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Tutorial: How to Create a Color Blocking Email

Beefree team
Beefree team
May 22, 2018
Tutorial: How to Create a Color Blocking Email
Tutorial: How to Create a Color Blocking Email

We recently celebrated all things color in email. One style we totally love (and see a lot) is color blocking, where about half an email has a bold background color and the other half is white. This is a simple technique that goes a long way in inboxes. In this tutorial, we’ll show you how to build a color blocking email of your own in a few easy steps. We’ll also explore how to:

  • Add multiple HTML background colors within an email
  • Establish multiple columns
  • Format text (color, size, line height, links etc.)
  • Polish an email by fine-tuning spacing and padding

Inspiration: Offscreen Dispatch

Offscreen is a print magazine and a weekly newsletter “with a thoughtful, human-centred take on technology and the web.” Its newsletter is called Offscreen Dispatch, and we’ve long admired its simple, distinct design. Offscreen uses the same color blocking technique in every email, and the really pretty effect makes the email look like it’s a page in a magazine. The top portion—where web designer Kai Brach writes a note to subscribers—is always pink. The rest of the email is always white. Check it out:

Offscreen dispatch color blocking email

There’s nothing particularly fancy here—no art or photography—but the dynamic layout, well-formatted text, and color blocked design brings this email together.The design is easy to pull off, too, and requires no coding in the BEE editor. Let’s dive in! Open the BEE editor and follow the steps below.

Step 1: Build the structure

Open up the BEE editor on our website (https://beefree.io/) or from your BEE Pro account and start with a basic blank one-column template.Before we start dragging in structure elements, let’s take a minute to examine the Offscreen Dispatch email and identify the layout components. Here’s a marked-up version:

Offscreen Dispatch color blocking email

The email alternates between one-column and two-column structures, which is easy to assemble in BEE.Drag over the corresponding row formations from the Row menu on the right. We’ll need the top two options for this email:

color blocking email

Here’s how our email looks with the row structures in place:

color blocking email

Step 2: Arrange content blocks with text/images

Now that we’ve got the bones of our email assembled, drag over content blocks that correspond with the content type—text and/or image—we want in each section. Then, paste the text and drag in the images.Here’s a 1-2-3 on how to get your content situated. Starting with the first row—the header—here’s how:(1) Pull in a two-column structure:

color blocking email

(2) Add text blocks on the left; an image content block on the right:

color blocking email

(3) Drop in your text and image:

color blocking email

Let’s go through each row to arrange the content.Here’s our email with the remaining content blocks in place:

color blocking email

Now, we’ll finish adding text:

color blocking email

Voilà! Next, let’s format.

Step 3: Format the background colors

Now for the fun part. Watch how easy it is to create the color blocking effect.First, to match the exact shade of pale pink from Offscreen Dispatch’s email, we used HTML-Color-Codes.info to ID the color from the image in the header.

color blocking email

HTML Color Codes identifies the hex code as #F5BBA2. To make the first row the right color, we will:

  1. Select the row
  2. Navigate to Row Background Color in the menu on the right
  3. Paste in the color code (or select manually)
color blocking email

Seamless edge-to-edge color! Now let’s complete the pink color block. We’ll simply select the following row and do the same thing again.

color blocking email

Now, our email is color blocked. Yes, it’s that easy.

Step 4: Format the text

Let’s finalize this email design with some formatting touches. We’ll begin with text.

Choose a default font for the email

Instead of going through each individual content block to choose your email’s font, navigate to the Settings menu on the right and select the font you’d like to use for the entire email.

color blocking email

After that, you can change the header font or select the sections you’d like.

Adjust font sizes

Tap any text block and use the drop-down menu to fine-tune the font size.

color blocking email

Customize text colors

Use that same menu to choose the colors you prefer. Again, use the same matched color code to get the precise shade that’s needed.

color blocking email

Format the link style

Don’t forget links! In the same Settings menu where you chose the default body font, you can also format the link style. In this case, we’ll choose black.

color blocking email

As you add links to your email, make sure the “Underline Link” box is checked. (It’s even an email accessibility best practice!)

color blocking email

Line height

Make sure your body text has room to breathe. For any content blockthat you edit, adjust the text's line height.

color blocking email

Tip: duplicate row

If you spent a lot of time formatting text in a particular row, you can simply duplicate it, instead of manually making the same adjustments in another row.Tap the row you want to copy. Then, click the double-box image all the way on the right.

color blocking email

Your row will be copied! Then, simply drag it and grab the directional icon on the left, to place the new row in the email.

color blocking email

Step 5: Adjust the padding

Last step! And it’s an important one. Before you finish the email, take a close look at the spacing between your content blocks. If there are still too many gaps—or not enough breathing room anywhere else—it’s very easy to make adjustments.For example, there’s still a gap between “Offscreen” and “Dispatch” in the header of our email draft. To tighten it up, tap on either content block, scroll down to Block Options in the menu on the right, and make sure “More options” is turned on under Padding. Then, you can decrease (or increase) the padding on any side in any piece of content.

color blocking email

Pretty neat right? Make sure to check out our tutorial on all things padding and spacing.

Step 6: Preview the finished color blocking email!

Ok—one last,last step. As you design any email, preview it along the way to make sure you like how it appears on both desktop and mobile. Here’s a peek at how ours is shaping up:

color blocking email

Have you used these techniques in the BEE editor? Let us know!

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!
Beefree team
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
Jan 6, 2025

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.

Stay informed on all email trends

From the latest creative design strategies that inspire your next campaign to industry best practices and tech advancements, our newsletter is the go-to for all things creation.

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