The Goal: Build newsletters and mass marketing emails in the Email Designer that follow deliverability best practices, so your messages reach the inbox instead of being rejected or flagged as spam.
Before You Begin:
- Have your draft newsletter or marketing email open in the Email Designer (Go to Marketing & Communication, Communication section, click Email Designer).
- Know your final content — the links, images, and attachments you intend to include — so you can check it against the limits below.
Step-by-Step: Deliverability Guidelines
A few suggestions that may help with email deliverability in your future marketing emails and newsletters:
- Keep links and objects under 150. The 150 number for objects is a standard cap in the email marketing world, which is why our vendor is set to this amount. Many email servers will automatically reject emails that contain too many links or objects — less than 150 is the guideline.
- Do not include file attachments. Many email servers will automatically reject emails that contain file attachments of any kind.
- Limit the number of images. Too many images can also cause email servers to reject the message.
- Keep the overall length under 2000 pixels. The overall size of the marketing email should not exceed 2000 pixels in length. In the screenshot below, the orange border around the example Enewsletter shows a design that stays within the 2000-pixel limit.
Screenshot: https://www.screencast.com/t/t05swNYP10N (you will need to click on the screenshot a couple of times to zoom in) - Avoid URL shortening services. Links that use a URL shortening program or service such as Bit.ly can be used to mask the destination URL. Spammers use these to redirect recipients to a malicious site or link, so legitimate use of them can still hurt your deliverability.
Common Pitfalls
- Packing in too many links or images: Crossing the 150-object guideline or stacking too many images is one of the fastest ways to get rejected by receiving mail servers. Trim before you send.
- Relying on link shorteners: Even well-intentioned use of services like Bit.ly looks like spammer behavior to filters. Use full, branded URLs instead.