Dedicated Email Blast Ad Specs

Dedicated Email Blast Ad Specs

Design Requirements

• Maximum width: 600 pixels
• Recommended length: 600 to 800 pixels
• Maximum collective images size: 150 kb
• Use in-line CSS styles
• No image maps; slice the image, put into tables
• Must be optimized for Outlook 2003, 2007 (Learn more about Outlook 2007’s supported HTML features)

Delivery Checklist

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Deliver these items six (6) business days before send date. Please submit FINAL artwork/material. If you need to resubmit artwork after it has been processed for approval, there will be an $85 reprocessing fee.

*Advertisers are responsible for the proper format and optimization of the materials they submit.

• .HTML file
• Subject line
• Zipped folder containing all images (required). We upload the images from your email to our server.
• Text backing (optional)

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HTML Guidelines / Tips

Layout and Design

• Maximum Dimensions. Recommended maximum dimensions: 600 x 600–800 pixels. Maximum width is 600px, but can be greater in length. This ensures the email looks overall acceptable across multiple email platforms.
• Responsive/Mobile-Optimized Designs. We do accept mobile optimized/responsive blasts. With the increase of the mobile audience, we recommend designing your blast with that in mind. Be sure to test your HTML email before submitting the final artwork.
• Easily Clickable. Increase your click-through rate and customer satisfaction with “call to action” buttons and links that are large and easy for the user to find.
• Keep it Simple. Simpler designs, such as a single column, work well across more platforms. The more complicated the design, the more you need to test and debug.

Coding

• Use In-line CSS styles. Always use in-line CSS styles rather than classes. For more information on CSS support in emails, check out this Guide to CSS Support in Email.
• Use Basic HTML Tables. In order to have your email blast work across the many different email browsers and clients, use basic HTML tables. Most of the complicated code that works on websites does NOT work in an HTML blast. For example, divs and shortcodes do NOT work at all in certain email browsers.
• Don’t Use Coding Shortcuts. For example, when styling CSS, set each property rather than grouped together in one shortcut code (i.e. use “border-width:5px; border-style:solid; border-color:#000000;” rather than “border: 5px solid red;”). For both HTML and CSS, use all 6 hexadecimal numbers instead of just three for a shortcut (#ffffff and #000000 would be correct, rather than #fff and #000).
• Avoid Colspans. When building your blast with tables, avoid using colspans (column spans that show up as colspan=””) as it usually renders differently for each email client and could “break” your blast.
• Test Your Blast. Be sure to check and test your blast before you submit. All submissions should be final artwork.

Images and Backgrounds

• Maximum Collective File Size. Recommended collective size of all image files: 40kb. Keeping the image size low keeps our emails loading quickly. Maximum collective size of all image files: 300kb (required). Note: Email will be returned for rework if collective image file size is over 300kb.
• Avoid Background Images. Background images are not fully supported across email clients and will not display for all users.
• Avoid Image Maps. Image maps rely on technology that is not supported in many email browsers. This means that some subscribers may not even be able to click on your email at all. Instead of using an image map, slice up the image and place it in a table (an easy option in most design software). This will also increase the deliverability and response of your email.
• Animated Gifs. Be aware that animated gifs are not fully supported across email platforms, and most will display only the first frame of the animation.
• Be Careful With Spliced Images. If you have a larger image that is spliced and placed into your HTML using table cells or img tags right next to each other you will need to test thoroughly. Some email clients may add extra space between your images. Using “display: block” in your style code can usually remedy this.

Optimizing and Deliverability

Responsive/Mobile-Optimized Designs. We do accept mobile optimized/responsive blasts. With the increase of the mobile audience, we recommend designing your blast with that in mind. Here are some articles and resources to help you get started:

• Responsive Email Design
• How-To Guide to Responsive Email
• Mobile Email Compatibility Guide

“Mobile-Friendly” Designs. Even if you don’t have the resources to build a “responsive” blast, there are some simple steps to make your email blast more accessible to users on their mobile devices:

1. Make sure your text is large and easy to read.
2. Make sure your images are clear with a small file size (and no wider than 600px)
3. Make your layout simple, such as a single column
4. Make all of your buttons at least 44-46 pixels wide and tall for easy finger-tapping

Increase Deliverability. Check out our recommendations for increasing deliverability. We comply with CAN-SPAM legislation and run a spam check on every email before sending it out. If your email triggers a high rating, we will work with you to make necessary adjustments.

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*Advertisers are responsible for the proper format and optimization of the materials they submit.