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Step-by-Step Training Workbook

Responsive HTML Email Book

Build Mobile-Friendly Emails

Buy the workbook

We offer bulk order discounts

This book comes free with our Responsive HTML Email class

In this book you’ll learn best practices for executing a responsive email design that will ensure an excellent user experience for desktop, webmail, and mobile users. We’ll show you how easy it is to set up a single-column email with a fluid layout that will work across devices and email clients. We’ll also show you how to create a more complex newsletter that, with the help of media queries, will go from a 2-column layout to a single column on most mobile devices.

Includes Downloadable Class Files (works on Mac & PC)
ISBN: 978-1-941333-26-6

Download Sample Exercise
Setup & Introduction
Downloading the Class Files
Before You Begin
  • Popular email clients
  • Recommended software
Section 1
Setting Up: Do This Before Other Exercises!
  • Setting up your class files
Simple Responsive Layout: Part I
  • Coding the outer table
  • Placing the header image
  • Nesting an inner table
  • Adding the text-based content
  • Fixing a gap below images
Simple Responsive Layout: Part II
  • Styling the content using embedded styles
  • Managing bulleted lists
  • Making the email responsive
  • Introduction to media queries
2-Column Layout: Media Queries
  • Coding the nested table structure
  • Writing styles for desktop & mobile versions
  • Media queries for fine-tuning mobile responsive design
  • Modifying media queries
Section 2
Mobile-Friendly Column Layout
  • Coding the table for the 2-column content
  • Converting the mobile layout to 1-column
  • Adding the other date listings
  • Refining the CSS for a classier look
Optimizing Images for Mobile
  • HTML email image quality: a balancing act
  • Dealing with hi-res/retina images
  • Swapping the banner on mobile
  • Further optimizing the mobile banner
Responsive Footer
  • Structuring the footer layout
  • Styling the footer
  • Optimizing the footer for smaller mobile devices
Optimizing the Mobile Layout
  • Sizing up paragraph text on mobile
  • Removing excess margins on mobile
  • Removing the table borders
Section 3
Best Practices: Preflight
  • Adding a preheader to entice mobile users
  • Inlining the styles with Mailchimp’s inliner
Hybrid Technique: Mobile-First Development
  • Previewing the finished design
  • Normalizing styles for consistency
  • Understanding the mobile first approach
  • Wireframing the email structure
Hybrid Technique: Content Modules
  • Creating a modular layout with nested tables
  • Placing the content
  • Adding a footer
Hybrid Technique: Styling Content
  • Deleting the wireframe styles
  • Styling the header table
  • Creating a clickable call to action with large borders
  • Refining the styles for the main content & footer
  • Adding a light background & softening the text color
Section 4
Hybrid Technique: Going Responsive
  • Adding desktop widths & styles
  • Coding responsive columns without media queries
  • Stacking columns in reverse order
Hybrid Technique: Microsoft Outlook Tables
  • Creating a fixed structure for Outlook
  • Framing fixed tables with placeholder comments
Hybrid Technique: Conditional Comments
  • Understanding conditional comments for Outlook
  • Wrapping conditional comments around the fixed table structure
Hybrid Technique: Preflight & Testing
  • Inlining the code
  • Keeping some key embedded styles
  • Sending tests
  • Checking results across clienst
Bonus Material
Progressive Enhancement
  • Rounding image corners with border radius
  • Adding CSS box shadow
  • Using Google Fonts
Alt Text on Banner Swap
  • Adding an invisible shim image
  • Assigning alt text to a shim
Bulletproof Buttons in Outlook
  • VML
  • Bulletproof buttons in Outlook
Reference Material
Overview of HTML Email Best Practices
Links to Reference Websites

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Examples of What You Learn

  • Fixing Gaps Below Images
  • Introduction to Media Queries
  • Writing Styles for Desktop and Mobile Versions
  • Optimizing Images for Mobile
  • Dealing with Hi-Res/Retina Images
  • Swapping the Banner on Mobile
  • Optimizing the Mobile Layout
  • Adding a Preheader to Entice Mobile Users
  • Coding Responsive Columns that Work on Gmail
  • Inlining the Styles with MailChimp’s Inliner

Why Our Books Are Unique

Our books are packed with step-by-step exercises that walk you through projects. You’ll learn by doing exercises, not reading long explanations. The goal is to give you hands-on practice with the program, getting you started quickly with the things that are most important for real life work.

Buy the Responsive HTML Email Book

We offer bulk order discounts

This book comes free with our Responsive HTML Email class