Email Design & Personalization

Lesson 1

Compose a message with one clear purpose

Start with the action you want a reader to take. Add text for context, an image only when it helps explain the offer, and a button with a specific action such as View membership options. Use the block palette to add content or drag blocks into their intended order. Select a block to edit its settings; duplicate a useful block and use Undo when an experiment does not work.

A one-column message is usually easiest to scan. Two-column sections help compare two offers, but keep each column concise and check the mobile preview. Use spacer and divider blocks to establish separation instead of inserting many blank lines. Give the subject a clear purpose and use preview text to add information rather than repeating the subject.

Lesson 2

Images that survive email clients

Use Upload / select image to open the BU image library. Select an existing marketing asset or upload a PNG, JPEG or GIF up to 1 MB. WebP uploads are converted to PNG because older Outlook versions do not consistently support WebP. If conversion produces a file over the limit, resize the image or export a JPEG. The library is BU scoped, but an image included in an email has a public URL, so upload marketing assets rather than private documents.

Set a meaningful description, a width that fits its column, and a deliberate alignment. Avoid putting the only explanation or call to action inside an image: many recipients initially block image downloads. The visual builder uses table layouts, fixed image-width attributes and inline styles for Outlook compatibility. A browser preview still cannot reproduce every email-client version, so test the actual message in your target clients.

Lesson 3

Personalization should remain readable when data is missing

Choose a personalization audience in Email settings. Insert personalization lists the available fields by object, including the related objects made available by the audience. Use a fallback such as Customer for a first name, so a missing optional value does not produce an awkward empty greeting. Subject and text content can use the same field syntax.

Preview starts with the first matching audience record; use the subscriber selector to inspect another eligible subscriber. Check that the selected related deal or company makes sense in the message. A fallback is not a substitute for validating mandatory data. Avoid placing unreviewed record values in links; use the CTA destination setting for links and the supported personalization controls for content. The preview and server renderer remove unsafe HTML and escape inserted record values.

Lesson 4

Preview, test, approve

The live preview updates as content changes. Switch between desktop and mobile to inspect text wrapping, image size and the relationship between columns. Review your subject, preview text, button destinations, fallback values and the unsubscribe footer. Save before testing. Enter an address you control. A preview-only test uses PREVIEW-ONLY coupon text; to test a real code, select an offer and enable Assign a real coupon in the test dialog. Your address must be an eligible Contact in the selected audience. Real test codes are reserved for that address and can be redeemed. Test messages remain excluded from campaign analytics and flow engagement decisions. In the editor preview, choose an active subscriber from the email audience to see that person’s field values and any coupon already assigned to them. An unassigned subscriber shows PREVIEW-ONLY; the preview never reserves a code.

The Generated HTML view formats design blocks as readable, read-only source. Authored HTML and Content snippets have line numbers and a Format source action. Use the minus and plus controls to change source text size from 12 to 24 px, Reset to return to 14 px, and Expand or Collapse to adjust the editor height. These viewing controls do not change the saved HTML or the email design. You can also drag the editor’s lower edge to resize it. The same source controls are available for preference-page HTML. Content snippets are fragments without html, head or body tags. The HTML mode accepts your own email markup, but it cannot convert every web-page layout into a reliable Outlook email. Use Track campaign URLs (UTM) to decide whether the selected campaign appends UTM tags to eligible sent links; click tracking remains a separate per-link option. Prefer tables and inline styles, and test custom HTML in the clients your customers use. Mark an email Ready only after reviewing it. Active flows retain their approved email version, so a later edit does not silently alter a message already scheduled in that flow.

Lesson 5

Choose Design or HTML and control campaign tags

Start a Design email to assemble blocks. Generated HTML shows the read-only markup produced by those blocks; return to Design to make changes. Start a separate HTML email when you need to author the markup yourself. It cannot be opened in Design because the block editor cannot safely reconstruct a custom document. Both kinds have a live preview.

Insert personalization opens a field picker grouped by your selected audience; a custom field token is available for a field you know is present. Add a fallback when the value can be blank. Each button and text link has separate Track clicks and Append campaign UTM tags controls. UTM tags use the campaign chosen in the Send Flow and are appended only if the email-wide Track campaign URLs (UTM) switch is on. Click tracking measures a redirect; an untracked link can still receive campaign UTM tags without creating a SupaChrome click event. Review destination URLs in a test send before activation.

Lesson 6

Control block spacing, conditions and versions

The visual builder groups blocks in one- or two-column sections. Set top, right, bottom and left padding independently. The block background fills this padded area; outer spacing sits beyond it. A section can supply a shared color to its child blocks. Use Show this block when for an exact recipient-field value or a nonempty field; preview with an eligible subscriber and send a test before marking Ready. The generated HTML is read-only, while a separate HTML email supports direct source editing. Every save creates a version; use Version history to load older content into a new unsaved draft, then save again.

Lesson 7

Review responsive rows and button styling

A visual email row can contain two or three columns. By default, each column stacks at mobile widths; switch off stacking only when the message remains readable on a narrow screen. You can hide a block on mobile and set line height, font size, button padding, and image or button corner radius. Preview both desktop and mobile, then send a test to a real inbox. Email clients handle responsive styles differently, so check the actual result before activation. A block background should fill its padded area, while outer spacing uses the surrounding section color. Use a small number of clear sections to keep the email scannable. Keep text in the HTML rather than flattening a message into one image so recipients can read it when images are blocked.

Lesson 8

Choose each email’s footer and social links

Email settings lets you show or remove the automatic physical mailing address, unsubscribe link and preference link separately. Before marking an email Ready, place {{MailingAddress}} in the content if you removed its automatic address, and place a working {{UnsubscribeURL}} or {{PreferenceCenterURL}} link if you removed both automatic subscription links. Use a real business mailing address in Pages → Mailing address. Buttons and linked text can point to these secure subscriber URLs. A recipient’s global unsubscribe always suppresses future marketing sends, even when you customize the footer. Social link blocks detect known networks from public HTTPS destinations and include their icons automatically; an unknown site remains a labeled link. Preview the design and send a test to a mailbox you control. An unused email can be deleted from Emails; referenced or sent emails retain their history and cannot be removed.

Lesson 9

Validate the actual recipient preview

Use the live preview at desktop, tablet and mobile widths, with the dark-mode approximation as a visual check. Choose a sample or a real Contact to resolve personalization. Review validation for empty links, missing image alt text, unsupported HTML and missing fallbacks, then inspect generated HTML and the link list. The link check validates syntax and structure; it does not prove that an external site remains reachable. Send a test to an inbox you control and verify its real email-client rendering before marking Ready. A subscription category is assigned to newly saved emails and is enforced at send time.

Lesson 10

Set row widths without changing old designs

The Design editor supports one-column sections and two-, three- or four-column rows. Set each column width as a percentage; changing one adjusts its neighbour so the total stays 100%. A column gap uses the same row background, and mobile stacking remains on by default. New button containers start without extra padding around the button; add spacing deliberately in Block appearance. Saved two- and three-column emails retain their prior HTML layout. Preview at phone width and send a test: Outlook and other email clients may interpret width hints differently.

Lesson 11

Navigate and reuse email blocks

In Design, the Email structure list shows the nested sections, columns and content blocks. Select a row to jump to its editable settings. Use Save reusable block on a content block or section, give it a clear name, and insert an editable copy into another email in the same business unit. Each copied block receives new identifiers, so link tracking and later edits remain separate. Deleting the saved reusable block removes it from the picker while emails that already contain a copy keep their layout. Save the email after insertion and test the result in a real inbox, especially if the saved section contains links or personalized fields. Access to the saved block library follows Email view and manage permissions.

Lesson 12

Tune mobile email spacing

Open Mobile appearance within a visual block to override its padding on each side, text size or alignment for narrow screens. Buttons can fill the mobile width. Blank values keep the desktop style, and the preview switches between desktop, tablet and mobile without changing the saved content. Email apps vary in their support for media queries, so send a test to the devices and mail apps your customers use before marking the email Ready. Compare the delivered result with the preview; desktop-only styling may still appear in a mail client that does not support media queries.

Lesson 13

Save and reuse a complete email design

Choose Save as template in an email editor to store its current visual blocks or HTML source as a private design for your business unit. In Emails, choose Use beside a saved design to create a separate Draft. Give that draft a new name, choose its personalization audience, subscription category and any coupon offer, then verify its links and send a test. Changing or deleting the saved design does not change emails already made from it. Deleting a design requires typing its name and is recorded in the audit log.

Lesson 14

Keep email drafts safe while editing

A Draft saves automatically after five seconds without changes once its name and subject are filled in. The saved state appears beside the email name; if a save fails, read the error and choose Retry save. Every successful save creates a version in the same business unit, so Version history can load an earlier design. Ready emails do not save automatically: choose Save email after reviewing changes so an active flow does not pick up unfinished edits. Test sends stay unavailable while a save is running or changes remain unsaved.

Lesson 15

Copy an email for a new campaign

Choose Copy on an email card to create a separate Draft with the same subject, source and design. The copy starts without its original audience, coupon offer or subscription category; select the right audience and topic for the new campaign. Its versions and send history are independent. Edit links and personalization, preview as a matching contact, test send, then mark Ready. Copying is available to people who can manage Emails and stays within their business unit.

Lesson 16

Resize columns in a visual email

Add a Two-to-four-column row or use the Four-column row tile in the Layout palette. In the row settings, drag a width slider or enter a percentage; SupaChrome takes the difference from the adjacent column so widths always total 100%. Set a gap and leave Stack on mobile enabled for a readable phone layout. Each column holds its own editable blocks. Preview on desktop and mobile, then send a test to check your recipient email apps before setting the message Ready.

Lesson 17

Set the whole email canvas

In Audience & delivery settings, choose the outer email background, content background, content width, spacing outside the content, default font and default text color. These are saved with each email version and used for previews and delivered HTML. A colored content background fills the entire shell behind its blocks; set outer spacing to zero when you want no border around it. Individual blocks can override the defaults. Keep the width moderate and preview on mobile, then send a test because email clients may render CSS differently.

Lesson 18

Style each email column and mobile spacing

Select a two- to four-column row in the Email builder. Set each column background and padding separately; its nested blocks inherit that column color. Mobile appearance lets you override each side of the padding and outer spacing. Preview desktop and mobile, then send a test email to an address you control. Some mail clients ignore mobile media queries, so check the received message in the apps your audience uses. A column color fills its own padded area; outer spacing remains outside that colored area. If the design looks uneven, check the row background and spacing on each nested block before sending.