Problems with HTML emails, Mac mail stationery

[robcub]

Hi everyone,

I have done an HTML email template for a client. The problem was that she wanted me to amend an existing Mac Mail Stationery template which was easy enough. A case of changing the HTML and the images.

Unfortunately it doesn't seem to be appearing correctly in certain email clients, specifically the AOL emailer. The email has 4 images, a header, a footer, a body and a background; it's stripping out two of them leaving the header and the footer.

Anyone know a way around this?

[Westy]

Webmaster.Info : HTML Email

[CVW]

Hi

I don't think you can get around that but it depends on how the email is coded.

AOL is notorious for wrecking email html formatting but don't forget that some email clients strip all images, display text only or mark heavy html messages as spam - creating promotional emails is all about compromise. We don't have control over the email readers.

There is lots of info on creating emails on the web but the gist of it is:

Make sure that you provide a link to a full html online page so the viewer can choose to see in in their browser.
Use tables and tag embedded styles, instead of CSS. Email clients still break a lot of "modern" html, particularly online readers.
Make sure that, with images off, you still have pleasing html background colours to your layout.
Make sure that your email don't rely on images to make sense. For text only outputs.

HTH somebody.

[robcub]

Thank you CVW. The problem is that this is an HTML email template for a client who wants to have HTML emails they can write each time so a link to an HTML page is impossible. I think you're absolutely right about it being OK with text only but AOL is stripping out 2 pix but leaving 2 others which is why it's looking so bad!

Thanks for the link, Westy, which I'd already seen. Lots of helpful stuff there but not an answer to the image problem.

[zumojuice]

I think you will always have issues with aol - but does anyone still use the aol only software anymore? fact is, email market is harder to get right than websites half the time so i think text/html mix is the way forward so at least if bits do mess up, the content survives...

[tr0y]

Here is an awesome resource for making html emails:

Updated CSS Support in Email Report - Campaign Monitor Blog

It is a table of css rules and email clients, showing the various levels of support for the properties. Hope this helps.

[robcub]

Unfortunately, this was for a client who wanted an email template that she could amend everyday several times so creating an independent HTML page would not have been possible.

She was in America and several people there (her husband and friends included) use the AOL email client, but fortunately none of her clients did. In the end I did an AOL-safe template which basically had a header and footer and nothing in the middle.

Great link, tr0y, there's a gallery of HTML email there which is good for inspiration and code.

Thanks for your help, guys.

[karen]

Sorry to sound nieve but is there yet a standard for emails like web standards?

[robcub]

There is nothing like the standards that exist for websites, etc. I think there is a movement towards setting some but it'll take a while because, like browsers, people will still be using old software. The best way to do them is to get a free template online from MailChimp for example and amend that as you see fit, and, always put it online so that someone can click a link if they cannot see the email.