Roundup list emails are a fun and dynamic way to present content. Your roundup email might list top blog posts or most popular products, walk readers through a step-by-step process or timeline, show social media shares or comments from brand loyalists, or organize pretty much any kind of list you can imagine. The use of numbers in roundup emails helps keep readers’ eyes moving down the page, and the layout can vary in plenty of dynamic and engaging ways. These emails are fun to build! Let’s get inspired by checking out these creative roundup emails.
01. The Cluster
Editorialist
Subject: Stefania Allen & Kate Davidson Hudson's Top Mother's Day PicksWhoever said lists needed to flow straight down a page? The Editorialist uses a cluster approach to give a sense of movement to its design. The white space and font choice also gives the design a more polished look, like a magazine spread. Keeping each module compact, and minimizing text descriptions, makes this email easy to scan.
Splendid Spoon
Subject: Isaac’s Splendid List, Vol. 6Here’s another fun cluster from the Splendid Spoon. We love this asymmetrical, collaged look. This is a bit more playful than the Editorialist’s email, and it also comes with a plain-text legend beneath the image cluster. This is a great way to balance out your design and make it even more mobile-friendly.
02. The Timeline
Harry’s
Subject: Thank you for 5 fantastic yearsWe haven’t seen an email quite like this one from Harry’s! In celebration of the company’s five-year anniversary, this roundup email chronicles the brand’s milestones through the year. They even—laughably—include a few flubs, like the time they accidentally sent their welcome email to every one of their subscribers in 2015. It’s always great when an organization can laugh at itself! While this email is a series of images, the BEE editor allows you to add plain text atop images in your timeline, or to use a two-column design to arrange images next to text blocks.
Loft
Subject: Your Mon-Fri outfit ideasIn a different sort of “timeline,” Loft uses a roundup email to showcase products for every day of the week. Once the artwork is prepped (just look at those gorgeous product photos!), this email is easy to assemble in a single-column layout with plenty of white space. Those ghost buttons are a little easy to miss, though. Wouldn’t it be fun if they were a little more playful? Maybe simply “Shop Monday” or “Try out Tuesday” instead of “Shop Now” for every module.
03. The Animated How-To
Homesense
Subject: How-To exclusive! Expert blogger tips inside.Look how much fun Homesense had with this animated how-to email! It’s more of a 1-2-3 process than a roundup, but it was too clever not to include here. We often advocate for simple emails with straightforward calls-to-action—emails that aren’t websites—but sometimes you gotta put some longer, snazzier content right in your email. Whatever you do, test! See how readers respond to both short and long emails.
04. The Z-Pattern
Topic
Subject: 5 of our favorite storiesTopic’s welcome email is a beauty to behold. The peachy HTML background color and well-styled plain type make us swoon. Plus, we had to show you how the roundup section is so balanced and nicely laid out. Z-patterns—alternating the left or right-alignment of images and text—work really well for lists that include images. Just make sure images are the same size and the amount of text you use in each block is similar.
05. Block by Block
Artifact Uprising
Subject: Need a theme for your next photo book?Check out the airy, ethereal look of this list from Artifact Uprising. We rarely see a three-column layout like this, but because of the design simplicity, it works. While each row here is an image, you could create the same responsive effect by using a three-column structure with plain text on either side of the middle image. Plus, each row is buffered by ample padding, giving this roundup a sleek, bright vibe.
Blue Mercury
Subject: The April Hotlist is here!Another way to separate content blocks in a list or roundup is by alternating the HTML background colors of each block, as Blue Mercury did here. By positioning images in a different spot in each module, this email feels extra playful and fun.
Want to build your own roundup email? Try a free BEE Pro trial. No HTML knowledge is required to create any dynamic, quirky email, and whatever you build, it will be mobile responsive!
