10 email newsletter design tips to improve readability

In 1971, Ray Tomlinson, a computer engineer working at Bolt Beranek and Newman, invented email. It was a pretty big deal because he was the first person to send a message from one computer to another.

The email system he used is very similar to the one we use today. However, Ray’s messages were short, and he used a lot of abbreviations because he didn’t have the capacity to send long messages.

Fast forward to today, and email is one of the most popular forms of communication, with over 4 billion users worldwide. It’s also one of the most effective marketing channels available to businesses, with a potential ROI of $42 for every $1 spent.

But, with 306.4 billion emails sent and received every day, it’s hard to make your business stand out from the crowd. This is where email newsletter design comes in.

1. Use a single-column layout

If you’re new to email marketing, you might be tempted to use a multi-column layout to pack as much information as possible into your newsletter. But, that’s not a great idea.

Using a single-column layout helps you avoid clutter and makes your newsletter easier to read. It also ensures that your newsletter looks great on any device.

If you have a lot of content you want to include, consider breaking it up into sections and using a single column for each one. This will help you maintain a clean, organized look.

2. Make your email 600 pixels wide

Emails that are too wide or too narrow can be difficult to read. Most email clients will automatically adjust the width of your email to fit the recipient’s screen, but it’s still a good idea to design your email with a maximum width of 600 pixels.

This will ensure that your email looks good on all devices, and that your recipients don’t have to scroll from side to side to read your content.

If you’re using a tool like HubSpot to design your emails, you can use the drag-and-drop email editor to easily set the width of your email.

3. Use a maximum of three typefaces

Design rule number one: Keep it simple. Your newsletter design is no different.

If you use too many typefaces (or fonts), it can look messy and unprofessional.

Choose one typeface for your header, sub-header, and body text. If you want to add some variety to your design, you can use different weights and sizes within the same typeface.

As a general rule, you should never use more than three typefaces in your design.

4. Use a maximum of five colors

Color is one of the most powerful tools in a designer’s arsenal, but too much of it can be overwhelming. A good rule of thumb is to use a maximum of five colors in your email newsletter design.

This will help you create a cohesive look and feel and make it easier for readers to focus on the most important parts of your email.

5. Use a maximum of three images

We get it — you want to make your newsletter look as pretty as possible. But too many images can be overwhelming.

Instead, use a maximum of three images, and make sure they’re high-quality and relevant to your content. You can also use the images to break up your text and make your newsletter easier to read.

6. Use a maximum of 20 lines of text

The length of your email newsletter will depend on the content you have, but it’s best to avoid having a lot of text in your email. Not only does it look overwhelming, but it can also make your email look like spam.

To keep the design of your email newsletter clean and professional, keep your text to a maximum of 20 lines. If you have more text than that, consider breaking it up with images or using a “read more” link to direct readers to a landing page.

7. Make your call-to-action easy to spot

Your email newsletter should have a single call-to-action (CTA) that stands out. Don’t include too many CTAs, or you’ll overwhelm your readers and they won’t click on any of them.

Use a large, bold font and a bright color for your CTA button to make it easy to spot. You can also use white space to draw attention to your CTA and make sure it doesn’t get lost in the rest of your content.

8. Use alt text for your images

If you’re using images in your email newsletter, it’s important to use alt text. This is a short description of the image that will display in place of the image if it doesn’t load.

Alt text is also used by screen readers to describe images to those who are visually impaired. This makes your email newsletter more accessible to everyone.

To add alt text to an image in a HubSpot email, click on the image and then click on the “Edit” icon. In the “Edit Image” window, you’ll see a field for “Alt Text.” Enter your alt text here.

9. Make your email mobile-friendly

Last but not least, you need to make sure your email newsletter looks good on mobile devices. More than half of all emails are opened on mobile devices, so it’s critical that your email is mobile-friendly.

To make sure your email newsletter is mobile-friendly, you can use a responsive design. This means that the email newsletter will automatically adjust its layout and content to fit the screen size of the device it’s being viewed on.

You can also use a mobile preview tool to see how your email newsletter will look on different devices. This will help you identify any issues with the layout or design so you can make adjustments before sending your email.

10. Highlight referral or reward programs directly in your newsletter

A newsletter isn’t just about updates — it’s also a great place to encourage customer engagement. If you run a referral or rewards program, make sure it has a clear and well-designed spot in your email. This could be a banner, a dedicated section with a bold CTA, or even a small recurring block in every newsletter.

Referral tools like ReferralCandy make it easy to set this up. You can generate branded referral links, track sign-ups, and automatically reward customers who bring in new business. Since the only cost is usually the software subscription and the rewards themselves, it’s a cost-effective way to grow your customer base while making your newsletters more actionable.

Conclusion

Email marketing is an effective way to communicate with your customers. But, if your email is poorly designed or difficult to read, your newsletter will likely be deleted. Follow the email newsletter design tips above to create a newsletter that’s easy to read and visually appealing.