Design goes a long way when it comes to email newsletters. The design of your email can positively or negatively impact every aspect of your email marketing efforts. A beautifully designed email newsletter that is formatted correctly and easy to navigate will have a much higher chance of being read than a wordy, overcrowded email.
So before you click that send button and send out an email newsletter to your entire contact list, you need to ensure your email newsletter design looks good, and you can use email newsletter templates to help.
There are a few email newsletter design ideas that you can try as inspiration for your next email blast, which we'll be discussing in the article below. This article will cover why email design is essential, the best format for an email newsletter, and 6 email newsletter design ideas to try.
The design of your email newsletter can influence how your customers view your business and if they want to engage with you. So continue reading to get some design inspiration to keep your business at the top of your customer's minds.
How does email design impact readers?
The design of an email has a direct impact on how readers engage with it. Imagine opening up an organized email newsletter with a few simple paragraphs and a killer subject line that tells you exactly what you need to do.
Now, imagine opening up an email newsletter with small text, poor-quality images, and no subject line. Which one are you more likely to read? The first one, of course.
Poor email design makes people click away quickly. The second someone opens your email newsletter and sees that it's wordy and designed poorly, they will exit the screen. There are various bad newsletter mistakes you want to avoid, such as including spammy words, not being mobile-friendly, not adding preview text, and overall having poor-quality content.
A poorly written email newsletter will also not regard your target audience. It's important to write an email that contains dynamic content that is curated specifically for your target audience. Relevant content will entice your subscribers to read the entire email, engage with it, and perform the desired action.
The design of the newsletter should naturally navigate the reader throughout the email. Your reader should open the email and easily be able to follow the content. A poorly designed email will be confusing and not lead readers in the right direction.
Email design contributes significantly to the success of an email campaign. Good email design adds a visual appeal to your emails and makes your email campaigns more effective. An email campaign aims to attract customers to perform the desired action, whether that be subscribing to your email list, making a purchase, or writing a review.
Responsive email newsletter designs encourage more engagement, ultimately driving traffic to your store and increasing sales for your business.
What format is best for an email newsletter?
Newsletter formatting is one of the most essential parts of writing an email.
A successful email newsletter will contain both text and images. You don't want your email to be wordy, as that will overwhelm the reader and make them click away.
All you need is just a few lines of text that draw your readers in and entice them to keep reading. It's also crucial to include high-quality images relevant to your brand.
You can use an email template if you're unsure of the best format for an email newsletter. Pre-made templates are a great resource because they outline how your newsletter should be formatted, so all you have to do is write your business's information, and you'll be good to know. You can find expertly-designed, customizable email templates online that you can use to create the best newsletter layout for your emails.
With the right email template, you can turn your email clients into engaged customers who actually want to hear what you have to say. And you can find the best email templates online with Mailchimp.
Mailchimp offers various email templates that are fully customizable so you can personalize them to fit your marketing message. You can even code your own templates to express the best version of your brand in your own words. With these email templates, you can customize the style of the newsletter, the color scheme, images, format, and more, all with a few simple clicks of a button.
However, regardless of the template you use, every email newsletter should contain the following elements: a subject line, a header, a background, visuals, copy, a call-to-action, and a footer. You should aim to keep your text concise and to the point, but don't leave out any necessary information for your readers.
When writing your email newsletter, you'll want to follow the inverted pyramid of design. The first step in this pyramid is to grab the reader's attention with an enticing headline that pulls them in.
The next step is to build anticipation with interesting writing that keeps them engaged. The last step is to end with a call to action that clearly tells the reader what to do. The inverted pyramid of design can help you format your email newsletter in a way that will increase engagement and conversions.
Are there free newsletter templates?
Designing an email newsletter doesn't have to be expensive. In fact, there are many free templates that you can use.
You can find free templates online that include a basic outline for an email newsletter, so all you have to do is insert your company's information, a few images, and you'll be good to go. You can also find paid templates that may offer some more complex features depending on your company's needs.
6 email newsletter design ideas to try
So now that you know the importance of email newsletter design and how to properly format your email, let's go over some email newsletter design ideas.
There are various types of email newsletters you can send out depending on the purpose of your email. Not all email newsletters serve the same purpose, so choosing one that accurately reflects your brand's key message is essential.
Some common types of email newsletters that you can send include company highlights and reviews, blog post emails, welcome emails, and exclusive promotional emails.
These ideas can inspire your next newsletter so you have something new and exciting to send to your email clients. Here are some newsletter examples that you can try out:
Company highlights and news
Company highlights is a great newsletter design idea if you have something important to announce to your email clients or business partners.
With this type of newsletter, you'll want to include simple copy, a clearly defined call to action button, and a high-quality image. You can also have other announcements in your email, but it's best to stick to one main message to avoid confusing your subscribers with too much information.
Offers and discounts
If you want to advertise a promotion your business is offering, you'll want to send out offers and discounts in your email newsletter.
This type of newsletter is a great way to grab your reader's attention and encourage them to keep reading because they know they can get something out of it. The purpose of this newsletter is to get your readers to visit your website and take advantage of the discount you're providing, thus increasing sales for your business.
Blog posts
A blog-style email newsletter is another great design idea that you can try out.
With this newsletter, you'll link to a specific blog post on your company's website and include a short excerpt in the email. This will encourage the reader to click on the link to the post, which will bring them to your website, where they can find out more about your business. Make sure to also include some images in this email to grab their attention.
Exclusive promotions
If you have a subscriber list of loyal customers, you'll want to send them exclusive promotions from time to time. Exclusive promotions are a great way to let your customers know how much you appreciate them with a special gift just for them.
For example, a Valentine's Day newsletter offering special discounts only for email subscribers can make customers feel valued while boosting seasonal sales. These targeted offers typically see higher conversion rates because they feel more personal and timely.
If you have a following on your social media pages, you can also encourage your followers to sign up for your emails to receive an exclusive promotion. Not only will this bring in new subscribers, but it will also drive traffic to your social media accounts.
Giveaways
Everyone loves free stuff, so what better way to engage with your audience than to host a giveaway?
Giveaways are a great design idea to generate buzz about your brand and attract new customers. You can promote the giveaway in your marketing campaigns and encourage people to sign up for them on your social media accounts.
Mentioning your social media accounts can increase your engagement because people will need to follow you to sign up for the giveaway. Giveaways are an excellent way to combine your email marketing strategy with social media to drive traffic to your company's website.
Curated content
The last thing you want to do with an email newsletter is to send the same email to every person in your contact list.
Your email clients want to feel special, so it's important to curate your content to appeal to each person in your contact list. You can include their name at the beginning of the email or reference something about them in the body of the email.
Relevant content is vital to engage with your customers and keep them hooked. The more relevant your content is, the more likely your subscribers will do what you're asking them.
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What should you include in an email newsletter?
There are certain essential elements that you should include in every newsletter, regardless of the design. It's crucial to follow these email best practices so your campaigns can increase engagement, convert prospects, drive sales, and boost website traffic. Including these elements ensures that your newsletter is organized, easy to follow, and conveys the main message.
These are the elements you should include in every email newsletter you send:
Branded header
Always follow your brand guidelines when designing an email newsletter. The header is the first thing your email recipients will see when they open your email, so it's crucial to have a branded header.
Your branded header should include your company name and company logo so your readers can instantly recognize who sent the email. Your subscribers are more likely to open and read an email when they know who it's from, so make sure you include your company logo in every email newsletter you send.
Engaging headline
Subject lines and headlines are undeniably essential parts of an email newsletter. If you open your inbox and see an email with a boring subject line, you'll skip right over it. But if you open your inbox and see an email with a great subject line, you'll give it a chance. Then when you open the email and see an engaging headline, you'll end up reading the whole thing.
This is precisely why engaging headlines and subject lines are so important. Your headline will grab your reader's attention the instant they open your email and entice them to keep reading.
Good layout
Every successful email campaign has a good newsletter layout. No one wants to open an email that is unorganized and confusing.
Instead, your email should be simple and easy to follow. Newsletter templates often have layouts you can follow to ensure that your email is consistently formatted correctly.
It's also important that your email layout is also accessible on mobile devices. Most people check their emails on their mobile devices. So, if a reader can't open your newsletter on their mobile devices, they're not going to open it at all. Make sure your emails are mobile-friendly before hitting send.
Easily scannable
Although it's a dream for every person in your contact list to read your entire newsletter, that's unfortunately unlikely. Instead, most people will scan your newsletter and read one or two things. So, your newsletter must be easily scannable. Your readers should be able to quickly scan the content but still get the gist of it.
You should include keywords in your email body that your readers can quickly pick up on. Including keywords ensures that your readers will still understand what you're saying, despite not reading the entire newsletter. Make sure you also include proper spacing in your copy.
High-quality images
Every email newsletter you send should contain at least one high-quality image. You may even include a background image in your header or as part of the overall design of the body of the email. An email with all words and no photos is an email that will end up in the trash bin. Instead, aim to include eye-catching images in your email that reflect your brand well.
Graphics are a great way to get your reader's attention and add value to your writing. You can even get some of the key points across with an image. Just make sure to include alt text at the bottom of your pictures to improve accessibility for readers who cannot see them.
Any images you use should align with your brand identity and existing branding elements in the email to ensure consistency even when changing out imagery or copy in an email template.
Call to action
The point of every email newsletter is to get your readers to perform the desired action. This desired action can be a host of different things.
Maybe you want your readers to write a good review for your business. Maybe you want them to follow your social media accounts. Regardless of your desired action, you need to include a clear call to action at the end of your email.
Your call to action should be direct, to the point, and explicitly tell the reader what you want them to do.
Email footer
Every newsletter should contain a footer. Your email footer should include general information about your company that you want your subscribers to know, such as your address, phone number, social links, and brand logo. The footer is the last thing your readers will see when they finish reading your email, so keep it short and straightforward.
Best practices for email newsletter design
Creating an effective email newsletter requires attention to several design elements that can make or break your reader engagement. Let's look at some key practices that will help your newsletters perform better and keep your subscribers coming back for more.
Choosing the right colors and fonts
Your newsletter's colors and fonts should reflect your brand identity while remaining readable. Stick to 2-3 complementary colors that match your brand palette, and choose fonts that are easy to read on screens of all sizes.
Sans-serif fonts like Arial or Verdana work well for body text, while you might use a more distinctive font for headlines to create visual hierarchy.
Balancing text and visuals for readability
The best newsletters strike a careful balance between text and images. Too much text creates a wall that readers won't bother climbing, while too many images can slow loading and distract from your message. Try the 60/40 rule. About 60% text and 40% visuals tend to work well for most audiences. Break up text with relevant images that enhance your story rather than just filling space.
Mobile-friendly design considerations
Your email newsletter design must look good on small screens. Use a single-column layout that adjusts automatically to different screen sizes. Make buttons large enough to tap easily (at least 44x44 pixels), and keep your overall design clean and simple. Always test how your newsletter displays on multiple devices before sending it.
Optimizing load times for better user experience
Slow-loading newsletters often get abandoned before they're even read. Compress your images properly before adding them to your newsletter, aiming for file sizes under 200KB each.
Avoid embedding videos directly. Instead, use a linked thumbnail image. Keep your HTML code clean and minimal, removing any unnecessary elements that could slow things down.
Common email newsletter design mistakes to avoid
Your newsletter might be packed with valuable content, but design missteps can prevent it from connecting with readers. Watch out for these common problems that can sink your email performance:
- Overloading with too much content: Cramming too many topics into one newsletter overwhelms readers and dilutes your message. Focus on one primary goal per email with 2-3 supporting elements at most.
- Using poor-quality images or inconsistent branding: Blurry, pixelated, or stretched images make your brand look unprofessional. Always use high-resolution images sized correctly for your template. Similarly, maintain consistent colors, logos, and visual styles across all your communications to strengthen brand recognition.
- Ignoring accessibility and readability: Not everyone experiences your email the same way. Use contrast between text and background colors, include alt text for images, and maintain a reasonable font size. Structure your content with clear headings and short paragraphs to make information easier to absorb.
- Not testing across different email clients: What looks perfect in Gmail might break completely in Outlook. Send test emails to all popular email clients before launching your campaign. Pay particular attention to how images display, link functionality, and overall layout across different platforms and devices.
How to measure the success of your email newsletter design
Great design doesn't just look good - it delivers results. But how do you know if your newsletter design is truly working? You can refine your newsletter strategy and improve its performance by tracking essential measurements.
Monitor how many subscribers open your emails and which links they click on most frequently. These basic metrics give immediate feedback about your subject lines and content quality. The ultimate success measure is whether readers take your desired action.
Never assume you know what will work best with your audience. A/B testing different designs gives you concrete evidence about what truly engages your subscribers. Try changing one element at a time with small segments of your audience before sending it to everyone. This methodical approach helps you clearly identify what drives improvements.
To get even deeper insights, consider using heatmaps to analyze reader behavior. These visual tools show where subscribers click and how far they're scrolling in your newsletters. You'll quickly see which sections grab attention and which get ignored.
Look for patterns across multiple campaigns to understand what consistently engages your specific audience, then design future newsletters to emphasize those elements.
Elevate your email newsletter design for better engagement
Well-designed email newsletters are visually appealing business tools that drive engagement, build relationships with subscribers, and boost conversions.
As we've seen throughout this article, thoughtful design choices about everything from colors and fonts to layout and image selection can dramatically improve how readers interact with your content. Taking the time to craft beautiful and functional newsletters pays dividends in reader loyalty and marketing effectiveness.
The most successful email marketers never stop refining their approach. Make a habit of regularly analyzing your metrics, testing new design elements, and gathering feedback from subscribers. Mailchimp makes this process simple with its intuitive design tools, ready-to-use templates, and powerful analytics that help you understand what's working and what isn't.
Whether you're a seasoned designer or just getting started, Mailchimp's platform gives you everything you need to create newsletters that look professional and deliver results. Sign up for Mailchimp today.
Key Takeaways
- Well-designed email newsletters significantly improve reader engagement and help achieve your marketing goals through thoughtful layouts, colors, and content structure.
- Essential newsletter elements include branded headers, engaging headlines, high-quality images, and clear calls-to-action that guide readers toward your desired conversion.
- Successful email design balances visual appeal with functionality through mobile-friendly layouts, appropriate text-to-image ratios, and optimized loading times.
- Measuring newsletter performance through metrics, A/B testing, and user behavior analysis allows you to continuously refine your approach for better results.