When you’re preparing to send an email campaign, making sure your email looks professional and is easy to read is absolutely essential. Even if your email looks perfect during your test, formatting issues can pop up once it’s delivered to subscribers, especially across different devices and email clients.
If you’ve ever had a subscriber report that your email layout looks broken or unreadable, don’t panic! Here are the most common email formatting mistakes and how to fix them to ensure your emails always look polished and professional.
1. Email Layout Design
An unorganized layout can confuse readers and lower engagement. Avoid cramming too much content into a single section or using inconsistent spacing. Use clear sections with headings, and test vertical spacing between elements to improve readability.
Use an email template that supports responsive design for consistent formatting.
2. Incorrect Font and Image Sizing
Fonts that are too small or images that are too large can make your email hard to read or slow to load. Oversized images may not render well across all devices.
Stick to web-safe fonts and keep your image widths below 600px for optimal performance on all screens.
3. Copy-Paste Formatting Errors
Copying text from Word documents or websites often brings hidden styles or code that can break your email’s formatting.
Paste text into a plain-text editor first to strip out unwanted formatting before placing it into your email editor. You can also copy/paste without formatting.
4. Poor Image-to-Text Ratio
Emails with too many images and not enough text may trigger spam filters or load incorrectly in certain email clients.
Aim for a balanced image-to-text ratio—at least 60% text and 40% images.
5. Ignoring Mobile Optimization
With more than half of emails being opened on mobile devices, it’s critical to ensure your email design is mobile-responsive.
Use single-column layouts and large, tappable buttons to improve the mobile experience.
6. Not Optimizing for Outlook and Hotmail
Outlook and Hotmail have unique rendering engines that can distort your template if you’re not careful.
When creating your email layout, try to avoid using background images for critical content, as they may not display consistently in Outlook.
7. Inaccessible for Screen Readers
Failing to design for accessibility can exclude subscribers who use screen readers or have visual impairments.
Accessibility Tips:
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Use semantic HTML
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Include descriptive alt text for all images
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Ensure sufficient color contrast
8. Sending Plain Text Without Visual Elements
While plain text emails have their place, relying solely on text can make your email feel bland and less engaging.
Include images, buttons, dividers, and color accents to create a visually appealing layout while keeping load times fast.
Avoiding these common email formatting errors will help improve deliverability, engagement, and the overall subscriber experience. Always preview and test your emails on multiple devices and platforms before sending.
Have any tips you want to share about email formatting? Let’s hear them!