Your email campaigns feature many moving parts, such as list maintenance, distribution timing, and performance data. Amidst all this work, remember to pay attention to email layout best practices. The layout you choose can elevate all other elements to greater heights. Conversely, if not implemented correctly, it can muddle your message and decrease the odds of recipients taking the desired action.
Think of your email layout like the plating presentation at a restaurant. When a top-tier chef prepares a culinary masterpiece and is ready to serve it to a guest, they approach the layout of the meal as carefully as its preparation. Regardless of how premium the ingredients of the dish are, their appeal diminishes if they’re not arranged properly. A cluttered or overloaded plate looks less appetizing and indicates a lack of attention to detail.
For these reasons, chefs use the rule of thirds, creating focal points and a natural flow that provides a multi-sensory experience and leaves a more lasting impression.
Email layout is the strategic placement of the various elements of your email. As with food on a plate, the email layout template is where it comes all together. While there are email layout best practices to follow, it’s an art to combine the fonts, images, colors, and other elements into a high-performing email.
The layout conveys an email’s look and feel. Even before a single word of copy has been read, the recipient will form opinions about your message. Is it friendly? Is it formal? Is it educational? Is it helpful? Is it overwhelming?
Your team already knows how you want the email to be perceived. The layout determines whether or not it works out that way.
An email layout template helps assemble the elements of your emails and present them effectively.
It’s essential to review your email layouts and ensure they’re polished and viewer-friendly. Each message should have a clear hierarchy that supports both casual skimming or engaged reading. Maintain a natural flow to the content, providing readers with a clear direction and an enjoyable experience.
Delivering messages of high quality does more than just make a good impression and increase the likelihood of readers converting to your desired action. A well-organized email also shows that your brand cares about customers. You’ll stand out as a brand that gives extra effort to safeguard your customers’ time with clear messaging and exceptional layouts that create meaningful experiences.
While every message is unique, nearly all of them need four critical elements in order to succeed. Check out the email layout examples below to learn more.
1. The visuals
We’ll start with visuals because they’re the beating heart of your emails. Be sure to find engaging visuals that reward your recipients for opening your emails.
Photos and other images are a great place to start, but emails can also be elevated by using a GIF, video, or animation. Or, if emojis are compatible with your brand, you can consider using them judiciously within the subject line, headline, or body copy. A little visual humor can go a long way.
Here’s an email from Flights From Home promoting an Italian vacation giveaway. The gorgeous photo grabs your attention right away and showcases the company’s branding in an interesting and aspirational way.
2. The copy
If visuals are the heart of your emails, then the copy is the muscles. Choose your words wisely to move readers to take your desired action. Given how many distractions there are in our digital world, the significance of the email copy shouldn’t be underestimated.
Even when you have a lot to say, there should always be a balance of visuals and words. When readers see big blocks of text, they’ll flee from your overwhelming email (and maybe even unsubscribe on the way out).
Check out this email from Café Zupas to see how the company uses an effective combination of visuals and copy to entice customers to place an order.
3. The headers
Speaking of navigational elements, using headers as signposts lets readers scan your copy. It might be too much to ask a recipient to read through all the copy included in an email, but a descriptive heading helps them identify the most relevant section.
This email from U.S. Bank contains a lot of copy, but the headers allow a reader to quickly identify the most interesting sections.
4. The call to action (CTA)
Strong visuals and copy work in tandem to lead readers through an engaging journey. But where do you want them to go? Many emails fall flat because they don’t conclude with a clear CTA.
Your CTA should be prominent and relevant. In theory, a reader could skim the headers and reach this essential link or button within seconds. Given the significance of these elements, consider making the CTA dynamic and tailored to the recipient.
Notice how OCEARCH includes multiple CTAs in this email to their VIP list. At first glance, a reader knows what is offered and how to claim it if they’re interested.
Focusing on your message’s visuals, copy, headers, and CTA will give your emails a clear and appealing layout. But don’t stop there. There are countless ways to further help your messages showcase your brand.
It can be difficult to stand out from the hundreds of billions of emails sent globally each day. Here are some more professional email layout best practices to help you create messages that connect powerfully with recipients.
1. Start with an eye-catching subject line
The success of any email hinges on the subject line, making it a crucial component of your layout. If it’s compelling enough to generate clicks, you’ve done your job. Great subject lines:
Have between five and eight words
Highlight a benefit, share information, or build curiosity
Relate closely with the email content so there’s no bait-and-switch
Always make your subject lines disruptive. This doesn’t mean that they need to be edgy, but they must be unique enough to stand out from the hundreds of other words displayed on a recipient’s screen at any given moment.
2. Craft an informative preheader
If a subject line serves as the door to your email, the preheader is like a small window in the door that allows recipients to peer inside. This preview helps generate interest and deliver more clicks.
Preheaders should be concise and intriguing. Be sure to put the most essential words up front so they’re visible if the preheader gets truncated by the recipient’s email provider or browser.
3. Keep your branding consistent
Recipients should be able to identify your brand without knowing you’re the sender. This means maintaining consistency in your colors, styles, voice, and tone. Building equity through strong branding empowers you to get creative and distinct with each message while still reinforcing your brand’s strengths.
4. Make the content dynamic
Using email layout templates can save you lots of time and effort. But the actual words and visuals can be customized for each recipient, creating a higher level of personalization. For example, you could change a message’s headline to sound more professional for older readers and more casual for your younger audience.
5. Optimize for mobile
As more people view emails on mobile devices, it’s increasingly crucial to make sure your messages will display well in all formats. Common techniques include keeping your subject lines, headlines, and body copy concise, as well as using images that look great even in the confines of a mobile phone screen.
6. Remember the footer
Every business email layout needs a footer containing, at a minimum, your company address and a link for those who want to unsubscribe. Excluding these elements makes you noncompliant with regulations and exposes you to legal consequences. Consider adding additional details, such as your brand’s terms and conditions.
7. Share your social accounts
In addition to specific CTAs, you can keep readers’ journeys going by adding links to your brand’s key social platforms. This omnichannel approach is essential to modern campaigns and helps you stay more connected with customers.
Twilio SendGrid empowers your email campaigns with user-friendly tools and resources. Need a template? Check. Want to compose a gorgeous email using an efficient drag-and-drop Design editor? We’ve got you covered. Looking for metrics to track your campaign’s performance? Look no further.
You can test drive these features and many more by creating a free account today. There’s no credit card required and you’ll be given full access to SendGrid’s email campaign platform.
