With all of the emails your customers get today, you want your emails to stand out. If you want your emails not only to get read but to get results, there are a few email copy and design best practices you should follow when you’re developing your email creative.

Use email subject lines that work.

This a very important element of your email since it’s the first thing your customer is going to see. Here are some email subject line best practices.

  • Avoid using capital letters. Not only does it come across as “shouting”, it might also be viewed as spam and go straight into your customer’s Junk folder.
  • Certain words can trigger the spam filter. Words like “free”, “sale”, “guaranteed”, “subscribe” or “apply now” should be avoided.
  • Keep it short and to the point. The general rule of thumb is 50 characters or less – that includes spaces.

Email body format.

Your full email message (also called the “body”) is where you’re going to make your sales pitch or communicate important information you want your customers to know.

  • Make it easy to scan. Use short paragraphs and bullet points to make your message easy and quick to read.
  • Remember those spam trigger words? It’s okay to use them in the body of your email, but it’s best to keep the number to less than five.
  • Avoid using the % and $ sign within your copy
  • Avoid highlight copy
  • No spelling errors!
Email font best practices.

The type of font you choose and the font treatments are also important. Follow these email design best practices.
  • Avoid using a red font (or any red-based hue)
  • Avoid using a large font size (anything over 12pt)
  • Use the same size font throughout the entire creative – try to stick with a basic font like Arial that’s easy to read and is available to all computer systems. Save the fun and fancy fonts for your personal emails.
  • If you choose to bold some type, do so very minimally, if at all
Finally, adding some imagery to your email can add impact and go a long way in enhancing your message. The key is not to have so many visual elements that it detracts from your main message, and not to use large-sized images that take longer to load. Also, avoid using backgrounds with your emails as it takes away from the readability.

Following the above email creative best practices can help to maximize the effectiveness of your email campaigns.