== HTML Email Content Best Practices ==

When creating your content, here are some best practices. Be sure to also see the [[/marketing-tech/html-email/|other articles on HTML email]].

 * **Attract the user within a few seconds** and **keep the content relevant**. In some ways this almost goes without saying, but someone is likely to look at your email for only a few seconds before they decide if they need to read it or not. Keep make sure you have something (a great headline, a subject, etc.) that will attract them quickly. Then make sure that your content is very relevant to  the user, or else you'll risk turning them off to future emails you send. 
 * **Avoid bad words** ('Free', '$$$', 'Save', 'Discount'). These are likely to trigger spam filters, and aren't likely to increase your open rate. MailChimp [[http://www.mailchimp.com/articles/best_practices_in_writing_email_subject_lines/|did a study of open rates for various subject lines]], and found another three words to avoid: 'Help', 'Percent off', and 'Reminder'.
 * **Personalize your subject lines**. In an informal study I did, I found an 18% increase in open rates when I used 'Hey [name], XYZ' instead of just 'XYZ'.
 * **Aim for character limits on subject, preheader**. In general, you want the 'From Name' to be less than 25 characters, the subject to be less than 35 characters, and the pre-header to be less than 85 characters.
 * **Display the recipient's name in the body of the message.** This helps let them know that you know who they are, and the message isn't spam (spammers aren't likely to know the recipient's full name)
 * **Make sure your sender information is correct.** For the 'from' name, use a company or brand name, and not an email address, generic department or unfamiliar person's name. 
 * **Consider all of the following features**, as your technology platform allows:
   * Forward-to-a-friend link: A button or text link to an online form to send a copy of the message to another recipient. 
   * Opportunity to subscribe: Provide a button or link to a subscription form. If your subscriber forwards the email to their friend, it would be great to get the friend to signup too.
   * Preference Center/subscription management area. Let the subscriber update their email address or change their preferences rather than completely unsubscribe.