Email
      Back to home
      1. Help Center
      2. Email

      Email Creative Guidelines & Best Practices

      Learn Email Creative Best Practices

      Email Deliverability


      To create deliverable email campaigns there are a few do’s and don’ts that should
      always be followed. The goal is to prevent messages from being misidentified and triggered into the user’s spam folder or even worse, blacklisted. The most critical part of deliverability comes from a sender’s design and content which includes
      the following:

      • Design and Text
      • Rendering Issues
      • W3C-compliant HTML coding
      • Link configurations
      • Headers

      Most spam clues are found within the content area and in the sender’s use of language, so
      ensuring the content meets industry standards is very important. The HTML structure is another aspect of email spam filtering. Having valid and correct HTML can help avoid filters. Some will place random content in the HTML comment to confuse filters. However, this can trigger a filter due to more comments than actual visible text.


      Best Practices for Email Deliverability

      The following tips will help you optimize the deliverability success of your email.

          • Creating incentives can help increase open rates
          • Use multiple Calls-To-Action (CTA) within your emails
          • Develop creative with a maximum width of 550-650 pixels
          • Avoid redundant unsubscribe instructions

      Always Avoid
      • Insert opt-in and opt-out options on the
        footer and header of the creative
      • Subject line should reflect the content
        of your email
      • Provide a valid postal address on the footer
      • Keep messages short, simple and
        focused
      • Insert text into your creative
      • Creatives should be 80% text and 20%
        images
      • Encourage recipients to add you're to
        their address book
      • Create clear a Privacy Policy
      • Create a noticeable Call-To-Action
      • Keep Call-To-Action “above the fold”
      • Offer a clear method of contact
         information      		 • Don’t use spam phrases and excessive         punctuation or symbols (i.e.
        !!!, *&^%$#@!, ???)
      • Avoid adding red text. Red is loud and is a      spam tactic
      • Avoid using all CAPS, this can come across as if you are shouting. This also will make your email look like it is spam, increasing the
      chance of it being filtered
      • Insert incomplete information. It is required by law to insert your
      address in the footer of your email
      • Insert misleading subject lines. It is illegal to misread recipients
      • Avoid creatives with a single image and no physical text
      • Never use JavaScript or Flash

      Creative Guidelines


      The creative should arrive in .htm or pure HTML code. Images can be included in the creative or we can host them. If we host the image, it needs to be provided in jpeg format
      (preferred), or .png or .gif. You should also provide an image of the entire layout that shows how the creative should appear.

       

      Other formats: PDF, PSD, or other Individual Images

      • If you provide a PSD please be aware that some fonts may not be accessible. If you would like to provide the fonts please feel free to do so.
      • PDF may hinder the overall quality of the images. 

      If text needs to be included within the creative (recommended for best practices) please follow this website for a choice of fonts. This will help speed up the process of the creation and prevent any spelling errors that may occur. If you provide a PDF for all assets, using this website will not be necessary.

        Please provide any other links that would be necessary for the creative, as well as the locations of where they should be placed.

        Personalization


        If you would like any personalization within the creative, please highlight this on the Insertion Order and provide the location you would like the personalization to appear.


        Viewing An Email

        The creative should be engaging to enhance your user’s ability to view it. Ensure that the Call-To-Action is above the fold. Captions beneath the pictures will also enhance the viewability of your creative.


        Mobile Rendering:


        In many instances, mobile phones are used to open emails. Ensure that the creative can be
        viewed on mobile devices as well.
        • “Responsive design” allows HTML to become device-aware (mobile layout)


        Can-Spam Compliance:


        Follow these guidelines to ensure you are complying with all legal measures.

        • CAN SPAM ACT: cannot make false or misleading claims, and must be relevant to
          the subject. All creatives must include an opt-out link.
        • Email campaigns must be deployed within 10 business days of pulling the client Do Not
          Email Suppression file. This is to ensure compliance with federal law governing email,
          CAN-SPAM.
        • A postal address and unsubscribe link must be included in the footer. This is for legal
          reasons.

        Campaign Deployment Process


        Campaign deployment is typically a 48-hour process (timelines can be rushed on a case-by
        case basis).

        Any modifications that need to be made before approving the final copy can be easily
        accommodated. We work hand in hand with our partners to ensure the email meets the client’s needs before final deployment.


        If we receive final approval for all tests before 5:00 pm ET, we can schedule the campaign for
        the same day. Any approvals received after 5:00 pm ET will be scheduled for the next day.


        Order Outline: This can be used to identify the quantity, from the line, subject line, preferred
        deployment date/time, any other information or special requirements included.
        Creative Assets: Email creatives planned to deploy in HTML. These should be email-ready
        (rendering). Please include the images if they are not hosted by the client.
        Data: The data file that will be utilized for the blast or count ID reference.
        Seed List: Test seeds to review the email in the testing stage and Final Seeds to be included
        on live deployment *if they differ from the initial list.
        Additional Requirements: Suppression file or special instructions if a match back is requested, reporting requirements, subject line testing, etc.

        Program Support and Creative Feedback

        We strongly recommend a service called Litmus for all designers. They have quickly become
        the best practices tool for email creative setup. The Litmus service allows you to test how an
        email renders across almost every platform. This is an inexpensive online tool that is extremely easy to use since email guidelines are constantly changing.


        A few other things we also recommend:
        • A ratio of 80% text and 20% images.
        • A clear call to action “above the fold”.
        • A recognizable “Friendly From” name.
        • A concise subject line (maximum of 40 characters)
        • Should contain the recognizable name of the advertiser or promotion.
        • Avoiding a single image with no text in the HTML
        • Avoiding Spammy words or phrases in the subject line or email body

         

        For more information download our Email Best Practices Guide