This document provides tips and best practices for making emails more effective and engaging. It discusses the importance of responsive design, personalized content, call-to-action buttons, preview text, and testing emails across different devices and inbox platforms. The overall message is that emails should be optimized for both content and delivery to different inbox environments in order to improve open and click-through rates.

1. How To Make Email
AWESOME

2. @meladorri @litmusapp
THESE
EMAILS
SUCK.

3. Not so
good.

4. @meladorri @litmusapp
No
puppies?

5. That’s not awesome

6. @litmusapp
Get over
#THEFEAR

7. How To Make Email
AWESOME

8. EMAIL IS NOT

9. EMAIL IS A
u n i q u e
MEDIUM

10. DIRECT
QUANTITATIVE
REAL-TIME
It is…

11. It can…
DELIVER
EXPERIENCES

12. CRUSTY
Context Relevance
Usefulness SimpliciTY

13. HTML
CSS
Images
Text
Design
Links
Email Web
HTML
CSS
Images
Text
Design
Links
Email and web are the same
✔
✔
✔
✔
✔
✔
@litmusapp

14. Web
<div>
<h1>
<p> em
<style> background-
color margin
Email
<table>
<td>
<td> px
style=“font-face”
bgcolor padding
…just kidding
@litmusapp

15. GO WITH THE
f l ow

16. From name Subject line Preheader Open Tap/Click Page/Site
Inbox Email/Body Page/Site
@litmusapp
Email user flow
Subscriber experience

17. From name Subject line Preheader Open Tap/Click Page/Site
Inbox Email/Body Page/Site
@litmusapp
From name
~25 characters
25% of the inbox
Subject line
~35 characters
25% of the inbox
Preview text
~85 characters
50% of the inbox

18. From name Subject line Preheader Open Tap/Click Page/Site
Inbox Email/Body Page/Site
TAP, NOT CLICK!
@litmusapp

19. #EmbraceTheScroll

20. From name Subject line Preheader Open Tap/Click Page/Site
Inbox Email/Body Page/Site
FOLLOW
THROUGH!
@litmusapp

21. Prevent disruptions with
subject line, link, and
HTML checks before
every send.
Guarantee your emails work.
RUN A QUICK TEST
@litmusapp

22. LET’S GET
m o bi l e

23. THE CRAZY GROWTH OF MOBILE
@litmusapp

24. THE CRAZY GROWTH OF MOBILE
@litmusapp

25. KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE
70% read on mobile
15%read on mobile

26. 80% of subscribers delete emails
that look bad on their phones…
…and 30% unsubscribe

27. You need an
“any inbox, any device”
email marketing strategy

28. RESPONSIVE EMAIL

29. @
@litmusapp

30. Responsive design results in a
15% increase in unique clicks
for mobile users.
@litmusapp
LEARN HOW TO GO RESPONSIVE

31. Style your
blue links

32. @meladorri @litmusapp
Increase
readability
with styled
links.

33. Ban blue links from
mobile design.
LEARN HOW
@litmusapp

34. Add ALT text

35. @meladorri @litmusapp
@litmusapp

36. Ensure your email looks
great with images off by
adding styled ALT text.
Many inboxes block images.
CHECK OUT OUR GUIDE
@litmusapp

37. Consider
hierarchy

38. @meladorri @litmusapp

39. Body copy: 16px+
Headlines: 22px+
Buttons: 44px by 44px
White space: 40px+
@meladorri @litmusapp
…JUST KIDDING

40. I LIKE
BIG BUTTONS
@meladorri @litmusapp
…AND I CANNOT LIE
@litmusapp

41. Take full advantage of
your CTAs.
CHECK OUT THE GUIDE TO
BULLETPROOF BUTTONS
@litmusapp

42. THINK INSIDE
th e i n bo x

43. 75% of emails are displayed with
preview text in the inbox

45. @litmusapp
✘
✘
Consider moving
‘administrative’
elements elsewhere.

46. ✔
✔
✔
Utilize hidden preview
text to add more
compelling sentences
without disrupting
content.
@litmusapp

47. Learn how to design
preview text to cater to
your email list.
Inboxes support different
preview text attributes.
SEE MORE TIPS
@litmusapp

48. GET
p e r s o n a
l

49. It’s not just
%%FIRST_NAME%%
anymore
@litmusapp

50. @litmusapp
It’s much
more.

51. React to
personalized
events

52. cart abandonment
login
tool usage
opt-in
purchase
event attendance
video watched
call activity
downloads
email action
contest entry

53. @litmusapp
Use conditional
statements to target:

54. @litmusapp
Re-act to
specific actions
like cart
abandonment.

55. Send Real-Time Email
Boston: 1,200 subscribers
London: 2,500 subscribers
San Fran: 1,100 subscribers
General: 46,000 subscribers
+209% open rate
@litmusapp

56. Guarantee automated
emails are supported in
various inboxes.
Re-test personalized
automation campaigns.
RE-TEST CAMPAIGNS
@litmusapp

57. OFFER AN
e x p e r ie n ce

58. Create
excitement with
interactive
strategies.
@litmusapp

59. Get
creative
with your
ALT text.
@litmusapp

60. @meladorri @litmusapp
LEARN HOW
Try utilizing
animated GIFs.
@litmusapp

61. Increase your
emails hype
with a video
background. LEARN HOW
@litmusapp

62. DON’T BE A
je r k

63. Download
now!
@litmusapp

64. Uhhhh…
Add to cart?!
@litmusapp

65. EMBRACE
c h a n g e

66. @litmusapp

67. @litmusapp

68. Check out the biggest
email innovations and
inbox changes from 2014.
Email marketing is always
changing.
SEE WHAT CHANGED
@litmusapp

69. HOW WILL YOU
MAKE YOUR EMAIL
AWESOME?

70. CRUSTY
@litmusapp
Context Relevance
Usefulness SimpliciTY

71. Guarantee your work
pays off.
TEST BEFORE SENDING
@litmusapp

72. @meladorri @litmusapp
litmus.com/lp/digitalsummit
@meladorri