Email Design Non-Negotiables

Hey it’s Max from The Inbox Newsletter.

I’ve sent over 1 billion ecommerce emails. When it comes to design specifically, you tend to notice what’s actually best practice and what’s bringing in the most amount of clicks and revenue.

Which is why today I want to give you 7 non-negotiables for designing your emails so that you can start getting more out of each one you send out.

Let’s get into it!

1) CTA Buttons Above The Fold

The most important design rule on this whole list is making sure you have a button above the fold on every single send.

The above the fold section is everything the subscriber sees before they have to scroll, which means it’s the only part of the email every single opener is guaranteed to lay eyes on.

So if your button isn’t up there, you’re banking on the subscriber scrolling to find it… and a solid chunk of them just won’t.

Every email needs a clear, clickable button in the hero section so the click is handed to the subscriber the moment they open.

2) Every Product Gets It’s Own Button

The biggest product section mistake I see is brands showing multiple products with one general “Shop Now” button at the bottom.

Which is a shame because every product you’re featuring needs its own dedicated button underneath it… subscribers don’t assume the product image is clickable, and the ones who were interested in a specific SKU just bounce when they can’t find a clear way to shop it.

That’s why single product gets its own “Shop Now” button. No exceptions.

3) End Every Email With A “Shop All” CTA

Your product buttons are doing a lot of the work, but they’re only catching the subscribers who were already sold on one of the specific products you featured.

The ones who weren’t… they still opened the email and scrolled all the way down, which means they’re warm. They just need another way in.

Right before the footer, drop a “Shop All” or “Browse More” button to catch everyone who didn’t vibe with the featured products.

That one extra button pulls a solid chunk of extra clicks you’d otherwise be leaving on the table.

4) Infographics Over Walls Of Copy

It’s 2026… attention spans are cooked and nobody’s opening your email ready to read an essay.

So the second a subscriber hits a dense block of copy in your email, they’re closing it out and moving on.

Every time you catch yourself writing more than 2-3 lines of copy in a row, that’s your signal to convert it into an infographic instead.

Before and afters, feature breakdowns, us vs. them charts, stat blocks, step-by-step visuals… these all crush because they deliver the same information in a format subscribers will actually consume.

For us the rule is simple: if it can be an infographic, it should be.

5) Keep The Background Behind Hero Text Clean

Your headline should be effortless to read. The second a subscriber has to work to make out the words, you’ve added friction they weren’t willing to push through.

Which means absolutely no faces, no busy product shots, no detailed scenery behind the text in your hero section.

If your hero image is too busy, use an AI image extender to add clean space at the top where your text sits, or drop a dark gradient fill over the top portion of the image so the copy pops.

Small fix, massive difference in readability.

6) Mix Up Your Hero Layouts

Defaulting to the same headline + body + button layout on every email is one of the fastest ways to make your calendar feel templated… and a templated calendar is a calendar subscribers stop opening.

Mix up what the hero is doing on different sends. Photo galleries instead of one hero image, testimonials stacked above the headline, infographics replacing the product shot, bold headline leading with the image underneath… the list goes on.

For us the standard is making sure no two hero sections in a row look structurally the same.

7) Category Buttons In Every Footer

The footer is the one section that stays the same across every send, which means every optimization you make here compounds across every campaign and flow for the entire lifetime of the account.

And the single highest-leverage footer add is category buttons… something like “Shop Skincare / Shop Body / Shop Hair” depending on the brand’s main categories.

Subscribers who didn’t connect with the products you featured will scroll straight to the bottom looking for another way in, and category buttons give them exactly that.

Almost nobody does it and we always do.

Making sure you have your email design nailed is incredibly important for clicks, long term list engagement, and branding.

So make sure you follow this list and send it to your team.

BTW, I share insights like this every single day in my private community which you can find here.

Email Inspiration Of The Day

Brand:
IM8

Email Design:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/15BI3u_ClrIhJedRtU0yloRBjFl9bH799/view?usp=drive_link

Notes:
Perfect example of an infographic-based email. Does the job of killing the wall of copy while still getting the full message across!

Reply to this email if you have any questions or further content you want covered.

Cheers,

Max Sturtevant | Well Copy

P.S
Here’s how I can help you further…

• Email Marketing Mastery Course/Community:
  A full 30+ module email course that comes with weekly calls with me, 250+ editable email templates, and a community for daily Q&A from myself and other members. Learn More Here »

• Work With My Agency:
  At Well Copy, we’ve done $250M in email sales across 300+ brands in the past 2 years. We’re the best in the game at managing email. Book A Call Here »

• Free Resources:
  10+ free guides and resources for you to learn email marketing for free from my content. Access Resources Here »

• Join My Team: 
  We’re always hiring for skilled email/retention account managers, strategists, copywriters, designers, and more. Apply To Join Our Team Here »