Making messages render properly.
THE HARD TRUTH
Email clients render inconsistently. What looks correct in one looks broken in another.
Elaborate designs fail more often than simple ones.
WHAT WORKS RELIABLY
A single column Reasonable font sizes, since email is read on phones Images that are not essential to understanding Clear text links or simple buttons Adequate spacing
WHAT BREAKS
Complex multi-column layouts Background images Anything relying on modern styling Very wide layouts
PLAIN TEXT
A plain message from a person frequently outperforms a designed template, particularly from a small business.
It feels personal rather than broadcast, and it always renders.
Consider it seriously before building a template.
IMAGES
Many clients block them by default. A message that is one large image shows nothing to those readers.
Always include the actual message as text.
TESTING
Send to yourself and open on a phone, a desktop client and webmail.
Three checks catch most rendering problems.
