Email Template Checklist

All Email Campaigns have the potential to be different but what is common across all Email Templates is building content that has good structure, follows best practice and provides Users with an enjoyable and engaging experience in relation to the message they receive.

It's good practice to create your own customised checklist for creating Email Templates that meets your requirements and listed below are a number of the more fundamental considerations.

Message Composition

  • Always follow best practice
  • Use responsive email design. More than 50% of people will use a mobile device to view emails
  • Always include Text-only content
  • Use recognisable and well supported fonts
  • Be aware that web page coding and email coding are two different things
  • Find out more about email coding

Images

Avoid using <map> elements as they are not supported by the application. Many email apps and mobile devices also don't handle them as web pages do.

  • Never use just one big image (or compose an email of only images)
  • Don't use 'sliced up' images as a replacement for text
  • Don't use <map> elements
  • Remember that large images will take a long time to download on slow connections and for some mobile Users
  • Include alt text to display when the User has images turned "off"

Subject Line & Content

  • Don't forget to change placeholders for the real subject line

Warnings are displayed in the validation panel on the Email Template screen when using these words on the subject line:

  • 'subject'
  • 'subject line'
  • 'no subject'
  • 'tbc'
  • Don't 'SHOUT' - avoid using excessive capitals, exclamation and question marks
  • Proof read. Spam sounds like Spam
  • Do not use fake prefixes such as 'RE: ...' or 'FW: ...'
  • Use personalisation to make messages more focused
  • Avoid generic personalisation such as 'Dear Friend', 'Dear Member'
  • Don't command Users to 'ACT NOW' or use similar forceful phrases
  • Don't attempt to disguise phrases using spaces or by obfuscating text

'From' Email Address

  • Ensure email authentication is set-up correctly
  • Register the domain on the Yahoo! Feedback Loop
  • Don't use 'noreply@'
  • Avoid using generic sounding names like 'sales@' and 'offers@'
  • Avoid using names starting with 'get' e.g. 'getcover@'
  • Use well known TLDs such as .co.uk and .com

'Reply' Email Address

URLs as Anchored Text

When emails are sent all links get replaced with encoded tracking links. For example, a link like this...

<a href="http://www.mywebsite.com">www.mywebsite.com</a>

gets converted to something like this when sent...

<a href="http://clicks.yourdomain.com">www.mywebsite.com</a>

The tracking domain is used so that engagement can be recorded and the link will function with no problems. A potential issue is that mail filters will view the link as a phishing attempt because the text displaying is not actually where the click will redirect to.

If possible, reword to use 'click here', 'visit website' or something along those lines.

Sender Reputation

Not strictly Email Template related but worth taking into account when building new content.

  • Don't share reputation, use your own sending and tracking domains
  • Remove unresponsive Users from your List e.g. people that haven't opened an email in 12 months
  • Don't buy or rent data
  • Throttle delivery speed until you have good sender reputation

External References

  • Avoid sending from or hosting images on domains that are less than 5 days old
  • Check your domain against well known blocklists such as Spamhaus and URI BL

Related Pages