Okay, confession time: I used to think email marketing design just meant "throw in a logo, slap on a button, and call it a day." Turns out, layout and structure matter way more than I realized.
I’ve been testing out different newsletter layouts for a side project (gaming + travel newsletter), and the difference a clean, mobile-friendly design makes is huge. You can have perfect copy, but if your layout looks like an old-school promotional email from 2012, people bounce before they even see your CTA.
Here are a few best practices for email marketing design I’ve picked up so far:
1. Keep it simple and readable.
A one-column layout usually wins. Use clear hierarchy - big headline, short subline, bold CTA. It’s like leveling up your design for readability.
2. Design for mobile first.
Over 70% of people check their inbox on their phones. Test your layout on smaller screens and adjust images or buttons that break.
3. Use images intentionally.
An email header image can make your message pop - just don’t let visuals overpower the content. Think of images as power-ups, not the main quest.
4. Stay consistent with your brand style.
Following a simple email style guide helps keep fonts, colors, and tone aligned - it’s like a theme pack for your emails.
5. Get inspired but keep it you.
Browse visual inspiration for email design and examples of great email marketing designs, but adapt what fits your niche and audience.
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I’m curious what’s working for everyone else:
- Do you use newsletter templates or build your own layouts from scratch?
- Any interactive or kinetic email design examples you’ve tested that actually boosted engagement?
- What’s one "design sin" that instantly makes you click unsubscribe?
Drop your screenshots, layouts, or even horror stories - let’s crowdsource a list of email design best practices that actually work in the real world.
What’s one "design sin" that instantly makes you click unsubscribe?
Great post Jamal, thanks! My biggest design sin has to be cramming too much into one email. I used to stack three CTAs, two images, and a sidebar all in one layout because I didn’t want to "waste" a send.
It always tanked performance - people got overwhelmed and clicked nothing. These days I stick to one main goal per email and stats are way better.
@terryhutchins Terry, I can 100% relate to that. Way back in the day I built a 20k email list around the work from home niche - and after testing every fancy layout under the sun, the one thing that consistently won was plain text. No banners, no color blocks, no logos. Just short paragraphs, one or two sentences each.
I remember the turning point vividly: I was spending hours "designing" nice-looking HTML emails, but my click-throughs actually dropped compared to the plain text versions. The moment I stripped everything back, engagement shot up. It wasn’t even close.
The psychology makes sense when you think about it. People read plain text emails differently - they feel more personal, like a one-to-one message instead of a campaign. There’s less cognitive load and zero "marketing friction." You’re not visually asking for attention - you’re just talking.
I’m still on Gauher Chaudhry’s list after 17 years (yes, really), and the guy practices what he preaches. Every single email is pure text - short chunks, clear pacing, no images at all but very compelling copy that hooks you in. He’s been doing massive list-building and testing for decades, so when he sticks with that format, it says a lot.
These days I have a much smaller list which, in all honesty, is a bit neglected but I still use a similar approach: if I’m promoting something important, I send it as plain text first. Only after that do I test a lightly formatted version. And almost every time, the text-only one produces stronger opens and replies.
There’s a trust factor too - readers feel like you’re writing to them, not at them. And in a world of overdesigned emails, that authenticity still wins.
Great post @jamalsach1 ... thank you 🙂
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