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Tutorial: How to Adjust Email Borders and Padding

Beefree team
Beefree team
May 9, 2017
Tutorial: How to Adjust Email Borders and Padding
Tutorial: How to Adjust Email Borders and Padding

Email designers know that email borders and padding can make for greatdesign—it's about what you include as much as it is about what you leave out. Being sparing and selective about your design is particularly important in emails, where space is limited. This is why we often talk about the significanceof simplicity, white space, hierarchy, and organization.In this workshop, we'll review the ways in which the Beefree editor allows you to adjust email borders and padding. When you know how to fine-tune these elements, you canimprove your design quickly and efficiently, and without having to touch the HTML code!We will cover how to:

  • Add borders around any email structure (e.g., between rows or columns)
  • Add a border around an entire email
  • Change the color, width, and style of borders
  • Use and customize the divider feature
  • Adjust padding around any content element or structure (e.g., text blocks, images, buttons, etc.)

Email inspiration: Nike's Mother's Day gift promotion

This email from Nike (subject line:Gifts She'll Love on Mother's Day) uses light gray borders and plenty of white space (padding). As a result, the message is light, bright, and well-organized. Here's a snapshot of the first module:

email padding and borders

Let's get started!

To show you how to achieve the same effect, we recreated the email in the Beefree editor using a simple single column template—first, without borders or spacing adjustments.

email borders and padding

How to customize borders in Beefree

1. Add and adjust a border around any email structure.

In the Beefree editor, borders can be added to any email structure. That means any structure in the structure menu can have a borderadded along the top, bottom, right, and/or left sides.

email borders and padding

Our Nike email is made up of two single-column structures (the first structure element in the menu picturedabove). One contains the header (Nike logo and navigation menu) and one contains the body of the email (header text, text, and images). To add a border around either of these structures, we simply need to select it, then make adjustments in the border menu on the right.

email borders and padding

2. Fine-tune the width, color, and style of any border

The border menu will allow you to fine-tune the color, width, and style of a border. We selected the first structure in our email—the one with the logo and navigation menu—then set the border color to gray and began increasing the width...

email borders and padding

...Now, a border appears around the header, just like in the original email.

email borders and padding

Select the body structure and do the same thing, and now there is a border around each section.

email borders and padding

3. Add a border that goes around an entire email

What if we want just a border around the whole email? In the border menu, turn on more options using the slider in the upper right corner. Now, instead of adding a border justaround an entire structure, we can dictate which sides will be bordered: either the top, bottom, right, and/or left sides.

email borders and padding

To remove the divider between the first (header) structure and the second (body) structure, adjust the top and bottom borders of each one.First, select the header structure and, in the border menu, decrease the bottom border to 0px.

email borders and padding

Second, select the body structure and decrease the top border to 0px.

email borders and padding

With the horizontal borders between each structure removed, the email has a border around its entirety.

email borders and padding

4. Add a border (or divider) between rows

Instead of a border around the email, what if we simply want a horizontal line between the header structure and body? We can achieve this look in one of two ways. First, we can do the inverse of what we just did. We remove the top, right, and left borders from the first structure, but we keep the bottom border only. Then, we remove the borders fromthe second structure. Here's how it looks:

email borders and padding

A second way of achieving this look is to removeall borders and simply drag in adivider from the content menu.

email borders and padding

Once the divider is added to the email...

email borders and padding

...it too can be customized. You can change a divider's width, thickness, color, and style using the content menu to the right.

email borders and padding

How to customize padding in Beefree

Padding can be adjusted around any email structure or content element in the Beefree editor.This means you can increase or decreasethe padding along the top, bottom, right, and/or left sides of any text block, image, or button, or even an entire row or column.

1. Adjust the padding around a structure (like a row or column of content)

In the original Nike email, the images in the body of the email crowd against the right and left borders without any space between them.

email borders and padding

To achieve the same look in our email, adjust the padding of the body structure. Simply select it, then make adjustments in the padding menu on the right.

email borders and padding

As you can see, there is default padding around the structure. To eliminate padding along the right and left sides, turn on more options...

email borders and padding

...then decrease the right and left padding to 0px.

email borders and padding

Now, the images touch the borders along the sides, without padding in-between them.

email borders and padding

2. Adjust the padding around a specific piece of content (like a button, image, or text block)

Padding can be adjusted at the content level, too. This means we can select almost anything in the email—like the Nike logo, navigation text, header text, images, or button—and increase or decrease the padding around any of its sides. Designers have incredible control over the spacing of elements in any Beefree email.Simply select the item you want to adjust. Let's start with the Nike logo.

email borders and padding

Once it's highlighted, the same padding menu appears at the right. Turning on more options will allow you to add more padding to specific sides. In this case, increase padding to the top and bottom.

email borders and padding

Here's how the header looks now:

email borders and padding

As you have seen, adjusting the padding in Beefree is that simple. Try it on any element to create more space and breathability in your email.

Try it out and go Pro!

We hope you found this tutorial on borders and padding useful! If you're not already using Beefree, sign-up for a free account and have access to thousands templates and unbound design features.SaveSave

Email strategies you’ve likely heard of but haven’t implemented yet

While email marketing has come a long way and is changing faster than ever, there’s only so much you can do within 600x1,500 pixels. However, there are no limits to where your creativity can take you. 
Kruti Shah
Feb 5, 2025

How to Leverage Email Campaigns to Gather Sincere Product Reviews

What do customers think about your brand’s products? The best way to find out is to ask them directly, which you can do via strategic email campaigns. Keep reading to learn how!
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Jan 22, 2025

How Beefree is Helping Email Makers Scale Their Production

2024 was a banner year for email markers everywhere. From sleek newsletters to interactive promos, you flexed your creative muscle to new heights and did it with a level of speed and efficiency that made crafting award-worthy emails look easy. Let’s dive into the numbers, trends, and stories that made this year unforgettable for email makers like you.
Beefree team
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Email strategies you’ve likely heard of but haven’t implemented yet

While email marketing has come a long way and is changing faster than ever, there’s only so much you can do within 600x1,500 pixels. However, there are no limits to where your creativity can take you. 
Kruti Shah
Kruti Shah
5 Feb
2025

Now, let's be honest—you’ve likely heard about all of these rotating for the last few years. While email marketing has come a long way and is changing faster than ever, there’s only so much you can do within 600x1,500 pixels. However, there are no limits to where your creativity can take you. 

Let’s get into it.  

#1. Unique, tailored experiences 

Damian Grabarczyk, the co-founder and growth marketer of PetLab Co., says, “We faced the challenge of connecting meaningfully with an audience that expects more than one-size-fits-all communication.” 

When we speak about crafting tailored emails we mean going beyond the recipient's first name in the subject line. We’re talking about optimizing your entire email strategy to design multi-stage touchpoints to nurture leads across the customer lifecycle. As well as, leveraging data to send hyper-personalized, relevant, and engaging emails that feel less like a broadcast message and more like a conversation. 

Many are using AI machine learning algorithms and AI automation to analyze customer interactions, past purchases, browsing habits, website visits, and even social media behavior to curate engaging email content that resonates deeply with the real-time needs of recipients.

For PetLab Co this looked like including content such as an individual’s pet health history or product usage timelines. Damian Grabarzyk expands, “This approach transformed the conversion rate and strengthened customer loyalty. As we look ahead, I see brands in 2025 moving beyond generic personalization to adopt strategies that make customers feel truly understood and valued.”

On the other hand, many are leaning into user-generated content (UGC) for crafting tailored experiences. Customers today are more likely to trust the opinions of peers over branded messages. UGC like customer reviews, testimonials, videos, and photos are the best form of social proof depicting real people using and benefitting from your products or services. 

We see the benefits of using both AI and UGC to get the most out of your email conversions ;). 

#2. AI tools as an addition, not a substitution

Experts at NordPass state, "AI-powered content generation tools are not here to replace email copywriters and marketers. These tools make us more efficient. The smarter the tool is, the better equipped we are to create high-performing email content that drives results." 

AI tools can support us by significantly enhancing the speed, precision, and effectiveness of your emails. For instance while traditionally A/B testing has required a lot of time to analyze small variations with AI you quickly implement and test multiple email elements and make adjustments based on real-time engagement data. There are AI algorithms that can even predict which variations are most likely to resonate with different audience segments, leading to more accurate targeting and faster optimization.

In short, AI tools are revolutionizing the way we craft and optimize our email’s deliverability. There are many different types of AI solutions so we suggest finding the right one for your needs. 

#3. Even more transparency around data

With AI continuing to rise, folks are more and more concerned about where their data is going. That’s where zero-party data collection becomes a key strategy in email marketing, allowing you to gather data directly from customers rather than relying on third-party sources. 

Zero-party data includes information that consumers willingly share, such as preferences, interests, and purchase intentions. This data is often collected through surveys, preference centers, quizzes, or interactive content and is highly valuable because it is shared explicitly, ensuring accuracy and deeper personalization without privacy concerns associated with third-party tracking.

As privacy regulations tighten, zero-party data will empower you to deliver hyper-personalized email experiences while respecting user privacy. This approach will help you build trust, as customers feel more in control of their data, and you gain insights that lead to more relevant and engaging email content.

#4. The death of static emails

With attention span getting shorter day after day, digest-format emails are expected to rise in popularity in 2025. Presenting email content in an easy-to-scan, organized, and minimalistic layout will surely help deliver the most relevant information in a fraction of the time. 

Additionally, interactive emails will allow recipients to directly engage within the email without having to visit a landing page or website. Interactive elements like product carousels, polls, and quizzes create a dynamic experience that keeps subscribers engaged, especially in visually driven industries like fashion brands

So what now? 

You’ve heard these strategies before, but now it’s time to actually put them into action. The brands that win at email marketing in 2025 won’t just be sending emails—they’ll be creating experiences. Whether it’s hyper-personalized content, AI-driven efficiency, zero-party data collection, or interactive emails that break the mold, the key is to stay ahead of the curve.

So, what’s the first strategy you’ll finally implement? Your inbox (and your audience) are waiting.

How to Leverage Email Campaigns to Gather Sincere Product Reviews

What do customers think about your brand’s products? The best way to find out is to ask them directly, which you can do via strategic email campaigns. Keep reading to learn how!
Beefree team
Beefree team
22 Jan
2025

What do customers think about your brand’s products? The best way to find out is to ask them directly, which you can do via strategic email campaigns.

Email makes gathering authentic product reviews quick and easy. By collecting sincere feedback, you can build trust, increase sales, boost loyalty, and innovate product improvements. 

That said, requesting reviews via email requires precise timing, personalized messaging, and lots of engagement optimizations. But don’t worry—we’ll walk you through some key steps to create email campaigns that deliver the valuable feedback you need.

Why product reviews matter

Product reviews do more than confirm that you're meeting customers’ needs. Sincere feedback drives loyalty and sales, offers valuable customer insights, and helps you develop a strategic product development roadmap.

  • Fosters customer loyalty: Requesting and listening to feedback makes your customers feel valued and heard. It demonstrates that you prioritize customer satisfaction, which helps you build stronger, long-term relationships. Review requests also act as re-engagement emails by starting new conversations with customers.
  • Increases sales: Social proof drives sales. According to a recent survey by Power Reviews, 90% of potential customers use online reviews to make purchasing decisions. In fact, reviews have more influence over purchasing decisions than product prices. Turning product reviews into customer testimonials and encouraging reviews on third-party sites can significantly boost sales.
Image sourced from powerreviews.com
  • Builds Customer 360 insights: Customer feedback delivers insights into customer needs and sentiments, enriching Customer 360. Exactly what is Customer 360? It’s a unified, 360-degree view of customer data. It empowers you to tailor products and customer experiences to meet individual needs and preferences. 
  • Drives product improvements: Sincere customer feedback reveals what target customers like/dislike about your products. It provides key insight into their value, functionality, and usability, unlocking large-scale development opportunities.

How to create an email campaign to collect product reviews

Want to unlock the power of product reviews? Let’s explore how to create email campaigns that encourage customers to share their feedback.

Segment your audience

Like promotional emails, product review requests shouldn’t be sent to every subscriber.

If subscribers haven’t had the chance to try your product, product review requests will feel irrelevant and may trigger unsubscriptions. So, only send review email requests to customers recently trying your product.

You can do this by segmenting your email list based on where customers are in the buying cycle. Target loyal customers, recent purchasers, and first-time buyers with tailored email campaigns. This ensures that you’re sending emails to customers most likely to respond with insightful feedback.

Write a compelling email subject line

According to Superoffice, 33% of people open an email based on the subject line. 

Image sourced from superoffice.com

To get the click-through rates you want, your email subject lines should be personalized, relevant, and engaging. Here are some examples:

  • Did you love [product]? Or hate it? Let us know!
  • We value your opinion — help us improve!
  • We want YOU to help us make our product better!
  • Up for a discount? Share your feedback for 10% off! 

Learn more > Tips for writing open worthy subject lines.

Optimize for customer engagement

A successful email marketing strategy relies on customer engagement. Here are some key email elements you need to encourage interactions.

  • An attractive email design: With the right layout, color scheme, typography, and images, you ensure easy readability and promote interaction. Use these engagement-boosting email design best practices to help you create a design that boosts conversion rates.
  • Gratitude and value: Thank customers for reading the email and explaining why their feedback is so important. Also, consider including a personalized Gmail email signature with your content details to build trust and encourage customers to engage with your review request. 
  • Personalized, relevant content: Personalized email content motivates engagement. Use customer data platform (CDP) data to tailor messages to individual customers. What is a CDP? It’s a centralized platform that collects and unifies customer information, building comprehensive customer profiles. 
  • Incentives: Offering a small discount can motivate customers to leave reviews, especially first-time buyers. That said, incentives can (sometimes) generate insincere reviews, so stress the importance of honesty. 
  • A strong call-to-action (CTA): Your CTA should direct readers straight to the reviews submission page. Use clear CTAs with bold buttons and typography to make it stand out.
  • Mobile responsiveness: If your emails are slow to load or don’t display correctly on mobile devices, your bounce rate will spike. Leverage solutions that offer advanced mobile optimization features — such as Beefree— to create responsive emails every single time.

Ask specific, concise questions

Complex, drawn-out questions that are too open-ended can disengage customers. So, get straight to the point with concise, direct questions. Here are some examples:

  • What did you think of [specific product feature]?
  • How often do you use our product?
  • What are your favorite/least favorite features?
  • How likely are you to recommend this product?
  • What could we do to improve our product?

Use a mixture of closed and open-ended questions to increase your chances of receiving meaningful responses.

Make it easy to respond

The easier it is for customers to leave a review, the more responses you’ll receive. So, make the process as seamless and convenient as possible. One way to do this is with survey emails.

Email surveys have high response rates. They can be completed within the email with minimal effort, which is a big plus for busy customers. And, they can generate a wealth of quantitative data and metrics that are quick to analyze, leading to faster improvements. BeeFree has an extensive collection of email survey templates to suit every need.

For longer review requests, include a CTA that directly links to the review submission page. Review forms should use simple, clear language, be optimized for mobile, and have a progress bar. 

You could even provide your telephone contact details to allow customers to leave a review via telephone. It’s the preferred communication method for 55% of Baby Boomers according to Hubspot, so it’s worth considering. 

Leverage small business telephone services from Vonage to access call center capabilities like virtual receptionists and CRM integrations, streamlining processes.

Also consider directing customers to leave reviews on popular review sites, such as Google and Amazon.

Optimize email timings

If you send product review requests too early, there’s a chance your customers won’t have tried your product yet. But if you send them too late, your customer might have forgotten their experience. 

So, when’s the best time to request reviews? 

Aim to send review requests within 7-14 days post-purchase. This gives customers a chance to try the product a few times, leading to more sincere, meaningful reviews. Plan for seasonal surges such as Black Friday and incorporate them into your schedules.

Key takeaways

Do email campaigns work for gathering valuable product reviews that drive improvements, boost trust, and increase sales and loyalty? 

Absolutely — but they need to be strategic.

To generate sincere reviews and valuable data, ensure your marketing emails are personalized, engaging, and optimized for convenience. And, use email list segmentation and marketing automation to ensure they’re sent to the right customers at the right time.

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