Most People Think Good Email Design Is About Making Pretty Emails. They're Wrong.

Hey it's Max from The Inbox Newsletter.

There's a difference between a "pretty" email and an email that makes money.

We've run A/B tests where one design made 3x more revenue than the other.

The winning design wasn't more beautiful, but it was more optimized.

Most brands obsess over aesthetics and ignore the fundamentals that actually drive clicks. Beautiful layouts mean nothing if customers bounce without clicking.

Here's what actually matters in email design.

Key Takeaways:

• "Pretty" design doesn't equal revenue - conversion-based design does

• The 3 keys: Ease of Click, Skimmability, Branding

• Hero section gets 75% of attention - optimize above the fold

• Centered buttons outperform left-aligned buttons (we tested it)

• Minimal copy and clear sections make emails skimmable in 3 seconds

Why Email Design Actually Matters

Most brands treat email design as an afterthought. Most brands use basic templates that look like every other brand in their niche.

But email design is much more than an afterthought. Here’s why it matters

Differentiation: Templatized designs make you forgettable. New brands are launching every day. If your emails look like everyone else's, customers won't remember you.

Engagement: Great design gets customers "addicted" to opening your emails. It associates positive experiences with your brand. Sending the same boring layouts over and over leads to churn.

Deliverability: More engagement = better deliverability. Every open and click earns trust with Gmail, Yahoo, etc. Better inbox placement = more revenue.

Authority: People judge books by their covers. Would you trust someone in a suit or someone in dirty clothes? Your email design is your suit. Mediocre design decreases perceived brand value.

The 3 Keys to Great Email Design

Forget everything you think you know about making emails "beautiful." These three principles drive clicks and revenue.

1. Ease of Click

Customers open emails in zombie mode. Any friction in clicking leads to churn.

You need to hand the click to them on a silver platter.

Put a button above the fold. The "above the fold" section is what customers see without scrolling. Not everyone scrolls. If they can't click without scrolling, you lose them.

Make buttons large. An iPhone screen is 2.75 inches. Larger buttons = more surface area = easier clicks. This has a massive impact on conversions.

Use clear CTAs. Your buttons should be the easiest thing to see in the email. Use contrasting colors. Avoid distracting backgrounds. Make it impossible to miss.

Center your buttons. Most people hold their phone in their right hand. Left-aligned buttons force them to stretch their thumb across the screen (more friction). We tested this. Centered buttons won.

2. Skimmability

Nobody is sitting at their desk reading your emails word-for-word.

They're checking emails while walking to the bathroom, during a quick break, or waiting in line.

You have 2-4 seconds to get your point across. Optimize for the skim, not the read.

Keep it simple. Complex designs overwhelm customers and distract from the goal: getting them to click. Strip out unnecessary elements.

Use clear sections. The human brain likes organized information. Make it obvious where one section ends and another begins. Customers should be able to identify 2-3 sections instantly and skim with ease.

Minimize copy. Nobody is reading an essay in their inbox. Long blocks of text get ignored. Keep it quick and punchy. If you can say it in 10 words instead of 30, do it.

[Visual placeholder: Bad example with too much copy vs good example with minimal copy]

Make headlines and subheadlines do the work. Most people won't read your body copy. But they will skim your headlines. If you only get 3 seconds of attention, make it loud and clear what your main points are.

3. Branding

A design can be beautiful but completely disconnected from your brand.

Customers make positive associations with your brand through your website and ads. If your emails don't match, you lose those associations.

Worse: mismatched branding actively harms conversions. It creates cognitive dissonance.

Use branded graphics. Your email should feel like an extension of your website, not a random promotional blast.

Use correct fonts. If your website uses a specific font, your emails should too. Consistency builds trust.

Maintain congruent styling. Color palette, tone, visual style - everything should match across channels.

Pretty website + pretty ads + ugly emails = lost conversions.

The Hero Section (Where 75% of Your Effort Should Go)

The hero section is the most important part of your email.

Most people will only read the hero section. So you should spend most of your time on it.

A great hero section includes:

• Clear headline

• Strong graphic (product photo, lifestyle shot, branded visual)

• Clear value prop (what's the offer or why should they care?)

• Clear button above the fold

Use the reverse triangle hierarchy. Funnel customers' eyes into the CTA. Start wide (headline, image), narrow down (subheadline, benefit), end with the button.

If someone only sees your hero section and nothing else, they should know:

1. What you're offering

2. Why they should care

3. Where to click

That's it. Everything else is secondary.

Final Thoughts

Pretty emails don't make money. Conversion-optimized emails do.

Stop obsessing over aesthetics and start focusing on ease of click, skimmability, and branding.

Put buttons above the fold. Center them. Make them large. Use minimal copy. Create clear sections. Match your brand across all channels.

We've seen these principles drive 3x more revenue in A/B tests. Not because the winning design was more beautiful. Because it was optimized for how customers actually interact with emails.

If you want help designing emails that actually convert (not just look good), my team has generated $200M+ in email revenue for clients. Book a call here.

Email Inspiration Of The Day

Brand:
Alice Mushrooms

Email Design: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1IivaB_GT06Rgea5ZRXKXoEjELRui10cA/view?usp=sharing

Notes: This email check all of the core design pillars. It’s easily clickable, it’s in-line with their brand, and a reader can skim the entire thing and get the vibe. Try replicating this format for your brand.

Template of The Day

If you want access to a bank of 134 mix and match templates like this equating to over 5,000+ possible email designs, click here » 

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

Cheers,

Max | Well Copy Email & SMS Marketing

PS - If you run a 7-9 figure ecommerce brand and you want to have a free email strategy consultation, book a call here » 

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