Expertise

Originally published on June 30, 2016. Last updated July 30, 2021.The rate of email opens on mobile is consistently increasing, with almost half of all emails opened on smart phones in 2021.

As webmail and desktop environments become less popular, it’s important for marketers and designers alike to keep up with best practices for mobile design. Factors like accessibility, image size, quality, and format not only affect how the design renders, but also impact important email marketing metrics like deliverability and conversion rates.If you’re new to optimizing for mobile design, you might be wondering: why do images in emails sometimes look pixelated on smartphones? What's the best size for an image in email? Why does my email show up differently depending on the ESP of the user?Let’s answer each question by running through best practices for mobile email image optimization. Add these tips to your design toolbox for future email campaigns.

Best practices for mobile design 

In order to create the best user experience, it’s essential to implement responsive email images for mobile. Smaller screens on mobile call for more accomodating design components, which could be intimidating or confusing at first. But keep in mind that optimizing for mobile should be user focused. Consider your users needs and then bring these best practices into every email you design.

Choose the highest quality photo

High-quality images are one of the most important aspects of image optimization. To ensure your images are showing up correctly in your email, you first need to evaluate their quality.Expert designers use DPI or dots per inch to measure the quality of an image. For guaranteed high-quality images, set your resolution to 72 DPI while also increasing the dimensions of the image. This will give high-DPI displays, which have increased pixel densities and more image data to utilize. This means that setting the DPI to this optimal resolution gives enough space for images to appear crisp.Implementing these changes will prevent blurriness and assure that your images are always looking sharp. When you don’t account for high-DPI displays your image will appear pixelated as it stretches across the screen. This means that you will typically want images to be twice as large for the best image optimization.It’s also important to think about your image’s color values. Avoid CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow & black (key)) color values since they are solely meant for print and won’t work well on a digital screen. Keep images in RGB (red, green, blue) color values, which allows you to adjust for saturation and vibrancy. This is the best way to create the highest quality image.

Optimize image size

Always consider the dimensions of your images when inputting them into your emails. If images have larger-than-normal dimensions, they may not render well. It’s concerning and makes you question if subscribers will have issues upon opening the email and viewing the images?In short, the file size does play a role when the images are downloaded. The image size impacts the total time it takes for the content of the email to fully render once it's opened. On a mobile device, when the reader might have a slow Internet connection speed, the time lag could be substantial.Avoid this issue by optimizing your image size. We recommend adjusting your content area width to around 600px for the highest quality image. While images will adjust according to the device the email is open on, hit this size to make sure they render correctly on all devices. Leaving the size to chance will lead rendering to chance, especially with so many different file formats as well.

Select the best image format

There are so many file formats, it is often confusing to figure out which one will result in the highest quality images. PNGs, JPEGs and SVGs tend to be the most well-known and widely accepted file formats.While there are pros and cons to each format, you can use the guidelines below to choose the right file type for your needs. Also note, some formats may increase your image size, so use the EZGIF program to compress your image to keep in line with the quality you have adjusted for. So, which image format is best:

• PNG: These are lossless, meaning they won’t falter in quality when you compress the image which allows you to export with transparency. There are PNG-8, 24, and 32 files, so the standard practice here would be to decide on a proper balance of file size and color to suit your email best.
• JPEG: These won’t allow transparency and are quite lossy. Use when your images are loaded with color.
• SVG: These are a vector format which allows you to resize your image to fit your needs without losing the quality of your image. 

There is no correct answer as to which format is best, but think about which one would fit your needs. If you are looking for something to easily export with transparency go with PNG format. Or use JPEG when you are using images with tons of color. Utilize the format that will give you the highest quality image.

Make your images accessible

The quality, size and file format of your images are set for success, but you have one last crucial factor to consider: Is your email accessible to everyone?Visually impaired individuals will not be able to decipher image-heavy emails that aren’t intentionally made accessible. It’s important to include accessibility concerns to avoid isolating users with disabilities.The two accessibility components that you shouldn’t go without are Alt text and color contrast.

• Alt Text. This Alternative Text attribute is an image description that gives those using screen readers the opportunity to visualize what your picture is portraying. Consider what purpose your image serves inside your email to allow for proper alt text functioning. 
• Color Contrast. Be mindful of your color choices in regards to your images and other email components. Distinguishing between colors is difficult for many, so try to increase the contrast between the email text, image and background. Refer to this color oracle for more on this. Especially think about this when trying to utilize background images, since older emails like Outlook don’t render those. If you choose to use a background image be sure to set a safe fallback color. 

Also be mindful of flashing graphics, color patterns or other special effects that may be dangerous to some image-sensitive subscribers. Seizures can be caused by bright, strobing images, so make sure to avoid those at all costs. Be sure to account for these image accessibility factors along with other email design elements including copy spacing, font size and other design elements.

Mobile Design Mode

We’ve gone through all of the best practices for optimizing your mobile design, including:

1. Choose the highest quality photo
2. Optimize size
3. Select the best image format
4. Make your images accessible

But the best way to make sure that your emails render correctly every time is to use the right tools. BEE Pro includes a mobile design mode, where you can design for mobile-only communications. Visualize exactly what your design will look like on a mobile device while you are designing.Sign up for a BEE Pro free trial to test this out, and access more templates and features to make designing with these best practices in mind even easier.Save

A good email layout design will capture the attention of your busy subscribers—andmake content easier to read.The right design will direct your focus tothe content itself, not the structure holding it in place, and it should be simple, well-organized, and have an intuitive flow. Here, we share three types of email layouts, along with some pointers on how to pick the right one for different campaigns.

Email layouts: 3 types

Email layouts generally fall into threegroups: single-column, multiple-column, or a hybrid. Whichever you choose, the important thing is to keep the design simple and mobile-optimized.

1. Single-column layout

A single-column layout consists of one or more modules that fill the full width of the email and are all stacked on top of each other. Stanley, a company that makes hand tools, uses a single-column layout email, as seen below:

Benefits of a single-column email layout:

1. Easy to read. Single-column emails have a clear hierarchy: they start with the most important content at the top, and more content is consumed as you scroll down. You view one module, then the next. There are no sidebar distractions.
2. Optimized for mobile viewing. Multiple columns do not render well on smaller screens, which is why multi-column emails should always be responsive, reordering content into a single column. When scrolling on a mobile device, multiple columns also make content harder to read, forcing zoom in with fingers, which doesn't make for a seamless experience.
3. Focused on a single call-to-action. A single-column email is optimal for storytelling, taking readers through each component of the message until there is a clear, obvious call-to-action. This intuitive, sequential nature leads readers directly to your CTA.

2. Multiple-column layout

A multi-column layout typically separates content into two or three columns, sometimesso content appears arranged in a grid, like in this example from the shopping curation site, Shop: My Domaine. Here, columns are defined by pink boxes:

Benefits of a multiple-column email layout:

1. Organized product display. Arranging products on a grid allows you to showcase a lot of items quickly, maximizing the amount viewed above the fold.
2. Optimal for image-driven content. If your email is almost entirely image-based, and the images don’t require descriptive text, multiple columns will probably be the best layout.
3. Displays a lot of content quickly (on desktop). Since your multiple-column email layout should be mobile responsive and switch to a single-column layout on smaller devices, it may require a lot of scrolling. But desktop viewers will be able to quickly scan through a lot of visual content arranged on a grid.

3. Hybrid layout

Manypublishers send emails with a feature story at the top, with secondary content in multiple columns underneath it. This hybrid layout, which goes from first a single column then to multiple columns, has plenty of uses, like making product announcements. Here's an email example from the notebook company Moleskine, where columns are also defined by pink boxes:

Benefits of a hybrid email layout:

1. Maintains a strong hierarchy. By starting with a single-column module, the first and most important module of content won't be missed.
2. Easy to present multiple calls-to-action. Having a clear and focused message with a single call-to-action is a wise strategy for busy readers, but if you have more than one call-to-action and no strong hierarchy to your message, multiple columns can be used.
3. Ideal for linking to secondary content. A hybrid layout can be used to focus readers’ attention on the most important piece of content but still provide additional information

Email layout design: Choose the best one for your content

Now that you know the three different layout designs, how do you choose one? In order to choose an email layout, think about the purpose of your message and ask yourself: Is it to deliver an important update? Showsubscribers a new product feature? Inform about a change to privacy settings? Send a roundup of upcoming events? Offer a limited-time discount? The type of message you plan to send—and the amount of content—will inform which layout is optimal for your campaign.Often, designers use templates to establish consistent, branded foundations for variousemail types. Templates improve workflow efficiency and provide a framework for delivering well-designed emailsthat are always on brand.That's why using the BEE editor, which includes plenty of templates and layouts, will make your life easier. And, with BEE Pro, the new advanced version of BEE, you get even moreprofessionally designed templates and layouts to create a new email campaign.

Whether you choose from a selection of professionally designed templates or you start from scratch, determining the best layout for your email starts by identifying the message you're sending. Below, we highlight specific types of newslettersand the best email layout to choose for each one:

Text based email

Letter or text-based templates are useful for sending subscribers a personal message or a serious update, like one necessary for legal reasons. You might use a letter to welcome a new subscriber, apologize for an error, or announce a company change.

Email Layout to Choose: 

A basic single-column layout and keep the message straightforward, simple, and short.

Round up email

For lists, roundups, or blog/article digests, an email'slayout can reinforce consistency around the number of items included and the format of each item in the list.

Email Layout to Choose:

A hybrid layoutwith a list format that features one headlining item followed by more content.

User invitation email template

Aninvitation template is a valuable go-to for your online lead generation efforts. Think about the promotional content on your website. Are you inviting subscribers to participate in an onlinewebinar, offering them a free report or e-book to download? You can use anemail template builder like BEE to create a responsive email design for your next invitation.

Email Layout to Choose:

A single-column orhybrid layoutwhere the first module includes the most important details about the offering, along with a CTA button.

Promotional emails

To generate buzz around your product, create an email template for promotional offers that's short, well-branded, vibrant, and has a clear call to action.

Email Layout to Choose:

A single-column or hybrid layoutto focus readers' attention on your offer.

News alert or product announcement emails

Toquickly communicate a single, clear message to readers—like a big promotion alert/reminder or a product announcement—a layout that's dedicated to delivering an important piece of singular information is key. These email types areoften most effective when designed with simplicity.

Email Layout to Choose:

A single-column or hybrid layoutto make sure the most important information is in the first module (just avoid additional modules!).

Catalogue or multiple products feature template

Most product feature emails break from the single-column structure and use agrid-based layout. Since keeping a grid formation often means items are difficult to see on mobile devices, make sure these messages are responsive so products reposition into one column. (All BEE templates are 100% responsive).

Email Layout to Choose:

A multiple-column layout that's responsive to mobile screens.

Remember:BEE Prohas dozens of beautiful, professional-quality email templates with great layouts. Create the best newsletter design withBEE Pro for more design options, from newsletter templatesto notification templatesincluding this order notification template, and many more!

Email drip campaigns are part of a marketing strategy designed to stay connected with subscribers througha series of automatedemails. They're like friendly little nudges that offer enticing content (special discounts, limited-time offers, or free trials) to subscribers who are usuallynew to a mailing list or inactive.When done well, email drip campaigns generate and/or maintain relationships and build up brand loyalty. To help you implement a successful drip campaign, let's review more aspects of how they work and how they should look from a design perspective. Check out great examples of drip campaigns below to get inspired.

How email drip campaigns work

Drip campaigns typically consist of three or more emails sent in succession.Usually, emails are sent to segmented portions of an audience—for example, you might only send a special drip campaign with a specific offer to subscribers who have neverpurchased your product before.Although content for each campaign email may be similar, differences lie in the subject line, language, and design (which can create various levels of urgency). Typically, the emails are automated, and once ready, they're scheduled to go out in succession, stopping only when a subscriber engages and clicks on them.Drip campaignscan be used for a variety of purposes. Some common strategies include:

• Welcome campaign: Once someone subscribes to your mailing list, a welcome email might send a "thank  you" offer that includes a promotion, free trial, or free download. Your drip campaign can then follow up to remind readers the offer exists, and/or to instruct them on how to best use the site or product.
• Training/educational campaign: If your product or site has new features, a drip campaign might introduce them to readers and offer instructions. But even without new features, drip campaigns can introduce readers to existing features that they didn't know.
• New product announcement: To pique interest and increase exposure about a new product announcement, a drip campaign can send emails up until the final product launch.
• Promotional/marketing campaign: Subscribers can be reminded of limited-time deals or offers through promotional language.
• Re-engagement or renewal: For subscribers who have never used your product or service (or who haven't in a while), these emails might offer a special incentive to generate interest.

If you've had success with the email drip campaigns above, or you've tried or seen others, share them with us in the comments section.Let's look at 3 inspirational drip campaigns from top brands!

#1: Netflix's Dual-Email Re-engagement Campaigns

I haven't subscribed to Netflix in a few years, but every three or four months, I receive re-engagement campaigns inviting me to sign up foranother free trial. The drip campaigns come in a set of two emails about two weeks apart. Here's a list of the latestsix:

Most of the subject lines use the key phrase "free trial." A pair of emails sent in February look like the ones below.The content in each varies slightly; the first one is longer, showing images of popular shows, along with CTAs to restart to watch, while the second email is shorter and only shows a simple photo collage.

What Works

Design-wise, both emails have amodular, single-column design and use a classic inverted pyramid structure in the first section, driving readers toward the same CTA: "Enjoy Another Free Trial." The Netflix email drip campaign is a good example of two complementary designs that echo each other in terms of messaging and structure, but that still offerunique content.By using a parallel structure in the first module of both emails,the same offer remains a familiar, friendly reminder. This way, if the first message was read but then got lost in a crowded inbox, the second email served as a short, clear reminder, with no scrolling required.

#2: MOO's Promotional Push Campaign

MOO, the business card site, useda four-email drip campaign this April to promote a 25% off sale. Each subject line included consistent messaging—"25% off"—and the emails were sent two days apart.

For the first two emails, content is exactly the same (aside from the varying subject lines).

The third email breaks from the first two with additional modules showcasing products. It also stresses sale urgency with a "72 hours left" image. As for the final email, it's short and to the point about the sale being the last chance to make a purchase. Emails 1, 2, and 4 also include thisanimated GIF:

What Works

Like Netflix, MOO maintains the same CTA throughout the campaign, which alsocompletely unifies its style of design style. Each emailmaintains the same structure, the same teal-and-yellow color scheme, and the same flower artwork.As MOO demonstrates, using the same email early on in the campaign (with different subject lines) warms up readers by building general awareness. But as time runs out, the two emails after it create urgency throughdifferent headers and more/different information.

#3: ALOHA's Free Trial Campaign

In March, ALOHA, the healthy lifestyle company (known for their protein supplements), sent a three-email drip campaign to offer readers a free trial. Thefirst two emails were sent five days apart, followed by a "last chance"email sent about two weeks later.

Within all three emails,ALOHA maintains aconsistent structure and a primary CTA, but varies the color scheme and language.

What Works

Even though all three emails are a little bit different, it's easy to see that they're visually connectedand part of the same design family. This is an essential factor in drip campaigns, having each message be immediately reminiscent of the others, even if some features change. Also, like Netflix and MOO, ALOHA's use of a consistent structure for its first module, including a CTA that never changes, is just as important.

Wrap Up: Design Tips for Email Drip Campaigns

As you consider drip campaigns for different purposes and different segments of your audience, consider these best design practices:

1. Center emails on a central design theme, which will mean repeating the same colors, fonts, and/or images.
2. Maintain the same call-to-actions  throughout the campaign.
3. Have a consistent first module format as a great way to unify your messages (even if email lengths vary).

But, don't forget to include these general best practices as well to run a successful email drip campaign:

1. Don't be afraid to send the same email twice in a campaign—but always change the subject line.
2. If you do vary the subject lines between emails, always include the same key phrase.
3. Monitor the open-rates and click-throughs of your email drip campaigns to fine tune timing and the number of sent emails.

So much goes into planning the perfect email campaign, from the visual content and the copy to the subject line and the call to action. Amidst the meticulous planning it can be easy to overlook a simple snafu: if your message exceeds a size limit—regardless if it's too text-heavy or image-heavy, or both—it can get clipped.

Message clipping is especially common for Gmail users, where HTML emails larger than 102 KB get trimmed. The Gmail app for iOS clips messages larger than 20 KB. This can cause an inconvenient roadblock for brands with Gmail subscribers, as their email is not fully shown, but rather clipped with a link to view the entire message as we see below:

Why is my message getting clipped?

Emails quickly become too large when they contain a lot of content or HTML code, especially if your email contains  inline-CSS for example.Currently, there isn’t a universal or elegant solution to preventing a large email from being clipped by Gmail. But there are two main ways email marketers can minimize email message size:

Optimize and minimize the HTML code. Mobile responsive design adds lines of code and weight to your overall email message size. This is especially true if your email contains inline CSS code which is the only design tactic for responsiveness on the Gmail app for Android.

How? You can 1) ask your developer to optimize the HTML/CSS for you or 2) choose an email editor like our BEE editor that has built-in optimized HTML code.

Reduce the amount of content in your email messages. This allows you to optimize your email for mobile while preventing clipping.

If a substantial number of your subscribers are Gmail users (which is pretty likely—Gmail has 900 million users) and your readers check email on the go (also pretty likely: up to 70% of email opens occur on mobile screens), then the optimal solution for you is to prevent your emails from getting clipped by streamlining the content you include. Here are some tips for how to achieve this.

4 tips for streamlining your email (and preventing clipping)

Tip #1: Stick to one story

Email marketers often want to capture as many clicks in a single email, appealing to the broadest swath of their audience as possible. As a result, emails are long, long, long, inviting readers to click here, or here, or here. It's no surprise emails like this often get clipped.

For some e-commerce brands, or for newsletter-driven companies, this approach might work for your audience. (Do some testing and find out how bottom-of-email content is doing compared to what's at the top). However, for most brands, the vast majority of the time, a simple, focused email is more effective. The reality is that readers are checking email on their phones while multitasking, spending only a few seconds on your email. (Can you imagine how much scrolling you'd need to do to get through that Zulily email on your phone?) When you stick to a single message in your email—one that's reinforced by the subject line, images, content, and CTA—it's more likely to sink in. Here's a great example from Colgate (subject line: How to save 8 gallons of water per day):

The entire email has a single, simple message: save water. It's echoed in the subject line, header, lead image (which is an animated GIF), body content, and CTA. There's no need to continue explaining the message or add secondary content. By keeping the email focused, Colgate can drive home their point, minimizing distractions, unnecessary content, and an oversized email.SitePoint, the website and company for web developers, takes a similar approach in their webinar invitation email (subject line: Live Stream: Microsoft Build 2015):

The email is optimized to communicate a single message to its readers: watch this live stream! The inverted pyramid method is used to grab readers' attention, provide detail, then offer a well-placed and well-communicated CTA button. The only "extra" content in this email is the footer containing social media buttons. No other secondary content or calls to action are included, because they're not needed. In fact, additional information might even prevent readers from clicking on the primary CTA, and SitePoint knows this.Test out simple, single-message emails that are streamlined and focused. They won't get clipped, and they're likely to communicate faster and better for most audiences.

Tip #2: Use a template for your newsletter

If you're sending regular roundups or newsletters to subscribers, using a template provides consistency, reinforces your brand, and creates trust through transparency and reliability (subscribers know what to expect). On top of all that, when you have a tried-and-true template that you've tested, if one message doesn't get clipped, it's likely the others won't either. When you're always sending roughly the same amount of content, it eliminates the concern that an email might get too large and be clipped. And not all roundup newsletters need to be long-winded, either. A best practice is to feature a headline story, followed by some secondary content, without providing a long extended list of all the stories on your site. NY Mag's Science of Us newsletter does just that. Here are two recent examples:

The newsletters are well-organized and contain only those stories deemed most likely to suit subscribers' interests. And for subscribers who scroll through without clicking on a story, the full-width CTA button at the close of the email is a great, eye-catching opportunity for readers to go over to the site.The clean, simple template no doubt simplifies the process of putting together the newsletter, and it benefits readers, too: they're presented with a curated selection of content, and when the whole message appears, they don't need to click a link to view the entire message.

Tip #3: Don't over-format

It can be tempting to style the body copy in your email with bold, italics, underlines, and color treatments—but not only can this lead to a messy aesthetic, it also contributes to the total KB of your HTML code. A minimalistic approach to body copy is the best for readability, and the simple approach also makes calls-to-actions stand out all the more. Many e-newsletter publishers of text-heavy emails know this best. By streamlining content stylization, not only can they include more content, but they can make their emails reader-friendly. NeimanLab's Daily Digest, for instance, uses a single font, a black-and-gray color scheme, and a repeating module hierarchy with standard font sizes in their newsletter.

While there's very little color or embellishment, the large header text and ample white space makes it easy to skim—and the message remains un-clipped.

Tip #4: Simplify (or cut) your header

Emails are not websites. A focused, succinct email should be designed for clarity and should communicate a single call to action. So there’s no need to crowd the email, or the header, with extraneous links, menus, and messages, like in this email from Home Depot:

The navigation menu and extraneous header links take up a lot of real estate at the top of the email and may not reflect most readers' interests. Remember to use the data you have to make customizations. When visitors come to a website, you don't know much about them. For subscribers on your email list, on the other hand, you likely have some segmenting details, like gender, age, location, or interests. As a result, emails can—and should—be tailored for their audiences. For example, if I'm a reader who recently purchased items from the gardening section, send me a focused email on the latest deals in gardening. And cut the header altogether: I don't need to scroll through menus or offers for other items.Because tailored emails are going to a specific audience, they can be simpler and direct. Often, emails don't need complex navigation menus in the header because they take up unnecessary space and don't reflect a knowledge of the reader. Simplify your email to strengthen your message, save room, and prevent it from being clipped.

Wrap up: Prevent your email from getting clipped

When in doubt, keep it simple. Know your audience, and test messages to see what works best. Prevent your emails from getting clipped by following these best practices:

1. Tell a single, focused story. Try using just one module, and use the inverted pyramid method to create a clear hierarchy.
2. Use a template that's proven effective. It'll make emailing simpler for you, and it will benefit your audience.
3. Simplify text formatting. Don't go overboard; use headers and white space to create clarity. Check out our tips for formatting text-heavy emails, too.
4. Remove a cluttered header. It probably doesn't resonate with readers, and it's taking up space!

It may have been a while sinceyou last gave some thought to thesocial media buttons in your email campaigns. That's because they're pretty ubiquitous—always there, just hanging out in the header or footer—and they're notmeant to be the main attraction of anemail. Butif the new year has you antsyto reinvigorate your marketing techniques and make someemail design improvements, don't overlook social media buttons! According to a study by GetResponse,just adding social sharing buttons can boost emailclick-through rate by 158%. They're worth a closer look.Here's what to consider when making design decisions for social media buttons in email.

The purpose of social media buttons in email

In email, social media buttons provide a secondary call to action. YourprimaryCTA is probablyabout registering for an event, making a purchase, reading more—basically, getting readers to your website to makeatransaction. But in the background are those glimmering little buttons that make one of two requests: share or follow.

• Follow icons take readers straight to your social media pages—to like your Facebook page or follow your Instagram account, for example—to get connected to your content in whichever way they prefer.
• Share icons ask readers to share a specific piece of content—Tweet the story or Pin the picture, etc. Here's an email from Mic with both examples present: follow icons in the header, and share icons after the first story:

Where to place social media buttons

A best practice is to place your social media follow icons at the header or footer of your email. Savvy readers instinctively scroll to the top or bottom of an email (or a website) to find standard info found in menus, like contacts and social media links. Keeping your follow icons at the opening or close of your email makes it intuitive for readers to locate. From a design perspective, it makes sense that the icons are consistently placed where they won't interrupt the flow of content in your body message. Think about it: the main focus of your email is to get readers to take action on your primary CTA, like signing up for your upcoming webinar. The key focusisn't for a reader to follow you on Facebook, so don't get in the way of your primary CTA with extra CTAs. Keep social follow icons from being a distraction. And if you're sending more of a personal email—one that includes an e-signature—includingsocial media icons in your email signature is another great spot. (Check out BEE's personal note email template).Here's an example email from MOO, the business card design company. Their social media icons are placed at the bottom of the email in the footer, after the main CTA button. This choice—very commonly seen in email design—also keeps the email totally clutter-free.

Alternatively, this email from Martha Stewart Everyday Food givessocial follow icons more of a spotlight in the upper right corner of the header.

Overall, the header is very well-balanced; it's not cluttered with information and there's plenty of white space, while the orange color unifies the social media icons with the main logo. The buttons are well positioned to attract the right amount of attention—they're very easy to spot but don't stick out like a sore thumb.Peoplegenerally read information in an "F" shape, starting in the upper left-hand corner then moving horizontallybefore scanningdownward. That first horizontal movement means information in the top right is usually read. So if social media follows are a priority for you right now, top-of-email icon placement may be the way to go.Compare the Everyday Food approachwith a slightly busier header, like this one from Rolling Stone:

These social icons are smaller and placed in the center, where they don't quite demand the same amount of attention. Here, "Subscribe to Rolling Stone" is likelier to be read, and probably for good reason: Rolling Stone wants to make subscribing for their magazine a prominently featured, easy-to-click option for readers.There's no single correct place to put your social media follow icons. When making a decision, first evaluate your current priorities, and give social icons slightly more prominence if increasing followers is a goal. But don't let them clutter up your main message. Know your audience: Mix up your icon positioning and test to see what garners more clicks.

Customizing social media buttons

In the four emails we've looked at so far (Mic, Moo, Everyday Food, Rolling Stone),each brand's social media buttons look different from the others.

Different sizes, shapes, and colors are pretty common because it's become easier and easier to customize buttons in email. So how do you know what's right for your brand? On one hand, it goes back toyour current goals and strategies. If increasing your social media following has been determined as a priority—because that's where you get the most engagement or that's where you see your emails getting clicks or that's where you need to improve or that's where your audience is most active, etc.—then it makes sense to integrate social media buttonsin a more prominent way. Maybe, then, the icons are larger and they appear at the top and bottom of all of your emails.From a design perspective, the look of your social media icons depends heavily on your brand's visual identity. Here are some customizations to consider.

Shape

If your visual brand incorporates angles, edges, and corners (e.g., in your lettering or in the cropping of images, etc.), then you will probably follow suit with your social media buttons. Here's an example of that from TechCrunch. Their email includes stories in rectangular boxes that sit within rectangular sections, so their social icons are, you guessed it, rectangular as well.

WIRED makes a similar choice, and it's easy to see how the boxy, angular aesthetic fits perfectly with their visual brand.

A button with a rectangular shapegenerally connotes a senseof traditionalism, practicality, and balance, while circular elements can be perceived as softer, calming, and more modern.Here are circular buttons used by the Kitchn. You can see how the choice is in sync with the circular nature of their logo and the curvy natureof their brand font.

For a sleek, more minimalist feel, many brands omit the circle or square shape altogether and present readers with only the icons themselves. That's the approach the daily newsletter The Skimm takes...

...as does Fusion:

Against a bold background color, the simple white icons are easy to spot, so there's no need to have the extra bulk of a circular or rectangular container.

Color

The color ofsocial media buttons typically falls into one of three categories: traditional colors (like blue for Facebook, red for Pinterest, etc.); neutral monochromatic colors (all black, white, gray, orblue); or brand colors (customized to suit your particular brand color palette). In email, your social media button color choice will depend heavily on the colors used in the email itself, and to what degree you'd like the buttons to stand out.Here's a playful take on button color from Birchbox:

The Birchbox visual identityiswhimsical and fun-filled, and their emails are full of fresh,bold colors against clean, bright backgrounds. These social media buttons are a departure from the blue-white-black color scheme of the email, andset against a white background with plenty of surrounding padding, they provide the right amount of whimsy without competing with the central CTA.

Some brands customize in a more subtle way, but making all social media buttons a brand color. ALOHA does this in their emails, making the icons their characteristic ALOHA red:

Because the symbols of each platform are so iconic, they're still easily recognized, even in monochrome.Mashable does a nice job of choosing an icon brand color throughout their emails that's not intrusive. The cool blue used here is noticeable but never detracts from the stories they're paired with:

A light, monochromatic color scheme is a nice choice whensocial sharing buttons will be included many times throughout an email. (Email design platforms should include options for choosing the shape and color scheme of your social icons—for instance, check out BEE's basic coupon email template). However, the choice stilldepends on your brand's goals and to what degree you want to encourage readers to use the buttons. The Atlantic, for example, takes a very different approach from Mashable, using traditional colors and much larger icons. But because the icons are so much more prominent, they only include two: Facebook and Twitter.

Special customizations

A few brands take special care to fully immerse every piece of email content in their brand identity, so that every piece is distinctive. We sawthis in a few recent emails, like in this one from Anthropologie. Each social media button has a pretty, playful hand-sketched look, in keeping with the light-and-bright vibe of their visual identity:

Bumble and Bumble takes a similar approach, adding "Let's be friends!" in whimsical handwritten lettering:

Both approaches are a nice touch for large brands with the resources to fully customize every aspect of their brand.

Which buttons to include

The most popular social media buttons are Facebook and Twitter. After that, it depends on your brandcontentand your audience. If you're content is super visual, and you release weekly videos or daily Instagrams, then you bet YouTube and Instagram should be a priority on your list. If you're trying to grow your audience on a particular platform or have recently invested resources in building up, say, your Pinterest content, then try increasing that particular button's prominence in your emails and measure what happens.It will be different for everyone. With social sharing buttons that are included throughout your email, brands tend to be more minimalistic, which is smart. To encourage sharing an article, you don't need to list Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest, Google+, LinkedIn, Vine, AND Tumblr. Choose the top two or three your audience most uses, or that best suits the content, and use those, formatting appropriately.

Wrap Up

Have fun with your social media buttons in email. Try something new, and track subscribers' engagement. Here are a few design tipsto keep in mind:

• Social media buttons in email are usually secondary calls to action. Wherever you place them, social media buttons shouldn't compete with your main content. Try the header or footer.
• Choose a shape, size, color, and customization that suits your brand and fits with the look of your email. Maintain balance—and make sure the buttons are easily tapped on mobile—by including ample white space around buttons.
• Decide which buttons to include based on the nature of your content and audience. Don't overload readers with too many options.

Want a little help getting started? Check out BEE's email templates—they're fully customizable, easy to use, and beautifully designed!