Cindy Ehresman's Profile

Rule 1: Run. Immediately. Don’t pack. Don’t think. Just
GO!

• Code HTML emails in a plain-text, no-frills editor. That'll output the
  cleanest possible code, plus let you easily create plain-text emails. Don't use
  WYSIWYGs or expect Microsoft Word to export clean HTML email. In fact, some spam
  filters will actually penalize your email if you created it in Microsoft
  FrontPage (because spammers do that a lot). Use something like NotePad or
  TextEdit (default programs on your PC or Mac) or go get something like BBEdit, or NoteTab Pro.
  
• Don't go nuts with CSS. Use inline CSS as much as possible, and stay away
  from CSS Positioning. Simple tables work best.
  
• Design for the preview pane. Open up your email program. How much space is
  available in your preview pane? Chances are it's waaaay less the typical width
  you design web pages. Less than 600 pixels is a good guideline.Align stuff to
  the left. Some preview panes are skinny and vertical (AOL gives about 200 pixels
  of width). Make sure your logo and critical content "peeks" out on the left side
  of your template.
  
• No JavaScript, ActiveX, Flash, embedded video, sound files, or DHTML.
  Viruses are typically embedded into those types of files, so anti-virus programs
  will block them. Sorry, no fancy stuff.
  
• Unless your email marketing service hosts your images for you, you'll need
  to code your HTML emails using absolute paths for your images.
  
• Webmail clients (Yahoo, MSN, Hotmail, Gmail, etc) typically strip out any
  HTML code above and below (and including) the BODY tags. Therefore:
  
  • BODY BGCOLORs will not work. Create a 100% wide table with your bgcolor, and
    embed your template inside that.
    
  • Any embedded CSS inside your HEAD tags will not work. Embed your CSS below
    the BODY tag, just above your content.
  • Just about ALL email programs turn off your images by default. The recipient
    has to click a button to "display images." This is a default feature, and can't
    be turned off. And most recipients have to be really motivated to click that
    button. Therefore:
    
    • Don't design HTML emails that are nothing but one big image. Recipients
      won't see anything (and spam filters can't read any content, so they'll assume
      it's spam).
      
    • Take your open reports with a grain of salt. Open tracking involves placing
      a tiny, transparent .GIF in your email, then counting how many times the image
      was downloaded. If your recipient doesn't turn on images, the graphic won't be
      downloaded.
    • Always include a plain-text version of your emails. Your email service
      should display that version if your recipient can't (or won't) view HTML emails.
      
      
    • Understand CAN-SPAM. You should always include your contact information
      in your footer (postal mailing address, phone, email, etc) and always include an
      opt-out link. MailChimp's list management service provides you with unsubscribe
      link code.
      
    • Test your HTML emails like crazy. Sign up for as many email services as you
      can, and download as many email programs and spam filters as you can. You may
      need to setup a test computer(s) in your office to do all this testing