Email design that readers love

Would you like an email design that your readers love? Make sure to take these five elements under consideration.

1. The nameplate. The newsletter nameplate is where you display the newsletter's name. It usually appears across the top of the newsletter (though it doesn't have to) and it's usually designed in a way that's in keeping with your style. (In other words, if your emails are professional, the nameplate would be too, if your emails are friendly, the nameplate would be friendly in style.)
   
   Advanced Advice: Remember, some of your readers will be reading with images disabled which means they won't see your nameplate at first glance. So, make sure to give that image a name that's really intriguing so that readers will click "Display images" and be able to see all the images in your newsletter.

2. The table of contents. In emails, having a table of contents is a great way to keep readers reading all the way to the end. Make sure your TOC appears at the top of the email so that it's "above the fold" for best results.
   
   Advanced Advice: Don't just copy / paste your headlines into the table of contents. Rather, think about ways to describe your content that are pithy and intriguing. Sometimes your headlines will be too long to make the maximum impact in your table of contents. So, think of the rules you follow for email subject lines when writing your TOC--keep it short, keep it interesting, and omit any unnecessary words.
3. Use personal photos. Statistically, most readers read emails with images turned off. So, you want to get a reputation for including really fantastic, relevant, original images in your emails--that way, readers will click to display those images each time you send a newsletter.
   
   Advanced Advice: Label photos clearly in a way that makes them sound intriguing. Don't use misleading labels (that's the sort of thing that only works once or twice and then people start ignoring your labels), but do make your images sound as interesting as possible.
4. Use consistent colors. You might be tempted to shake things up by altering your layout or your color scheme every time you send an email newsletter. Don't! You'll get the best results from your email marketing by being consistent and memorable. Sticking with the same colors means people will recognize your email design and start to feel more comfortable with you.
   
   Advanced Advice: Choose great colors! Don't go with "safe" colors or copy your competition's color scheme--rather use colors that you love, that are a great match for your content and your audience and use them in the right proportions. If your style is more professional and low key, you can still use a vibrant color like orange, but you'll want to use it in smaller doses than if your style is loud and dynamic.
5. Bring in some inconsistency. Too much sameness is boring! So, shake things up by using new photos and images each time you publish. It's important that there's enough similarity from issue to issue that your readers recognize your email design, but people pay attention to what stands out and different is what stands out.
   
   Advanced Advice: Taking a new headshot of yourself each time you publish can make your email marketing vibrant and different while still giving you plenty of consistency.