Optimizing email templates for deliverability is crucial for ensuring your emails land in your subscribers’ inboxes rather than their spam folders. While crafting a great email is important, it won’t matter if no one ever sees it. Deliverability focuses on improving your email’s chances of successfully reaching the intended recipient.
HubSpot provides a range of tools to help you create templates that enhance deliverability. In this guide, we’ll walk through practical steps to ensure your emails are optimized for inbox success.
Step 1: Use a Recognizable Sender Name and Email Address
The sender’s name and email address are the first things your recipient sees. These should be clear, recognizable, and consistent. Avoid using generic email addresses like “[email protected]” as these can come across as impersonal and may trigger spam filters.
Instead, use a name that recipients will recognize, such as your company name or a familiar team member. For example:
- Good:
[email protected]or[email protected] - Not ideal:
[email protected]
Having a consistent sender name and address builds trust with your subscribers, making it less likely that your email will be marked as spam.
Step 2: Craft a Clear and Engaging Subject Line
Your subject line plays a critical role in deliverability. Spam filters analyze the subject line for spammy words or overly promotional language. To improve deliverability, keep your subject lines simple, clear, and relevant.
Avoid using all caps, excessive punctuation, or spammy phrases like “Free,” “Act Now,” or “Limited Time Offer.” HubSpot’s email tool can help you test subject lines to make sure they’re appropriate and won’t trigger spam filters.
An engaging, clear subject line improves both deliverability and open rates. Here are some tips:
- Keep it short (ideally under 50 characters)
- Make it relevant to the email content
- Avoid spammy keywords
Step 3: Use a Mobile-Friendly Email Design
Many of your subscribers will open emails on their phones. Having a mobile-friendly email template is essential for both deliverability and user experience. If an email isn’t optimized for mobile, recipients may delete it without reading, which can affect engagement metrics and trigger deliverability issues.
HubSpot’s email editor allows you to create responsive email templates that adjust to different screen sizes. A mobile-optimized email should:
- Use a single-column layout
- Include larger fonts (14pt or more)
- Ensure buttons are large enough to tap
- Avoid using images that are too wide or require horizontal scrolling
By creating a template that works well on all devices, you increase the likelihood that subscribers will engage with your email, which in turn helps with deliverability.
Step 4: Balance Images and Text
Emails with too many images or too much text can raise red flags for spam filters. It’s important to maintain a good balance between images and text. A recommended ratio is around 60% text and 40% images.
Here are some guidelines for balancing images and text:
- Avoid emails that are one large image with little or no text
- Use descriptive text for key messages, and support it with images
- Ensure that your text explains the content of the email even if images aren’t displayed (some email providers block images by default)
When you use images, make sure to add descriptive “alt text” to each one. Alt text is the description that appears when images are blocked or fail to load. By including meaningful alt text, you ensure that your message gets across even if the images don’t show.
Step 5: Avoid Large Attachments and Embedded Forms
Sending large attachments or embedding forms directly into your email can trigger spam filters. Many email service providers block emails with large attachments or automatically flag them as suspicious.
Instead of embedding forms or attaching files, consider linking to the content on your website or landing page. HubSpot makes it easy to add links that direct recipients to fill out forms or download files from a secure location.
Keeping the email’s file size small helps with faster loading times and improves the chances of your email being delivered successfully.
Step 6: Use Proper HTML Structure
If you’re coding your own email template, make sure the HTML is clean, simple, and properly structured. Many email providers have strict rules for HTML emails, and poorly coded templates can result in deliverability issues.
Here are a few tips for proper HTML structure:
- Avoid complex or nested tables
- Ensure the HTML is mobile-responsive
- Test your email on multiple devices and email providers
- Don’t rely heavily on external CSS (many email clients don’t support it)
Using HubSpot’s built-in email templates can help ensure your email is coded correctly, as their templates are designed to work across multiple email providers.
Step 7: Keep the Message Simple and Relevant
Overloading your email with too much information, promotional language, or unclear calls to action (CTAs) can hurt both engagement and deliverability. Keep your message focused on one main point, and make sure the CTA is clear and easy to find.
Here’s how to create a simple and relevant message:
- Focus on one goal per email (e.g., a product announcement or event invitation)
- Use concise and clear language
- Include a single, clear CTA
- Make sure the content aligns with what the subscriber signed up for
Emails that are simple, relevant, and aligned with the subscriber’s expectations are more likely to be opened and less likely to be marked as spam.
Step 8: Ensure CAN-SPAM Compliance
Following the CAN-SPAM Act is not only a legal requirement but also helps improve deliverability. HubSpot makes it easy to comply with CAN-SPAM by providing options to include an unsubscribe link in every email and an email footer with your physical business address.
Here’s a quick checklist to ensure compliance:
- Include a visible unsubscribe link
- Provide your physical mailing address in the footer
- Avoid misleading or deceptive subject lines
- Make sure your “From” address is accurate
By following these guidelines, you reduce the risk of your emails being flagged as spam and improve deliverability.
Step 9: Personalize Your Emails
Personalization improves engagement, which in turn improves deliverability. When subscribers interact with your emails by opening them or clicking links, it signals to email providers that your content is relevant and wanted.
HubSpot’s email tool allows you to easily personalize emails using contact properties such as first name, location, or past purchases. By addressing the recipient directly and tailoring content to their preferences, you increase the likelihood that they’ll engage with the email.
Simple personalization tactics include:
- Adding the recipient’s name in the subject line or greeting
- Sending tailored content based on their preferences or past behavior
- Segmenting your email list to target specific groups
Personalization makes your emails more relevant to the recipient, which can significantly improve your email’s success.
Step 10: Test Your Emails Before Sending
Before sending any email, it’s important to test it. HubSpot provides tools to preview your email on different devices and check for issues that might affect deliverability. You can also send test emails to yourself or colleagues to ensure everything looks and functions properly.
Here are some things to check before sending:
- Does the email look good on both desktop and mobile?
- Are all the links working?
- Is the CTA clear and easy to click?
- Does the email load quickly?
Testing your email before sending helps catch any issues that could negatively impact deliverability or user experience.
Step 11: Use HubSpot’s Email Health Tools
HubSpot offers tools to monitor your email health, which is key to maintaining high deliverability. These tools allow you to track metrics like bounce rates, open rates, and click-through rates. By regularly checking these stats, you can identify potential problems and address them before they affect your deliverability.
For example, if you notice an increase in bounce rates, it could indicate that your email list contains outdated or invalid addresses. HubSpot makes it easy to clean up your email list by identifying and removing problematic contacts.
Regularly reviewing your email health ensures that your emails continue to reach your audience successfully.
Step 12: Send Emails at Optimal Times
Timing can play a role in email deliverability. Sending emails when your audience is most active can increase engagement and improve deliverability rates. HubSpot’s email scheduling tool allows you to send emails at the optimal time based on your audience’s behavior.
To find the best time to send your emails, review your past campaign performance and identify when your subscribers are most likely to open and click on your emails.
By sending emails when your subscribers are more likely to engage, you improve the chances of positive interactions, which boosts deliverability.
Step 13: Monitor Spam Complaints
One of the main factors affecting deliverability is spam complaints. If too many people mark your emails as spam, it can damage your sender reputation and prevent future emails from reaching the inbox.
HubSpot tracks spam complaints and provides insights into how many subscribers have marked your emails as spam. If you notice a spike in spam complaints, it’s important to review your email content and list to identify any issues.
To reduce the risk of spam complaints:
- Only send emails to subscribers who have opted in
- Avoid using overly promotional language or misleading subject lines
- Make it easy for subscribers to unsubscribe if they no longer want to hear from you
By keeping an eye on spam complaints, you can address any issues before they harm your deliverability.
Conclusion
Optimizing email templates for deliverability is essential to ensure that your messages reach your audience’s inbox. By following these steps, including using a recognizable sender name, crafting a clear subject line, maintaining a mobile-friendly design, and keeping your content relevant, you’ll improve the chances of successful delivery. Monitoring key metrics and regularly testing your emails will help keep your campaigns effective and your email list healthy.