What follows are some notes based on my experience with email layouts. They won't hold true for every email campaign, but will give you some general ideas. As always, though, the best way to find out what will work for your product is to test and then test again.

Over the course of my work experience, I have sent out many email campaigns. When I'm thinking about a new email, the place I like to start is with layout. The critical point to remember with email blasts is that viewers read from the top down so the most important information goes at the top. With that in mind, the following is a rough order for the email blast elements:

Logo

The logo is placed at the top to help the viewer immediately identify who the message is from. This helps to reinforce branding and reassure the viewers that the rest of the message is worth spending their time on. In some cases, though not all, the logo should be linked to the homepage.

Title

The title is the next item on the email and I like to place it at the top as well. A good title will readily and succinctly communicate the message of the email to the viewer, and provide motivation to keep looking at the email. The title needs to be in text, not placed as an image. (Increasing numbers of email systems are blocking images.)

Sidebar

A sidebar can be a powerful addition to an email. I've seen lifts of 35 to 40% produced by the inclusion of a sidebar. It does have to be done smartly, though. One approach is for the sidebar to crystalize the main draws of the product without people having to read the whole email. Alternatively, it could be used to call out a specific feature of the offer, e.g. a free offer or discount.

Including, at the top and the bottom of the sidebar, the phone number and a link to the webpage can boost response.

Text

People don't read as well on the web, and it's easy for the eye to skip. As a result, I like to keep the text short and to the point; in most cases, no more than two to three short paragraphs.

I also like to include a link in the first sentence to the landing page. This allows the impatient to find out more information and sign up without having to go through the whole email.

Images

Images can greatly improve the response to an email. However, more and more email programs are blocking images so don't rely solely on them to get your message across. Also, be sensitive to the sizes (in kb) of the images; if they're too large they will load slowly.

Call to Action

The email should have call to actions throughout. However, at the end of the email, there should be a final call to action clearly stated. The viewer should be absolutely clear on what the next step is that they need to take.

Final Notes

For the strongly visual, here is one possible layout with the elements in place:

When thinking about email campaigns, it is worthwhile to set up an email account and then sign up for every email blast that you can. This is a great way to find out not only what your competitors are doing, but also what you can learn from businesses in other fields.

I've discussed a generic email blast layout, and the suggestions here won't work for every customer base or every product. As I mentioned, the best way to optimize your email campaigns is to test and then test again.