Design effective emails from head(er) to foot(er)

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Email marketing is a great way to communicate with your subscribers, engage readers and improve conversion rates. Often, the first thing that comes to mind is the bulk of the email (the body), but there are other crucial parts to a successful email. Let’s dive in, head first.

Starting off strong
What is an email header?
It’s the first thing people see when they open up your email. And, as with a date or a job interview, your header hopefully makes a good first impression. Good or bad, a header sets the tone for the rest of shareholder database your email’s communication with your customers.

Things a good email header does:
Identifies your brand: Recipients have a clear idea who sent the email, and the header matches the “from” field in the email
Simplifies information: A header is short and sweet for easy scanning and to get maximum attention
Applies across campaigns: It works with many email campaigns and can be used across them for consistency
Email header design elements to include:
Logo/business name: Besides reinforcing who the email is from, it improves brand retention; the more places your logo appears, the better.
“View in browser”: This is a link that allows people to see your email if it’s not showing up correctly in the application.
Navigation: While up to your discretion, navigation can help if you’re an e-commerce site and want people to explore promotions.
Images: Eye-catching images at the top can grab a reader’s attention; Keep in mind that if you want to have a versatile header, you’ll have to be careful that the image is one that can be used across email campaigns.
Preview: A preview line — like a second chance at the subject line — helps set expectations.
Links: Anything that can help users reach relevant pages or promotions easily.
Design tips:
Make the header short: It shouldn’t take up the whole screen because you want readers to be able to see some of the body of the email as well.
Keep it simple: It should be easy for readers to focus on the intended message of the email.
Mix and match: Feel free to try different designs, but once you find one you like, remember that consistency is a good thing. Let your brand form an image for readers so they know what to expect from your emails.
Don’t forget your newsletter: These tips can be applied to a newsletter header as well.
Email header example: