Basics for an email newsletter

An email newsletter consists of text, images ( i.e. pictures, designs, logos, etc.) and hyperlinks. All these are integrated in a HTML file in a way to be visible/readable in every device that is used for reading email messages (mobile phones, tablets, laptops, desktops).

Although web design methods have greatly evolved over the years, creating a solid-looking HTML email message could be quite a puzzle for someone not familiar with the email design insights.

Having over 15 years of experience in designing & delivering HTML concrete email messages, we can guarantee a great look for your message, regardless of device size or software application.

Email newsletter material & standards

Dimensions

Regardless of the media, an email should be able to fit on a single printed A4 page. The width of the message cannot exceed 600px.

Photos

Compatible RGB image files: jpg, png, gif (without animation) with a maximum width of 600px (1200px retina display) at 72dpi.

Logos

We prefer logos to be transparent png. If this is not possible, then we accept any other format from the compatible image files mentioned above.

Attachments

Attached files can be included as links. As such could be considered text files, spreadsheets, and presentations (MS Office Word, Excel, Powerpoint), or pdf documents.

Do you have a ready html message?

You can send us your ready html file, according to the following standards:

  • We prefer a clean HTML file (not a web link) that meets the above-mentioned dimensions (600px message width) with direct (absolute) links to sources such as images, css, urls. Make sure your message is designed in such a way so when its code is transferred to a 600px HTML code placeholder, it is fully visible and functional when viewed in an email client (MS Outlook, Apple Mail, Hotmail, Gmail, Yahoo Mail, etc.)
  • Branding: Your message will be sent by our service to an audience that has registered to receive messages from gtp. For this reason, you may use your own branding in the largest part of your message, which will necessarily be framed by gtp’s branding, along with the relevant texts and links for unsubscribe and user settings.
  • Remove ‘view in browser’ and ‘unsubscribe’ links that may already exist in your message. We will add the appropriate functionalities as we find fit.
  • It is recommended to design your message in such a way (responsive) that it auto-adjusts to the screen sizes for mobile and tablet devices  and is fully functional. The use of image maps is not recommended for the above reason.
  • Your design should be tested to display correctly to key email clients for windows / mac pc and android / mac os devices (MS Outlook, Apple Mail, Hotmail, Gmail, Yahoo Mail, etc.).
  • It is recommended to use both document head and inline css for styling your html.
  • The use of any script in the html code and the use of tracking code that returns critical personal information of the recipient such as the email address is not allowed (excluding the use of utm tracking code).

Free email templates

You may use free email design services, such as mailchimp, to design and share with us your template’s campaign URL to info@gtp.gr.