Hey, it's Chase and Jimmy here.

A lot of email “design” advice is really just about making things look nice. But that isn’t what usually breaks performance.

Most emails don’t work because they’re hard to read, cluttered, or force people to think too much. This morning, we’re breaking down how to design emails that are easy to scan, easy to understand, and easy to click.

Also inside:

✔️ Strategy without action is just expensive procrastination
✔️ Most of 2025's marketing activity was noise. Here's what actually mattered.
✔️ Quick clips: This week's top news stories in eCom

Let’s dive in.

Strategy without action is just expensive procrastination

Reading about retention is one thing. Actually building it is another. These worksheets help you take everything from the Retention Redefined guide and map it to your actual brand. No guessing, no "I'll get to it later." Just fill-in-the-blank planning that turns ideas into action.

What's included:

• Retention Reality Check (score your current setup and find your biggest gap)

• Lifecycle Message Map (define what customers need at each stage)

• Email + SMS Pairing Planner (stop guessing which channel to use)

• KPI Scorecard (track the metrics that actually predict growth)

• Plus 4 more worksheets to build your segmentation, flows, tone, and AI strategy

→ Download your free copy

Designing emails that guide attention and drive action

Your email only gets a few seconds of real attention.

Before someone reads your copy or clicks your CTA, they’ve already decided whether the email feels worth their time. And more often than not, that decision comes down to design.

Good email design doesn’t scream for attention. It quietly guides the reader, makes things easy to scan, and helps the message land without friction.

Here’s how to design emails that feel intentional, on-brand, and worth engaging with.

1. Build a master template your audience can recognize

If your emails look different every time, your brand starts to feel inconsistent, even if the content is solid.

A master template gives your emails a familiar structure so subscribers instantly recognize who it’s from and how to read it. That familiarity builds trust over time and reduces cognitive load.

The goal isn’t to make every email identical. It’s to create a consistent foundation you can adapt for different use cases like newsletters, promos, and transactional sends.

When design feels predictable in a good way, the message gets more attention.

2. Design with accessibility in mind from the start

Accessible design isn’t optional anymore. It’s part of making sure your emails actually work.

People skim. Some rely on screen readers. Others are reading on small screens in bad lighting. Design that ignores accessibility creates unnecessary drop-off.

Simple adjustments go a long way:

• High contrast text that’s easy to read

• Clear font sizes and spacing

• Alt text on images

• Critical information in text, not images

• CTAs that describe the action instead of saying “click here”

Designing for accessibility almost always improves readability for everyone.

3. Keep the header focused on setting context

Your header sets the tone for everything that follows. It’s the moment where readers decide whether they’re oriented enough to keep going.

A logo, a strong visual, and a clear headline usually do the job. Once headers start filling up with navigation links, secondary messages, or multiple CTAs, attention gets split before the main message even has a chance to land.

Think of the header as the setup. Its role is to introduce what the email is about and pull readers into the content below. The clearer that moment feels, the more likely they are to keep scrolling.

4. Make your CTA visually clear and strategically placed

Your CTA is the whole point of the email. It shouldn’t be hard to find or compete with other elements.

Strong CTAs:

• Use contrasting colors that stand out from the rest of the design

• Appear where momentum is highest, not just wherever there’s space

• Stay focused on one primary action

Above-the-fold CTAs work well when intent is already high. Otherwise, let the content earn the click first and reinforce the CTA again near the end.

Clarity beats cleverness here every time.

5. Design for mobile first, then adjust up

Most emails are opened on mobile. If it doesn’t read cleanly on a phone, the rest doesn’t matter.

Mobile-first design means:

• Single-column layouts

• Short, scannable sections

• Buttons that are easy to tap

• Images that resize smoothly

Designing for mobile forces discipline. It helps you prioritize what actually matters and cut what doesn’t.

6. Use motion to guide attention, not distract from it

Animation can add personality and draw the eye, but only when it’s used intentionally.

Subtle movement works best when it highlights one key idea, product, or action. Overuse turns motion into noise and slows load times.

If you use GIFs or animations:

• Keep file sizes light

• Make sure the first frame still makes sense

• Use motion to support the message, not replace it

When animation feels purposeful, it enhances the experience instead of competing with it.

7. Personalize through layout and visuals, not just copy

Personalization isn’t limited to first names.

Design gives you more room to make emails feel relevant without over-explaining why someone is seeing them. Dynamic product grids, tailored hero images, and personalized banners all help emails feel more “for me” than “sent to everyone.”

When personalization is baked into the design, it feels natural.

8. Make feedback effortless by designing for speed

If you want feedback, your design needs to respect people’s time.

Long surveys and multi-step forms kill response rates. Simple, embedded interactions perform far better.

Quick rating scales, one-click responses, or short prompts inside the email make it easy to engage without committing to a full task.

Good feedback design lowers the barrier so people actually respond.

9. Treat unsubscribe design as part of the experience

Here’s the reality: making it hard to unsubscribe doesn’t keep people engaged. It just frustrates users and pushes them toward spam complaints instead.

Clear, easy-to-find unsubscribe links protect both trust and deliverability. When people can leave cleanly, inbox providers see healthier engagement signals, which helps the rest of your emails land where they’re supposed to.

When people can opt out easily, you know the ones who stay actually want to be there. Engagement improves, complaints drop, and your sending reputation stays strong. That’s a win long-term.

10. Use the footer to reinforce trust and personality

Your footer doesn’t have to be an afterthought.

It’s a chance to:

• Reinforce branding

• Point to support or FAQs

• Set expectations

• Add a small moment of personality

A clean, thoughtful footer makes the entire email feel more intentional and complete.

Good email design removes friction

Design isn’t about making emails prettier.

It’s about making them easier to read, easier to understand, and easier to act on. When design quietly supports the message, engagement follows naturally.

If your emails feel clear, familiar, and respectful of the reader’s time, they’ll keep getting opened; even when you’re not running a sale. 😉

Most of 2025's marketing activity was noise. Here's what actually mattered.

As you build your 2026 strategy, the difference between real performance and vanity metrics will determine who wins and who just stays busy.

We're going live with Omnisend on February 3 to break down which 2025 metrics actually correlated with growth, how customer behavior shifted across channels, and what the data suggests you should prepare for this year (including what's being oversold).

Plus, we're presenting Retention Redefined live, translating performance data into retention priorities you can act on immediately.

Register free >> February 3 at 8am PST / 11am EST

Quick Clips:

• Cove Soda expands leadership after $15M raise: The Canadian probiotic soda brand named former G Fuel CEO Bryan Crowley as chief executive, with new CCO and COO hires to match. This moves follows Cove's $15M Series A funding back in November.

• Bark receives take-private offer as financial pressures mount: Facing NYSE non-compliance and declining revenue, Bark has received a $0.90/share buyout proposal from Great Dane Ventures, which includes CEO Matt Meeker and other existing investors.

• Beyond the meat counter: Beyond Meat launched a new drink line, Beyond Immerse, blending up to 20g plant protein, fiber, antioxidants, and electrolytes in flavors like Peach Mango and Lemon Lime.

• TikTok Shop’s growth forces brands to rethink retail rules: Viral hits are turning into massive sales; but not without operational headaches. Pacsun, Tarte, and Crocs say the platform disrupts demand planning, pushing them to lean into creator co-content, humor, and “smart risk.”

Annnnd that’s a wrap for this edition! 

Thanks for hanging with Chase and me. Always a pleasure to have you here.

If you found this newsletter helpful (or even just a little fun), don’t keep it to yourself! Share ecomemailmarketer.com with your favorite DTC marketer. Let’s get them on board so they don’t miss next week’s drops.

Remember: Do shit you love.

🤘 Jimmy Kim & Chase Dimond

PS - Your next best customer might be reading this right now. Want in? Email Jimmy to sponsor this newsletter and more.

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