Top 10 Email Design Practices for 2022

 

Email marketing can be incredibly effective at driving customers to your business, and it’s here to stay as long as people have inboxes. As email marketing evolves, however, there are some best practices that will help you stand out from the crowd and connect with your customers more effectively, thereby increasing the ROI of your efforts. Here are the top 10 email design practices for 2022.

 

 

1. Avoid long copy:

 

Long copy doesn’t convert as well as short copy, but that doesn’t mean you should always write short copy. Email marketing is about offering relevant and compelling value to your subscribers in a way that makes it easy for them to consume it; sometimes, long copy can provide that. The trick is knowing when long or short copy will work best, which brings us to our next best practice: A/B testing!  

Test everything: 

You should be testing absolutely everything from subject lines to images to even email lengths. There are many services available (like Optimizely) that make A/B testing super easy; however, you can also use something like MailChimp's split-testing tool. Just keep in mind that not all tests are created equal. When considering email design practices, test what actually matters click-through rates, unsubscribe rates, conversions, etc. 

1. Use urgency effectively: 

We already know how powerful urgency can be from our previous example of how we used scarcity to increase sales with eCommerce stores. In email marketing specifically, there are two ways you can use urgency effectively: 

1.  by including an expiration date on any offers or discounts included in your emails.         
   
2.  by using time sensitive language.

2. Personalize everything possible: 

Email personalization is one of those things that everyone says they do but very few actually do properly. While most people think of email personalization in terms of name + title + company, there are other opportunities to add more data points. For example, if someone has purchased from you before, include their order number or last purchase amount in your emails so that they feel recognized. This can go a long way towards increasing engagement and trust with your brand. 

3. Write concisely: 

As mentioned above, email marketing isn't just about getting people to open emails; it's also about keeping them engaged once they've opened it. With that said, don't waste their time with unnecessary fluff write concisely so that every word counts! 

4. Be human: 

It's no secret that email marketing works better when emails sound like they're coming from a real person. That means writing naturally, avoiding overly formal language, and never overusing exclamation marks!

5. Get creative with CTAs: 

Your call-to-action (CTA) is what convinces your subscribers to take action. With email marketing, CTAs usually appear at the end of your emails; however, there are plenty of opportunities for creativity here. For example, you can put your CTA in the middle of your email, or at the top and bottom. You can even try to get really creative and use multiple CTAs throughout your email. 

6. Have fun: 

Email marketing is serious business; however, that doesn't mean you have to take yourself too seriously. Including some humor into your emails can help lighten the mood and create a more enjoyable experience for your readers. And yes, it's okay to be silly sometimes! 

7. Don't spam: 

Spamming is illegal and should be avoided at all costs. If you want to use email marketing, there are a few rules you should follow: 

1. Only send emails to subscribers who have opted-in and confirmed their subscription. 
2. Never sell or share your subscriber list with anyone else. 
3. Always double-check that your emails are 100% compliant with CAN-SPAM laws. 
4. Always be transparent about why you're sending emails (i.e., for a sale, a survey, etc.). 

8. Don't forget about mobile: 

Mobile is important! According to Litmus , mobile now accounts for 39% of all email opens; however, that doesn't mean that desktop users aren't important anymore either. Always be sure to optimize your emails for mobile, and remember that you can do more than just shorten your email's text. You can also use responsive design techniques to adapt your emails to different screen sizes. 

9. Don't be a spammer: 

If you want to use email marketing, there are a few rules you should follow:  

1. Only send emails to subscribers who have opted-in and confirmed their subscription.
2. Never sell or share your subscriber list with anyone else.
3. Always double-check that your emails are 100% compliant with CAN-SPAM laws.
4. Always be transparent about why you're sending emails (i.e., for a sale, a survey, etc.). 

10. Include social sharing buttons: 

Social media is huge! Not only is it a great way to connect with your customers, but it's also a great way to promote your email marketing campaigns. By adding social sharing buttons to your emails, you'll be able to grow your audience and encourage more people to take action. 

11. Make it mobile-friendly: 

Mobile is important! According to Litmus , mobile now accounts for 39% of all email opens; however, that doesn't mean that desktop users aren't important anymore either. Always be sure to optimize your emails for mobile, and remember that you can do more than just shorten your email's text. You can also use responsive design techniques to adapt your emails to different screen sizes. 

12. Keep it short: 

People are busy! No matter how good your email is, it's unlikely that people will read it in its entirety. To avoid losing subscribers, be sure to keep your emails short and to-the-point. People are more likely to read shorter emails, so don't be afraid to cut down on extra words. 

13. Keep it simple: 

Email marketing can be complicated! If you want to succeed with email marketing, you need to make it as easy as possible for your subscribers. One way you can do that is by making sure your emails are simple and easy-to-read. Avoid fancy formatting and use clear language instead of jargon or industry lingo whenever possible. 

14. Make it personal:

People love when companies interact with them personally!

 

2. Use meaningful subject lines :

 

A catchy subject line is important because it’s what compels users to open emails. But there’s a big difference between a catchy subject line and an email with a meaningless one, so make sure your email titles are clear and direct (they should tell readers what they’re getting into). The optimal length is just three words, according to Adestra. If you want know more about to Improve Your Email Subject Line

A study by Experian Marketing Services found that emails with headlines of five words or more resulted in a 28% lower click-through rate than those with two-word headlines. There are exceptions and if you have 25 words worth of valuable information to share, feel free to do so. But there are some best practices here that should be followed in general. 

1. Be concise: 

Think about how many emails you get every day. It’s probably too many, right? So why would anyone want to read yours? You need to grab their attention immediately and keep it throughout your email. If you can't fit all of your points into a single email, break them up over several emails instead of sending out massive newsletters that no one will read. 

Some companies send out weekly emails packed with useful information but don't forget that subscribers can always unsubscribe from these kinds of emails if they're feeling overwhelmed. Instead, try sending emails once per month at most. This way, people won't feel like they're being spammed and you'll still get your message across. 

2. Make sure everything loads quickly: 

This is especially true for mobile devices. According to Litmus , emails that take longer than three seconds to load on mobile devices have a 21% higher unsubscribe rate than emails that load within one second. 

Emails with images also take longer to load on mobile devices, which makes sense since they require additional data transfer time so if you must include images in your email marketing campaigns, use smaller ones whenever possible. In fact, MailChimp suggests using images that are 600 pixels wide or less. 

3. Use relevant calls to action:

Calls to action let recipients know exactly what you want them to do next. Without one, your email could come off as confusing or even misleading. 

For example, if you’re writing an email asking customers to sign up for a newsletter but don’t include any calls to action asking them to actually sign up, they might not realize that's what you want them to do. And even if they do figure it out, without a call-to-action button labeled Subscribe, they might not know where exactly they're supposed to go next.

 

3. Personalization with images:

 

Personalization boosts engagement and opens, which can be huge when you’re using email to drive users back to your site. According to data from MailChimp (which has a vested interest in email deliverability), personalized emails generate over 3x as many clicks than non-personalized emails. What does personalization look like? You can use any information you have about your contacts, but there are a few types of information that are especially effective: interests, age range and product preferences. 

For example, if someone subscribes to an email list because they bought a certain product or expressed an interest in a certain topic, send them emails related to those things. Or if someone is 30 years old, send them emails with content geared toward their demographic. If you don’t know much about your subscribers yet (and most startups don’t), sending relevant content is still better than sending irrelevant content. The more targeted your email marketing efforts are, the better results you will see from them.

Segmentation based on actions: 

Segmentation allows you to target specific groups of people who have already shown interest in your brand by taking specific actions. This could mean anyone who signed up for a free trial, purchased something from your store or downloaded one of your ebooks. 

Each group will have different needs and expectations so it’s important to tailor emails specifically to them. For example, customers who make purchases need support while people who sign up for free trials may need education around how to get started with your product/service.

 

4. Include time-saving forms:

To help your users save time, provide email forms and contact forms that do most of the work for them. A good example is lead generation forms instead of asking prospects to enter their name, email address, phone number and all sorts of other data into several different fields, try creating a form with pre-filled sections that make it easier for users to fill out. The result: better conversion rates and less time spent entering information by hand. 

1. Leverage drag-and-drop functionality: 

Another great way to save time is by leveraging drag-and-drop functionality in your email templates. When you give users control over how they arrange content on a page, they’re more likely to be satisfied with their experience. Plus, they can edit content without having to use code or design software like Photoshop or Illustrator. What’s not to love? 

2. Make it easy to unsubscribe: 

This tip might seem counterintuitive at first, but hear us out. If you want to build trust with your audience, making it easy for them to unsubscribe from your emails shows that you respect their time and privacy. You also show that you value quality over quantity when it comes to subscribers (i.e., if someone isn’t interested in what you have to say, then why keep sending emails?). And finally, an easy-to-find unsubscribe button helps ensure compliance with CAN-SPAM laws and makes sure your emails get delivered properly through mail servers around the world.

 

5. Optimize for mobile phones:

 

It’s no secret that a lot of people check their email on their phones these days. In fact, 43% of all emails are now opened on mobile devices. This means it’s important to optimize your emails for mobile devices so that they’re readable and scannable. A simple way to do that is to use short paragraphs and a larger font size than you normally would. It’s also a good idea to avoid using tables in your emails as they won’t be easily readable on a small screen. Additionally, break up long emails into multiple shorter ones so recipients can read them more easily when they only have time to read one or two sentences at a time. 

1. Invest in customer service: 

No matter how great your emails look or how enticing your subject lines are, customers won't engage with you unless you provide excellent customer service. That doesn't mean responding within five minutes every single time someone sends you an email; it does mean acknowledging customer concerns quickly and offering solutions whenever possible.

2. Send fewer emails: 

Sending too many emails can cause subscribers to opt-out of future messages because they feel overwhelmed by your company’s constant presence in their inboxes. Instead, focus on quality over quantity and aim to send fewer but higher quality emails. Then, put a stop button in your footer so users can unsubscribe immediately if they decide they've had enough of your company's communications. 

3. Personalize subject lines: 

Your subject line is extremely important because it's what will get people to open your email. But many companies still aren't personalizing their subject lines. For example, if you're sending an email blast about a sale, think about how you could personalize each recipient's copy by saying You saved XX percent instead of just XX percent off. Try adding names or other information specific to each person receiving your emails (you might need permission first) and see how much better response rates improve. 

4. Make emails actionable: 

One of the most common mistakes businesses make with email marketing is sending out vanity metrics emails that don’t actually tell you anything about what worked and what didn’t. If you want to send out an email newsletter, ask yourself if there's an action tied to it. For example, if I'm launching a new product, 

I'll ask my readers to sign up for updates about it so I know whether or not my newsletter was effective in getting people interested in my product. You should always try to tie your emails back to some sort of action like signing up for a webinar or downloading something from your website. This makes it easier to determine which emails were successful and which weren’t.

 

6. Effective use of color and whitespace:

 

It’s tempting to fill your emails with lots of colors and other visual elements. Resist that urge. While these visual aids can be helpful, they should only be used when absolutely necessary. Instead, rely on your message to do most of the heavy lifting when it comes to grabbing attention and enticing a response. When you do incorporate color, keep things minimal and use colors that have meaning or some other connection to your business/brand. 

Otherwise, focus on using as much white space as possible it allows you to pack in more content without creating clutter. 

1. Personalization:

If there’s one thing that everyone can agree on when it comes to email marketing, it’s that personalization is important. The days of blasting out mass emails are over. Today, subscribers expect emails to be tailored specifically to them based on their interests and past interactions with your brand. In fact, personalization is so important that a recent study found personalized emails receive an average open rate of 44% compared to just 22% for non-personalized messages. What does all of this mean? Personalize every email you send out no exceptions!

2. Mobile responsiveness: 

As smartphones become increasingly popular, mobile devices will account for more than half of all web traffic by 2017. And while users might still prefer desktop computers for many tasks, mobile devices are quickly becoming a top choice for reading email. That means if your emails aren’t optimized for mobile viewing, you could be missing out on tons of potential engagement opportunities. To ensure that doesn’t happen to you, make sure each and every one of your future emails is fully responsive (i.e., it looks great no matter what device it's viewed on). 

3. Short subject lines: 

Studies show people spend less than five seconds deciding whether or not to open an email before moving onto something else. That’s why having a short, snappy subject line is crucial. Your goal should be to get readers interested enough in your email to click through and read it right away. Longer subject lines often don't cut it because they don't convey enough information about what's inside. However, shorter ones often work better because they're easier to understand at a glance and therefore more likely to grab someone's attention. 

4. Clear calls-to-action: 

Remember how we said people typically spend less than five seconds deciding whether or not to open an email? Well, that makes sense considering how cluttered inboxes are today! So how do you get recipients' attention long enough for them to actually read your message?

 

7. Newsletter emails should have a single call to action per email:

 

As our inboxes become increasingly cluttered, it’s crucial that companies make their emails stand out from all of the other messaging we receive. It’s also important to have a clear call to action within your email. We don’t want subscribers to think okay. what am I supposed to do with that? If you only provide one option in an email and make it clear what action you want readers to take, they are more likely to click through and convert. 

Here are two examples: Retail Me Not sends out a weekly deal newsletter and includes a link at top of each email that reads Get our best deals delivered straight to your inbox! With a single CTA per email, they encourage users to sign up for their newsletter without overwhelming them with options. Amazon has taken it even further by including different CTAs depending on which email is being opened. This makes sense because different people may be looking for different things when opening up a specific category or product-related email. In order to ensure maximum conversions, Amazon provides several options so users can find exactly what they're looking for without having to dig around too much. 

1. Use color wisely:

A lot of brands use color very effectively in their email marketing campaigns. Color increases visual appeal and helps draw attention to key elements like headlines, calls to action, images, etc. But choosing colors that work well together can be tricky if you aren't sure how to match hues based on psychological principles. Luckily there's a handy tool called Coolors that allows you to select colors based on those principles it will then generate a variety of color combinations for you to choose from. Below is an example of Coolors in action: 

2. Include social sharing buttons: 

Social media plays a huge role in driving traffic to websites and influencing consumer behavior. Most consumers turn to social media before making purchasing decisions especially millennials who spend twice as much time on social media than baby boomers. Including social sharing buttons encourages users to share content directly from your email rather than copying and pasting links into status updates or tweets themselves. This saves time for both recipients and senders, while increasing brand exposure across multiple networks simultaneously. An added bonus is that most social networks will automatically pull data about who shared content (e.g., name, profile picture) into posts made by recipients once they've clicked through.

 

8. Calls to action are used more effectively when they appear above the fold:

 

Studies have shown that when a call to action is placed above-the-fold, or at least in view as soon as you open an email, readers are far more likely to click through. Email clients have also improved significantly over time, making it easier than ever before to see large blocks of text and make a quick decision about what information is important enough to pay attention to. How does your current email marketing strategy take advantage of these tactics? There’s no time like now to update your email design practices with proven best practices from today's top designers. 

And if you don't have a solid email marketing strategy yet, here's why you should start one and how to get started! We all know email subject lines can be tricky. While some people prefer creative, clever headlines, others simply want to know what they're going to get out of reading an email before they've even opened it. 

When you combine these two preferences together (creative vs. informative), there's a clear winner: numbers! Using numbers in your email subject line makes them stand out and gives readers exactly what they're looking for without having to open up emails first. Does your email marketing strategy reflect these findings? If not, try using numbers in your next few campaigns and see how well they perform compared to previous efforts. 

Has personalization gone too far? Thanks to advances in technology, we can easily tailor our emails based on who opens them and which links are clicked on. While personalized emails may seem like a great idea at first glance, some experts worry that overly customized messages will actually hurt conversions rather than help them. 

In fact, according to MailChimp's 2018 Email Trends Report , only 7% of respondents said their customers preferred personalized emails. What do you think? Is personalization necessary or just annoying? Time will tell, but for now, keep an eye on how much customization you include in your emails and whether it has any effect on conversion rates. Are gifs good or bad?: Gifs are everywhere online nowadays from social media posts to advertisements and beyond. 

But despite their popularity, many marketers remain divided about whether gifs are a good thing or not. For example, HubSpot found that gif usage was high across industries but highest among IT services providers, while MarketingProfs found that users were split down gender lines with women being slightly more likely to respond positively to gifs while men showed little interest in them whatsoever. So what's the verdict? It really depends on who you ask!

 

9. Don’t forget about transactional emails! :

 

Emails that confirm actions, like completed purchases or sign-ups, are often overlooked. But according to a study by Segment and Bronto Software, transactional emails actually result in 18% higher open rates and 50% higher click-through rates than newsletters. So don’t forget about them! Consider combining them with marketing automation software so you can personalize messages based on customer activity. 

That way, you can wow customers with relevant offers or information when they need it most. Make your emails responsive: According to Litmus, as of January 2016, 55% of emails were opened on mobile devices. And with more people reading emails from their phones than ever before, your email design needs to be responsive. Not only will your message look better on smaller screens it also improves your email’s deliverability rate because Gmail treats responsive emails differently from non-responsive ones. If you have an existing email list (or plan to start one), consider using an HTML template instead of a plain text one it makes creating responsive templates much easier. 

We use Campaign Monitor because it allows us to create HTML templates easily without having any prior coding experience. It also has a drag-and-drop editor, which means we can do some basic customization without having to write code. Use social media logos correctly: Social media buttons are everywhere these days, but many marketers still get them wrong. The best way to include social media icons is within your main call-to-action button. This ensures that users who want to share your content won’t miss out if they aren’t interested in signing up for something else. 

If you want users to share specific parts of your content, consider including social sharing buttons below each section (rather than above). This is especially effective if you want people to share specific pieces of information rather than just links back to your site. Include a clear call-to-action: Your readers should know what action you want them to take after reading your email. 

Whether it’s downloading an e-book, filling out a form or buying something, make sure there’s no doubt about what you expect from recipients. Asking for too much can backfire and cause people to disengage with your brand completely instead of saying Yes! I want that free ebook!, they might say No thanks; I already get enough spam. Include social proof where possible: According to research by HubSpot, 90% of consumers trust recommendations from friends and family over all other forms of advertising including online reviews and testimonials.

 

10. Test everything! :

 

Marketers will continue to test email designs and marketing copy on a regular basis. In 2022, however, they'll go above and beyond by sending nearly identical emails to different segments of their lists. Through testing and learning how users interact with emails, marketers can determine what each segment responds best to. 

For example, let's say a list of 1 million people receives an email that includes a green call-to-action button at the bottom right corner of each email. An additional segment of 100,000 gets an email with a red call-to-action button placed in that same spot. Which email do you think would perform better? The one with a red CTA or green CTA? By using email automation software like GetResponse, marketers can easily send emails like these to different segments of their list without having to manually change any code. If want to know more about GetResponse. 

They can then measure which performs better over time and learn more about what works best for each segment (as well as themselves). This is just one way we'll see email design practices evolve over time. As technology continues to advance, so too will marketing strategies and tactics. It won't be long before other marketing channels are used to compliment email campaigns. 

These days, it's not uncommon for Facebook ads to drive traffic back to an email opt-in page where visitors can sign up for a free trial of your product or service. It makes sense: Facebook ads are inexpensive and easy to set up but don't convert as well as other forms of advertising (especially when it comes to lead generation). 

With some clever use of dynamic content, marketers could target visitors who have already opted into their email list with Facebook ads promoting similar products or services. Once again, it all comes down to knowing your audience and tailoring your message accordingly. In fact, if done correctly, marketers might even be able to leverage social media platforms like Twitter and Instagram for leads or sales. 

What does that mean exactly? Instead of tweeting out links to their latest blog posts, brands might try linking directly to landing pages or product pages instead. And instead of posting photos on Instagram only to get lost among thousands of others in someone's feed, brands might try including links within those photos instead. All told, while email may remain a top channel for years to come and certainly isn't going anywhere anytime soon we're likely going to see brands experiment with new ways of leveraging existing tools and platforms in order to increase engagement rates and conversion rates within email marketing campaigns.

 

Conclusion

Whether you’re new to email design or have decades of experience, whether you work in-house or are a freelancer or agency, there is always something new to learn. The year 2022 will be here before we know it will you have made your mark? How can you stay on top of email design trends and best practices? Tune into any one of these resources for future updates about everything from best practices to case studies and more. In five years, people may be referring back to some of these resources. But even if they don’t, being aware of them now means you’ll be prepared when that moment comes. And hey maybe by then we’ll all be using AIM Mail again!