories included can go a long way to increase open rates.

Related: A Complete Guide to Email Marketing for Nonprofits

Now, if you ignore the preview text, by default it will usually show text linking to the web version of the email. With Sendinblue, for example, this will happen automatically if you don’t set the preview text. This helps the user experience by making the email readable in their browser, sure. But we suggest you go beyond the default.

The dos and don’ts of preview text

Here are some good and bad email preview text examples to help you come up with ideas.

Do with preview text

• Add a product-specific CTA, e.g. ‘10% off Shoes Offer Ends Today!’ or ‘Find the right sandals for summer!’
• Draw in with a personalized call: ‘Regan, Get Your Vans Before They Sell Out!’
• Give more details about the subject line: ‘Get Your Free Shipping While It Lasts’, ‘All orders of $20.00 and above’
• Complement a question in the subject line: ‘Sam, do you need to convince your boss? New study on email marketing ROI!’
• Mention a few of the topics covered in the email: ‘The Hometown Garden Association Newsletter. Read about the park cleanup program and new trees planted on Main St.’
• Use emojis to add color and draw the eye.

Don’t do with preview text

• Ask a question in the subject line and answer it in the preview text (not all recipients will see it and so they’d miss the point):
  ‘What are we offering 10% off on?’ – ‘All Shoes!!!’
• Repeat the subject line’s message. That’s extra space to add value.
• Leave the subject line incomplete and finish it in the preview text: ‘Book your…’ – ‘Last-minute airfare today!’
• Cause unintentional word association: ‘Book your last-minute flights today.’ – ‘Prices are crashing.’
• Let your code show:
  ‘The Hometown Garden Association News’ – ‘<html><head><title>Howard T. Pennicut elected new board member…’

Remember to avoid the spam filter! Just like with subject lines, watch out for anything that could be perceived as spammy behavior in preview text. This means avoiding writing in all caps, using excessive exclamation points, or stuffing it with too many emojis.

3. What are the preview text character limits for email clients?

Did you know that the preview text does not display in all email clients?

Also, each email client displays a different number of characters in its preview text. These range between 40 and 140.

The table below gives you an overview of current display limits in the most popular email clients.

4. What do I do about the fact that email clients all have different character limits?

Just look at these preview text email examples from my inbox and how the preview text length varies each time:

Every sender tried something different to handle varying email preview text length.

There are four recommended approaches to diverse character limits:

1. Write the preview text in bite-sized chunks. If you write a long text, it can get cut off anywhere by the different email clients. It’s better to string together many bite-sized chunks, separated by a symbol, such as | or – . See this technique in the image below. 
2. Let it flow into the opening of the email. In the first email above, the preview text is short and it flows into the greeting. It states, “Read about the improved mobile apps and new summary reports Hey there! Here’s some of the stuff …” For this to work well, you have to remove any text in the actual preheader, such as “View in browser.” Also you might want to include a punctuation mark to signal the end of the preview text and the beginning of the email.
3. Repeat stuff. In the third email above, you see that Facebook uses this tactic. Simply copy and paste the same text multiple times to fill in the space for varying character lengths.
4. Insert a lot of blank space. Two of the emails above tried to do this. One succeeded, the other not so much. Look at the fourth email “Top Picks for Mara – Yin yoga restores energy and eases anxiety.” It has a nice clean look after its preview text. All that blank space actually draws your attention to that email. The second email tried it, too, but they didn’t insert enough blank space. This creates a random gap between the preview text “See an overview …” and the email greeting “Hi, Mara!”

Tip: “But how do I create blank space after the preview text,” you ask? Warning: Inserting blank space after the preview text is known as the “preview text hack.” Like all hacks, it has some drawbacks. There are several ways to do this, and none of them is foolproof. There will always be some email client that doesn’t display this properly. These preview text hacks revolve around inserting a long line of alternating zero-width nonjoiners with nonbreaking spaces. Whether you do it in HTML or in Unicode, some email clients will display the former as code and the latter as boxes. So you have to choose, based on your target groups’ email client preferences whether you want to use this hack.

Email preview text written in chunks that can be cut off easily.

5. How do I edit the preview text in email with Sendinblue?

In Sendinblue, email campaigns are created in four steps: Setup, Design, Recipients, and Confirmation.

On Setup, you have the text previewer (see below) where to set the preview text as you want it. Then, you’ll create your design and add the email content in the Design step. 

Preview text in short

The preview text can help you boost your open rate. It’s best to use it to convey additional information that expands on the subject line, not information that completes it.

Preview text length ranges between 40 and 140 characters, depending on the email client recipients use. Look at your email stats to find out which are the most used by your email list to decide on your preview text length strategy.

The post 5 Simple Answers to Email Preview Text FAQs appeared first on Sendinblue.

Of course, optimizing these aspects is essential to boost open and engagement rates. But what about the smaller elements, like the ‘View this email in your browser’ feature?

Here at Sendinblue, we believe the devil is in the detail. That’s why we want to take a look at this feature in depth. Keep reading to learn why you should include it and where to position it in your email.

What is the ‘view this email in your browser’ feature?

This feature is a small piece of hyperlinked text usually found in the header of an email.

Also known as a ‘mirror link’, it allows you to offer an online version of your email to readers who may have trouble viewing HTML messages or have image loading turned off.

Including this feature ensures that the full version your email is viewable to all readers, regardless of their email client, settings, or any other rendering issues.

Source

Why include ‘view this email in your browser’?

One of the most frustrating things in terms of user-experience is receiving an email with formatting or rendering issues.

While most email clients will now render images without a problem, some still automatically preset emails to not display images or hyperlinked images for security reasons.

A bad rendering experience is a sure-fire way to lose your email subscribers. It’s important to remember that many of your contacts may not have the knowledge (or the time) to review or change their email settings. 

Reasons to have a ‘View this email in your browser’ option

Mirror links are not mandatory but you should still use them.

While many argue that rendering issues are now a minority case and the need for the feature is obsolete, there are still many valid reasons to point your readers towards a web version of your email:

• If you have a particularly image-heavy or interactive email (p.s. follow these best practices for newsletter images)
• To eliminate any concerns about display features in certain email applications
• To make your email code accessible to your users
• To encourage social sharing
• To allow people to bookmark your email if you’re sharing helpful information
• For accessibility reasons—some readers may need a web version to activate assistive technology
• If you simply like the idea of your readers having an option to view a web version of your email for an enhanced experience

Where to put the ‘view this email in your browser’ link

Now that you understand the reasons for adding this feature in your emails, let’s take a look at some placement options. 

Where you should position the link in your email comes down to two key factors—email design best practices and consumer behavior. This is important to make the right decision for your audience. 

While the ‘view this email in your browser’ link is most commonly found in the header, many argue that it should be placed further down the email. Here are some of the options:

1. The email header

According to the rules of visual hierarchy, because readers tend to read top to bottom, elements higher up on the page are perceived as more important.

Many feel that the ‘view this email in your browser’ link should be placed in the header of the email to allow the alternative reading option to stand out.

It’s immediately clear to readers to go to your web-based version if they experience any rendering issues. This is a great way to give your readers a quick solution when their email doesn’t load. 

Most emails have some sort of white space at the beginning of the page, which also makes it easy to include the link without interfering with your design. 

NOTE If you choose to include the ‘view this email in your browser’ feature in the header of your email, make sure you’ve customized your email preview text. Otherwise, the preview text will automatically show up as ‘View this email in your browser’ which won’t look very appealing in the inbox.

2. The email footer

Another relatively common location to include this link is in the footer of your email. 

Many marketers believe that including the link in the header takes up valuable real-estate, that could be better used to communicate the purpose of the email and drive conversions. 

The footer is often used by marketers to include important information that doesn’t directly relate to the message you want to communicate, like unsubscribe links and terms of use.

In this regard, it makes sense to include a ‘view this email in your browser’ link here as well.

However, be mindful that this can lead to a frustrating user experience. It makes the link harder to find and the user will potentially need to scroll through an entire poorly rendered email to find the solution. 

3. The email body

Alternatively, you could look at finding a way to integrate the link into the body of your email. This is a trickier option as you’ll need to make the link gel with your design and ensure it doesn’t detract from your content. 

Looking for a shorter expression? Try these alternatives

Many marketers feel that the ‘view this email in your browser’ feature takes up too much valuable real-estate, no matter where it’s placed in your email. If you want to shorten your hyperlink to take up less space or gel better with your email design, here are some snappier alternatives for the text:

• ‘View online’
• ‘View full email’
• ‘Read email here’
• ‘See more’
• ‘View in browser’
• ‘Trouble viewing this email?’

Whatever wording you decide to go with, always make sure your reader can easily understand the purpose of the link. 

Add the ‘view this email in your browser’ feature with Sendinblue

Sendinblue has the option to automatically add a mirror link to your campaign.

In campaign edit mode, go to the Setup tab. Scroll to the bottom of the page and you’ll find some advanced options, including a checkbox for ‘Enable Mirror Link’.

Another method to enable the ‘View this email in your browser’ link is to add a variable directly to the email HTML.

Sendinblue’s new template language allows you to add a series of predefined variables to your emails, including a ‘view this email in your browser’ link. The template language provides a standardized, common structure for creating dynamic templates and powerful design.

To include the ‘view this email in your browser’ feature, you can place the following code in your email HTML, formatted as a link:

<a href=”{{ mirror }}”>View this email in your browser.</a>

Want to try it out? Open a free Sendinblue account to access our advanced email marketing plaftorm and send 300 emails a day completely free.

Open my free Sendinblue account now >>

Test, learn, and optimize

When considering whether or not to include the ‘view this email in your browser’ feature and where to place it, it’s essential to evaluate your target audience and how likely they are to use it.

Make sure you understand exactly who your audience is, where they’re opening your emails, and how they’re engaging with your content.

For example, do you have a lot of marketing enthusiasts or tech fanatics in your subscriber list? They may like to have a sneak peek at your code using the web version of your email.

Do you have a lot of subscribers using outdated email clients? Then you’ll need to make sure they have an alternative viewing option.

When in doubt, test! Check your analytics to gain insight into how many of your contacts are interacting with the link. Include it in different spaces and see how your audience responds. 

The most powerful way to engage your target audience is to let your analytics guide your decisions and your email design. 

The post ‘View this email in your browser’: What is this Feature & Why is it Important? appeared first on Sendinblue.

Sure, you’ve a good email design and are pretty clear about who you’re targeting – what more? Write good emails. Like ridiculously good emails. Instead of throwing in a bunch of words with links and hitting send, spend some time on the email copy – show some word love.

Why? Because good copy is magical. Not only does it get people to read your work, it settles down and gets cozy in their memory bank – encouraging them to open your email again and again, and again (did I say, again?).

Now that I have (hopefully) convinced you of the need for good email copy, let me also be a responsible email world citizen and share some important characteristics for good email copy with you.

And, no, before you think I’m pulling these characteristics from thin air, I assure you: I’ve done my homework – having reached out to some of the best newsletter owners whose copy gets responses such as this one:

Reader’s comment on Brendan Hufford, Founder of SEO for the Rest of Us newsletter

Follow the tips we share below and you’ll soon get responses like these! ?

1. Write to instill curiosity

Work on email copy starts with the subject line – the first thing people read before they click to read your letter. Fail here and “nothing else matters. The copy, the message inside, is dead on arrival if the recipient ignores or archives your email before opening it,” Eddie Shleyner, Founder of VeryGoodCopy.com warns.

An excellent way to get that open, however, involves evoking curiosity. How? Try Shleyner’s formula:

“Tease Value + Embellish Benefit = Evoke Curiosity”

Let’s see this in action:

Source

Each of the subject lines above stokes curiosity and makes a promise. Here’s one random subject line:“Has this writing phenomenon ever happened to you?”

Questions that pop in mind when you read this: what writing phenomenon? Is there a writing tactic that I’m missing? The result: Click.

See what happened there?

You need to follow suit. Try to “create a cliffhanger, or a Curiosity Gap, by withholding a piece of information. If the info you hold back is valuable or provocative and the only way to get it is by opening the email (a very low barrier to entry) the reader will almost certainly feel curious and click.”

Related: 24 of the Best Email Subject Lines & Why They Rock

2. Always offer value

So you’ve heard. But have you actually sat in front of your drawing board and listed what value your newsletter provides?

If you haven’t already, I suggest you finish this piece quickly and get straight to work. Things you need to note down for providing a value-packed email meal:

• What exactly are you going to talk about? List some topics
• What’s so interesting about these topics? Cross out some topics from the list
• Will your audience enjoy these topics? Knock out some more topics
• Ask someone on your team or someone interested in your content. Finalize topics

And voila! There you have it – the answer to what makes your newsletter valuable.

But there’s still some work left. How will you package the value proposition? Kate Cooper, Founder and Content Designer at Language Arts who writes the Friday Five newsletter shares you need to work out “the voice and tone of your email.”

To that end, Cooper says, “I always write in the first person, very briefly explaining why I’m sharing what I’m sharing. (Here’s an example: This video of three sisters dancing to James Brown’s music was the best thing on the internet this week. That is all.) My newsletter represents my opinions on the best “stuff” I consume each week, and that resonates with my audience.”

Source

The takeaway? Have an opinion and write in first person (hint: sound human).

But always, always make sure you don’t come off as self-centered by talking only about yourself or your interests.

This is why it’s important you know your audience (go back to that drawing board if you aren’t clear) and share things that interest them too. That’s why Cooper shared (and I’m quoting again): “the best ‘stuff’ I consume each week, and that resonates with my audience.”

3. Write clear, conversational copy

That’s easier said than done. But don’t worry. Hufford (the one who’s email compliment you read at the start) has your back.

Thing is “writing is part thinking, and part editing to elicit communication that adds clarity and not confusion,” Hufford explains. So you’ve to start with “learning to think clearly.” This way, you can write clear and in the way you speak

If you aren’t one for taking some thinking time to be clear about what you want to write – write a draft for yourself first, then go on to rewrite it to make it clearer, fluff-free, and conversational.

It also helps to “have something to say. Strong opinions, held loosely, are the key to creating thriving, engaging newsletter copy.”

“Unless you’re Tim Ferriss,” Hufford notes, “you can’t expect your newsletter to succeed on curating links alone (Tim’s entire career as an author and podcaster has been curation + opinion).”

So, “consider what YOU have to say about the things you’ll share.” Capeesh?

4. Show your personality and have a personal voice

Let’s assume you are sure curated content will work well for your newsletter. What then? Have a personal voice or a way with words according to Brittany Berger, the Founder of WorkBrighter.co.

She rightly points out, “since email is one of the most personal, 1:1 ways we communicate with our audience, we need to adjust our voice and copy accordingly.”

Question now is: how do you go about doing that? “Things like telling stories, using conversational language and questions like you would in an email to a colleague, and addressing one person versus a group can go a long way to build a relationship with your subscribers.”

See how Berger does so in her newsletter:

Source

Want to learn more about how you can build solid relationships with your subscribers? Hop onto this guide and you’ll learn the A-Z of it all.

5. Authenticity

Next up, authenticity – another important email copy characteristic that needs your attention. The Brand Marketing Lead for Trello and the face behind the Write | Werk newsletter, Leah Ryder stresses on it.

She insists, “communicate as if you were right there in the room, having a conversation with your reader.” As a picky newsletter reader, I can tell you how well this works.

“Use the copy as a conduit to communicate the truest and most authentic form of the ideas you want them to walk away with. It can help to think of it this way: If your readers met you in person, would they instantly feel.”

Let’s pick out some ways Leah makes her writing authentic:

Source

6. Provide a good reader experience

Authenticity, conversational writing, personal voice, clarity of thought, and value will work well enough to provide a good experience to your readers.

One bit completes all this though and it’s “organizing the newsletter in a way that’s easy and enjoyable to read,” shares Jimmy Daly, Cofounder/CEO of Superpath and creator of The Swipe File newsletter.

It’s true. I’m a fan of writing easy to read content since it makes things understandable and simple to digest. And, of course, enjoyable as Jimmy said.

One good way to do that is to “find a template that works well for you and your audience. Let that structure be the foundation of your writing and build on it.”

For instance, Jimmy’s newsletter has “five simple sections, each with a different theme. Those themes help guide my creative thinking and the readers get accustomed to it.”

In short

Be yourself – have an opinion and don’t conceal your voice or personality. In fact, let it show in your email copy. Write like you’re writing to one person. This will help you be more authentic and your readers will know you’re talking to them.

Have more email copy characteristics to share with us? Tweet them our way.

Written by Masooma Memon, freelance writer for B2B SaaS.

The post 6 Email Copy Characteristics You Need to Know Today appeared first on Sendinblue.

New data confirms that 73% of marketers rated the ROI of email to be ‘good’ or ‘excellent’, compared to 72% for SEO and 67% for paid search. Clearly, you can’t take it for granted.

The question now is: how do you design attention-grabbing newsletters? To make it easier for you, we’ve compiled newsletter layout ideas that’ll impress your subscribers from the get-go and set them on an exciting journey with your brand. 

7 Newsletter layout design tips to turn your subscribers into fans

#1 Create a visual hierarchy 

…by organizing design elements in order of importance to guide users where to look first, and so forth. 

Here’s how:

Use Scale

When something’s big it’s more attention-grabbing. Feel free to apply this logic in your newsletter layout and: 

• give maximum space to the most important piece of information
• use bigger fonts to create typographic hierarchy
• Draw attention through color contrast.

This email from Evernote shows how it’s done:

All that said, your newsletter layout should have no more than 3 different sizes. Overlooking this means compromising on the visual straightforwardness of your email. 

Follow eye movement/scanning patterns 

Several eye-tracking studies report that people scan content, and it applies to emails as well. 

Dropps’ newsletter is a good example of how to capitalize on the Z reading pattern. Notice how the gaze shifts from one corner to another without being told. 

Next up is an example of the inverted pyramid newsletter layout which by default leads readers to the CTA. But remember: for the CTA to generate a click, your email copy should be aligned with the CTA copy.

Then comes the F pattern newsletter design which works brilliantly for plain text emails. From a design perspective, the goal should be to reduce cognitive load by:

• highlighting important information in bold, 
• writing paragraphs that are no longer than a sentence or two, and 
• Using bullet points where necessary. 

For inspiration check out Marijana Kay‘s newsletter:

Bonus tip: Do a squint test or use this cool Chrome extension to vet your newsletter’s visual hierarchy. A blur test done on an email from Lush confirms that design scores high on visual hierarchy. 

Source

Further reading: 5 Email Design Best Practices for 2020

#2 Leverage negative space

Negative or white space is the space left between or surrounding design elements. You would have seen it in logos, posters, website layouts, and even in paintings. Could newsletters be far behind? Nope.

As it turns out, why using it amps up your newsletter layout design can be found in the Gestalt principle of proximity. 

When elements are grouped, we tend to take a mental shortcut and perceive them as being related to each other compared to those spaced further apart. Suffice it to say, when used strategically, negative space:

• amplifies visual hierarchy
• draws attention to the CTA
• enhances scannability and readability by breaking the content.

Email from Everlane checks all the above-mentioned boxes. There’s a perfect spatial relationship between various elements and the overall layout. The logo and CTA stand out and the text is legible, engaging the user to scroll the entire length of the email.

Source

#3 Use directional cues

Directional elements can be explicit (an arrow) or implicit cue (a person’s gaze). Both do a fabulous job by taking the effort out of the equation by suggesting recipients where to look.

See the downward arrow in the email from Away? You can’t help but follow it and scroll down. 

Source

Similarly in the email from Alex Mill attention is immediately drawn to and rests on the CTA: 

Source

#4 Come up with a standout CTA

It’s true that subscribers, especially the less engaged folks are indeed commitment-averse, but you can design compelling CTAs if you stick to the basics. 

CTA design

Despite several studies claiming otherwise, no one color guarantees conversions. What makes the real difference is using a color that provides a sharp contrast with the background. It creates an Isolation or the Von Restorff Effect, making the CTA stand out and elevating the visual hierarchy of the page. 

As for the CTA size, squint-test to check if it’s big enough and in harmony with the newsletter layout, like in the example below:

Number of CTAs

Like color, there’s not one lucky number that boosts email engagement. Though what’ll certainly work against you is overwhelming subscribers with way too many CTAs. 

To avoid this, either have one call to action or if you must have more, change the button size or color of secondary CTAs. You could perhaps even stick to a theme, like so:

Correct placement

A lot is said about CTA placement, but like color and no. of CTAs, there’s not one sweet spot that guarantees conversions. Though what works is keeping in mind the popular reading patterns discussed earlier. 

That said, in longer emails place CTAs at the bottom because anywhere else is but a distraction. 

Then comes contextual placement. 

Social proof has a huge conversion potential. Notice how Huckberry’s CTA becomes stronger and prompts a click because it’s placed next to the praise from a real customer 

CTA copy

Though a minor digression from design, know that without a good CTA copy you can’t persuade people to click on it. To optimize do as follows. 

Use action words

Whatever your value proposition, action words encourage a click as they imply achieving an objective. Think. ‘get it now’, ‘customize’, ‘shop now’, ‘join’ etc.

Source

Use the first person ‘I’ or ‘me’. 

It shifts focus from you to the customer. ‘Count me in’, ‘Reveal my code’, ‘Start my free trial’, ‘I’m in’ are a few examples. 

Source

#5 Strong conversion scent (hint: branding) 

Conversion scent is a term introduced by Bryan Eisenberg. In his book, Always Be Testing, he says:

“When you abandon your scent trail, you strand visitors and destroy the persuasive movement on your site.”

What it means is that unless you deliver a consistent pre and post-click experience, whether from an ad to a landing page or email to your website, you won’t win your subscribers’ confidence in you. 

To maintain a strong conversion scent and for them to know the email is from you: 

• Add a logo. It’s the first thing that they recognize which then builds familiarity + makes your email trustworthy, not a scam.
• Be consistent with font type and color palette. However, since some email service providers don’t recognize all website fonts, set a default ‘web-safe’ font.
• Stay true to your brand’s tone and voice, whether in words or design. Just because colorful newsletters are pleasing doesn’t mean yours should be drenched in every eye-popping color.

For comparison sake, look at the side-by-side view of Fortress of Inca’s newsletter layout and website. Every element discussed above is in sync with the overall look and feel of the website. 

#6 Persuasive images

Newsletter images should be high-quality for they make emails visually engaging and appealing. But there’s more than meets the eye. 

For maximum impact, use visuals that complement accompanying content and evoke positive emotions. Place them strategically to make your newsletter layout scannable. Maybe even throw GIFs into the mix. 

Next, add alt text that best describes the image to increase your email’s accessibility. And as far as possible, stay true to your branding guideline to deliver a coherent experience. 

What about the stuff not to do? 

• Use the overused, cheesy stock images sparingly.
• Ration the number of images as too many can hamper quick load time.
• Avoid JPEG format for images with text. 

#7 Responsive design

51% of customers aren’t just opening emails on their phones, they’re also comfortable shopping on their smartphones. 

But when newsletters don’t render to their screen size it affects engagement and your business. Some even unsubscribe because of sloppy experience. So take stock of your subscribers’ mobile habits and design responsive newsletter layouts. 

Use CSS media queries as dynamic rules that upon detecting screen sizes display emails correctly to improve customer’s interaction and experience with your newsletter. 

If coding emails isn’t your strong point, you can always use a tool like Sendinblue’s fully responsive Drag & Drop email editor. Create mobile-friendly emails without the hassle. Test-drive the editor and all its features on Sendinblue’s free plan.

One last thing: never send emails without testing how they look on different devices. Use Sendinblue’s mobile preview feature to see how the newsletter layout looks on mobile.

Focus and fire with these newsletter layout tips

Congratulations, you’re now in the know of how to make conversion-driving newsletter layouts. Now get ready to unleash some creativity and tie all the loose ends.

Perhaps you can send your next one with Sendinblue? Guaranteed, the intuitive and responsive editor will make designing more fun. Go on, give it a go. You can send up to 300 emails per day for free.

By Sharanya Manola, freelance writer for B2B SaaS.

The post 7 Newsletter Layout Design Tips To Instantly Woo Your Subscribers appeared first on Sendinblue.

They certainly do.

In fact, Harry Dry, the mind behind the Marketing Examples (almost viral in a good way) newsletter shares, “If I wrote a newsletter today without an image it would feel wrong.”

But, be warned: too many and too large images in newsletters can quickly get your email the ‘spam’ label. Visual emails also come with the risk of loading slowly. Sometimes, they can get automatically blocked too. Ouch.

Plus, here’s another issue that recent research has dug up: large pictures that are irrelevant and resemble stock photography can quickly get you a thumbs down from your contacts.

This makes visual emails a tricky territory to wade into. Except, it’s really not all that difficult provided you know the right from the wrong (or spammable, really). So, let’s dedicate this post to separating the two.

We aren’t going to focus on email design. Instead, we’ll pay attention to the kit of the caboodle – the visual element of a newsletter. To be more specific, we’ll talk about what kinds of images you should use in your newsletters.

Let’s roll:

How well do visual emails perform?

Very well. In fact, they can get you a click through rate (CTR) that’s as high as 42%. Nope, I haven’t just pulled this out of thin air – Vero learned this after analyzing 5000 email campaigns with and without images.

They found that campaigns with images got a 42% higher CTR than those without them. I also asked actual humans who run successful newsletters (the kind that I and many others wait for) for their take on newsletter graphics.

Harry opined newsletter images are an easy way to stand out from the rest. He’s not wrong considering the images in his newsletter are widely circulated on social too.

He reminisces, “back in the early days I used to write full text emails and then as people started commenting more and more on the images I started putting more and more time into them.”

Mary Ellen Slayter, the superhero behind Friday emails by Managing Editor (another newsletter that’s a marketer’s beloved) makes similar observations. She explains, “I can say that the images in our newsletter are often what prompt the most response from our subscribers.”

These suggestions make a solid case for images in newsletters. So, let’s dig deeper into the matter.

Images for newsletters: getting them right

You need to know three things before you go about playing with newsletter images: your visual’s goal, some basics, and the right dimensions.

Here are the details:

Newsletter graphics: know your goal

The goal for each newsletter’s image can vary. Mary Ellen, for instance, shares her goal with newsletter images is to delight. She elaborates, “images give me the best opportunity to do that, I find. It lightens up the vibe of the more educational/professional content we’re sharing. Spoon full of sugar, and such.”

Marketing Consultant, Dennis Shiao, who runs the Content Corner newsletter thinks of images as the “’taste maker’ of the newsletter, which creates a better reading experience.”

But there’s also a common theme to the images used in all newsletters. This theme revolves around:

• High quality images and
• Images that serve a purpose

Research from the Nielsen Norman Group confirms newsletter recipients expect high quality imagery in emails. They want the same quality as the one they get on the web. In fact, readers appreciate premium quality images that show fine details clearly.

As for the purpose, images could be explaining the point you’ve made or entertaining your readers.

Put another way, don’t use images for the sake of it. Readers are quick to disregard those emails. And, if it happens one too many times, your newsletter is bound to end up unopened.

Newsletter imagery: the basics to know

Here are the essentials of adding images to your email newsletter:

• Add ALT text to your email images

Because ALT text serves an important function: it shows up when images don’t. So, in case your image doesn’t display, an ALT text can save the day. It also makes your email accessible for those who can’t see images.

• Don’t clutter your email with images

Whitespace or the space between elements including images and text is your friend. Squeezing in as many images as possible can have damaging repercussions. Besides, adequate whitespace makes your email design easy to scan and digestible.

The NN Group study that we’ve been referring to above also highlights that their participants considered several tiny images as “outdated,” not just cluttered. So there’s that too.

• Don’t go with very large images as well

Both tiny and too large come with consequences. So, it’s best to aim for balance. And, remember: give no more than 20-30% of your newsletter real estate to images.

Newsletter image dimensions to know

The last important piece to this puzzle – the size guide that you need to commit to memory:

• Width wise, keep your images to 600 pixels at most

This is your newsletter’s maximum width. If you go off course, you’ll annoy the reader as he’d have to scroll side to side to view the picture.

• Images in newsletter size: up to 1 MB

For other background images and GIFs in emails, keep the size to 3 MB.

Fortunately, with Sendinblue, you get an inbuilt image editor that can change your visual’s size and resolution. You can find this option under ‘Transform’ where you can pick from commonly used sizes such as square, a ratio of 16 by 9 or 4 by 3. Or you can create a custom size for your image.

• Make sure your images aren’t too close together

While there’s no harm in this, it’s good to recall that visuals break text to make it easy to read. If you’re concentrating all your images in one section, you’re basically killing a key function of visuals.

How many images should you include in your newsletter?

There’s no wrong or right answer to this. You could play with one or 10. Harry’s newsletters contain 3-10 images per newsletter.

Take a look:

Mary Ellen eases the confusion for those who are only just starting a newsletter: “It’s better to have one really strong one [image] than a bunch of mediocre ones.”

What sort of newsletter images should you add?

Alright, so you now know you can’t underestimate the role that images play in your newsletter, the best size for them, and how many look good in your emails.

Let’s look at another important aspect of visual emails: the types of images you should add to your newsletter. Again, there are no hard and fast rules here. Anything high quality and original (not mediocre stock photography) that’s meaningful works.

You can try the following:

• Illustrations

Like Grammarly uses:

You can add text on top of illustrations or tweak the text’s font as well with Sendinblue’s image editor.

• People-centered photography or behind the scenes (BTS) imagery

Semiotic surveys confirm pictures showing people at work way better for marketing than landscape or object-containing pictures.

Learn from The Latest newsletter by Impact: 

• Relaxed, real poses

Since we’re already talking about BTS content, you might as well note that staged images don’t do the trick. Authentic images with a personal touch do.

Take a page from Managing Editor’s newsletter:

Source

At the end of the day: “choose images for punch,” as Mary Ellen puts it. In fact, here’s what she uses in their newsletter, “usually a mix of custom illustrations by our staff artist Ivine Badran, pop culture screenshots and gifs. I also try to slip in original photography when I can. Those are generally of items around my house that somehow tie to the theme.” 

Newsletter images: bonus tips

As we near the end, it’d be best you learn some more quick tips for improving engagement via images in your newsletter. Follow along:

• Have a specific style

Or, you could say, use on-brand images. This makes the images you use in your email memorable. And, your readers will instantly recognize you outside of their inboxes too. Not to forget, such images also, “signal you’re putting the work in. People pay more attention when they know you’ve put the work in,” in Harry’s words.

His newsletter imagery stands out the most. He says, “all my images have a specific style. I don’t just drop in random images. I give them all the same dark blue background. And use consistent arrows, red cross/green ticks etc. This means people know they’re ‘Marketing Examples’ images.”

Example of an image from the Marketing Examples newsletter

Alternatively, you can create a particular style for your images by using a specific filter. Sendinblue makes it easy for you to choose from filters to add on your email images. You’ll find these filters on the left hand side of the image editor.

• Your images are clear

Meaningful and purposeful – yes. That’s important. But another crucial factor is clarity. Harry adds to this, “the image has to be easily consumable. People scan images. Clarity above all else is my golden rule. And if this means simplifying your message then so be it.”

• Make sure your email is responsive

This one’s a common slip. Dennis opens up about it. He shares, “in a recent issue, I made a mistake:

This is the introduction section of my newsletter. For the image, I specified a width of 512 pixels, which nicely fit inside that section. Below the introduction, however, the layout moves to two columns.

The result? While this looked fine on desktop, on mobile, the use of the 512 pixel-wide image compromised the responsive design. The copy rendered in a smaller font and became harder to read (on a phone) compared to my “normal” issues. For each issue, I send a preview and review that on my phone. For some reason, I missed the responsive design issue before sending this one out.”

The solution? Do what Dennis does – always preview emails before sending them and pay attention to responsive design. If you find it hard to manually design responsive emails, start with Sendinblue’s free newsletter templates that are both beautifully designed as well as fully responsive. 

Ready to send glorious emails with on point newsletter images?

Although everything that we discussed is important, we can boil it down to this: be sure to use original, high-quality newsletter images that are legible and add to your email’s visual appeal.Looking for more newsletter examples to learn from? Here you go. Don’t forget to keep in touch with us on Twitter.

Written by Masooma Memon, freelance writer for B2B SaaS.

The post Newsletter Images: Should You Add Them? appeared first on Sendinblue.

If you’ve been around email marketing for more than ten minutes, you know that an email subject line can make or break your email. 

In fact, a quick glance at your own inbox probably offers plenty of ideas for writing email subject lines. 

How many do you have in your inbox? 50? 12,456? 

No matter how cluttered (or clean) your inbox is, there is likely to be a subject line or two that leaps out at you. 

Maybe it’s a timely response to a project or a flight confirmation. Either of which could have important information for you. A project response can be the next piece of information you need to complete something. 

A flight confirmation gives you the details of airline number, day, and time that you need for travel.

The whole point of email subject lines is to grab your reader’s attention. 

Yet, there’s a process to writing email subject lines that get read.

That process starts with the purpose behind the email.

Your subject line should have a clear purpose

Here’s legendary adman, David Ogilvy, on the matter. 

“When I write an advertisement, I don’t want you to tell me that you find it ‘creative.’ I want you to find it so interesting that you buy the product.” – David Ogilvy

He gets right to the point, just like a good email subject line. 

The purpose of email marketing is to build trust, credibility, and contribute to the bottom line. 

Yet, they don’t have to do all of those things in every email. Some emails are confirmations like receiving your flight information. Others are meant to help you learn something, and others are intended to sell. 

And when the email subject line tells me what’s inside, that’s helpful. 

Like any piece of copy, there’s a proven formula for writing good email subject lines. 

And, it starts with your reader. 

We’ll get into that in a moment, but first, let’s look at four components of email subject line best practices.

The 4 Components of Writing an Attention-Grabbing Email Subject Line

Imagine opening your inbox and scanning your emails. Would you open something with an email subject line titled “October Newsletter?” Probably not. 

On the other hand, if you were thinking about a weekend getaway and received an email with the subject line “$49 fares this weekend.” Then you’ll probably be at least curious.

With that in mind, most good email marketing subject lines include at least 3 of these four elements. 

• Urgent 
• Focused 
• Intriguing 
• Results-Oriented

Consider the “$49 fares this weekend” headline. If you were interested in a low-cost airfare, you’d probably click that just to have a look. You’d want to see where you could go and what types of deals are available. This subject line has all four elements. It’s urgent, focused, intriguing, and results-oriented. 

However, if I’d earmarked my vacation money for home improvement projects instead, then I probably wouldn’t be interested and may even unsubscribe. 

Urgency used effectively

Here’s another example. This is a successful email subject line from the eyeglass maker Warby Parker. “Uh-oh, your prescription is expiring.” Sent two weeks before the recipient’s eyeglass prescription expires, it’s timely and urgent, which means you’ll likely open it. 

Are you seeing a pattern yet? Writing email subject lines is an exercise in your thinking like your recipient. 

Let’s jump into some of those email best practices and as you go through these, consider how you can apply the four components of urgent, focused, intriguing, and results-oriented.

7 Email Subject Lines Best Practices  

You’ve already seen that writing effective email marketing subject lines starts with your recipient.

1 – Start with Why

Why are you sending this email?

Is it meant to promote a new blog post or is it part of a multi-email marketing campaign to sell a product or service? Or is there another reason?

There are many reasons to send email and its purpose will guide your email subject line and make it relevant.

2 – What Do You Want Your Reader to Think/Feel/Do

A confirmation email meant to serve as a record of a transaction is an entirely different animal than an email that’s part of a sales sequence. 

When you know the purpose of the email, you can assess your desired outcome, and that leads to an interesting subject line. 

Here’s an example.

Let’s say you’ve planned a multi-email campaign to launch a product. You have an announcement email, 3-5 emails sharing specific benefits of the product, and finally a Last Call email. A popular email subject line formula is to mention that right in the subject line.

Last call: [Name Of Product] closes in [#] hours

So it could be “Last call: Your awesome product closes in 2 hours”

It creates urgency for any fence-sitters. It reminds them that if they’re interested, they need to act now or the product is going away. 

But what if your product will still be available next week? How do you handle that email subject line? 

Answer a frequently asked question

If you’ve created something in response to a frequently asked question, then you could use that question in your email subject line.

“How can you grow your subscribers this month?” 

It answers a popular question and gives a specific time frame which makes it focused. 

If you want to onboard new subscribers for your budgeting app, then it’s typical to create a series of emails that help them get the most out of your app. One of those emails might have the subject line of 

“How you can save $1500 this year” – You know your subscribers want to save money and they’d benefit from saving it this year. 

3 – What are Your Brand Guidelines?

Virgin Mobile Tone of Voice Guidelines

Whether your brand “voice” is edgy, professional, or inspirational, your email marketing should fit with it. It wouldn’t be on-brand to use the Harvard Business Review language for a Gen Z retailer. What words do you associate with your brand? 

4 – Keep it Short

Due to space limitations, you have around 60 characters before the email subject line is cut off and about half that on a smartphone. Which means you only have 6-8 words to grab the attention of the reader. 

5 – Keep it Focused

Keep your email subject line focused on one thing. Preferably with a clear benefit for reading, “Script for boosting your closing rate by 25%.”

That way, I know I’m getting a sales script meant to boost my sales by 25%. If you’re in sales, don’t you want to improve your closing ratio? 

6 – Segment Your Lists

You wouldn’t talk to your best friend the same way you talk to your new boss. Why would you send the same message to your entire email list?

Email marketing works best when prospective customers receive messages targeted toward them and new customers receive emails that help them get the most out of your product/service. 

Read more in our detailed segmentation guide.

7 – Write Multiple Subject Lines

Try different tactics until you find one that “fits.” If funny or shocking fits your brand, then try that out. Or, if that doesn’t work, keep it simple and straightforward. “3 Ways You Can Build Strength in 10 Minutes” or if you’re following up, “Here’s the next step.” 

To quote Oglivy again, “I never write fewer than 16 headlines for a single ad.”

Ogilvy was talking about print ads but the same thought applies to email subject lines. Its purpose is to capture your reader’s attention and entice them to open it. 

Practice makes perfect when it comes to writing email subject lines

As you can see, there’s a lot of thought that goes into writing email subject lines that get read (and opened!). When you apply these principles to the process though, you can make it easier. Keep it focused on what thing at a time and make it something your reader will care about. 

You can also A/B test your email subject lines and see which approach gets the best reaction from your audience.

If you’re looking for an email marketing software to design, send, and manage emails, try Sendinblue. Sendinblue offers a free trial which lets you send 300 emails/day. 

The post The 7-Step Process For Writing Fantastic Email Subject Lines appeared first on Sendinblue.

Marketers like to make a lot of assumptions. We think we know what our audience is looking for and what tactics get the most conversions and engagement.

While experienced marketers certainly (or at least, hopefully) know a lot about their target audience, the only way to be sure you on the right track is by testing and proving your assumptions.

The same is true for email marketing success — and it’s particularly relevant for email subject lines. Although it’s only a few words long, testing different subject lines can have a massive impact on your overall performance.

Why is email subject line testing important?

That’s because subject lines are arguably the most important factor in determining the success of any email campaign. In order to get conversions from your email, you need to get them to open it first — and the subject line is the first (and sometimes only) element people look at before deciding whether to open an email or not.

You could have the world’s most beautifully designed email campaign with an unparalleled offer inside, but if your subject line isn’t attractive enough, nobody would ever know.

Clearly, this isn’t the place to be making needless assumptions about what works and what doesn’t. It’s better to put your email subject line ideas to the test and let the numbers do the talking!

What ideas should you test in your email subject lines?

Choose two opposing themes, elements, or tactics to create two unique subject lines, then pit them against each other in an A/B test to find out which performs best for certain types of emails.

There are countless factors that can determine how enticing your subject line is to a certain audience. Since every business, audience, and person behaves and reacts differently to these factors, there is no one-size-fits-all response on what works best in every subject line.

If you want the results of your A/B test to be clear and dependable, it’s best to run tests on subject lines that take opposing approaches. If your subject lines are too similar, you may not see a big difference in engagement, making it difficult conclude whether the “winning” approach is truly better or if it was just due to random chance.

To illustrate, here are a few examples of different things that you can test to see which approach is more effective for your email campaigns.

• Personalized vs. standardized
• Shorter vs. longer
• Emojis vs. no emojis ?
• Question vs. exclamation
• Mystery and intrigue vs. clarity and candor
• Communicating discount vs. expressing urgency with a countdown for a specific campaign

Those are just a few ideas, but you can also come up with your own hypotheses or try different combinations to keep learning. Pretty soon you’ll be writing subject lines so good it will be like you were a mind-reader! ?

Also, if you’re worried that a subject line might get flagged by spam filters you can use always use a spam subject line tester.

How to A/B test email subject lines in Sendinblue

If you’re looking for a free A/B subject line tester you’ll be glad to hear that the A/B testing feature is available on the free version of Sendinblue. Sign up only takes a few simple steps:

Open my free Sendinblue account >>

To start email subject line A/B testing in Sendinblue, start by creating a new email campaign as you normally would. Once you reach the Setup page (step #1 of the campaign creation process), you will see two options:

• Regular
• A/B Test

Select “A/B Test” and begin setting up your campaign. The only difference is that you will have to define two separate subject lines as opposed to just one in the “Regular” campaigns.

After coming up with your two subject lines and completing the rest of the setup for your campaign, complete the design and select the contacts you want to send it to as you would with any other campaign.

Then, you will arrive on the “Split rules” step: a new step in the process where you will need to define the parameters of your A/B test.

You’ll notice that you have a few options to choose from:

• Sample size: Drag the blue sliding button to adjust the size of your sample group and final recipient group
• Success metric: Choose whether you want the results of your test to be determined by click rate or open rate
• Test duration: Set the amount of time, ranging from 1 hour to 1 week, that you want to wait for sample results before sending the “winning” subject line to the remaining recipients on your list.

After defining your test parameters, confirm all the details of your campaign and hit send!

Don’t forget to follow up and check the results so you can learn the key takeaways from your test. This will help you continue to improve your tests and subject lines for future campaigns.

It’s also a good idea to compare your results to those in our 2019 email marketing benchmarks article. This way you can see how your performance ranks compared to others in your industry.

For more content like this, sign up to our monthly blog newsletter or follow us on Twitter!

The post How A/B Testing Your Email Subject Line Can Boost Your Open Rates appeared first on Sendinblue.