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HTML Email Tips

As with everything at Voddie, we believe in complex simplicity and designing an html email is no different. Considering emails are read across many different platforms, operating systems, programs, screen resolutions, languages and spam filters- the way your html email is designed will determined if it A) makes it past a filter and B) if a person will actually read it.

Before a reader actually reads your email it will generally go through a complex array of powerful and discerning filters that will determine if your email is legit or a Nigerian scammer offering to transfer you millions in funds. Spam filters are becoming more and more powerful each day and therefore adding more and more of your emails to the junk folder.

So the first rule of thumb is to try and not write like a spammer because excessive punctuation, spacing, background, text colors, html and of course horrible grammar ring the spam alarms. If you thought too much punctuation and exclamation were restrictive well it doesn’t get much brighter. Flash files, javascript, ActiveX and other embedded files either won’t display correctly or will be sent to the spam filter. As you can see, simplicity is key when trying to get around the spam filter.

While you may be tempted to use WYSIWYG programs like Front Page, a spam filter may be tempted to dump the message because of all the extra html code that this program adds to the email. CSS coding isn’t immune from the chopping block either, keep it at a minimum and use inline or embedded coding.

Finally, when it gets past the spam filter there is still even more to remember when designing the email. First and foremost keep both plain text and html emails in mind. It might not be 1997 but 10 years later, because of excessive spam, people still use plain text emails and some even block html email because it’s the choice format for spammers.

So it is recommended to make a multi-part alternative email which automatically displays a plain text email if the sender blocks html emails or the program or browser can’t read the format. In addition to that, provide a live link to an online version of the email just in case the browser is still having a problem displaying the html email and its images and graphics. Too often we forget about plain text versions of emails and with more and more people converting back to that setting, more people aren’t able to see your email.

Once you’ve made it that far, you should know that most email programs have preview panes which display a few lines of information to the reader before they actually double click or open the message- it’s kind of the last layer of security. So try to base the structure of the email around that small preview with either the main information fitting at the beginning of the message or an incentive for someone to scroll down further. In that case, always use a recognisable email address, an exciting subject line and an unsubscribe link. It should be safe for them to actually read your email now.

Follow these simple guidelines and your email won’t be categorised with the free Ipod offers but with the readers’ emails from mom.

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