Tips to Use Your Coding Time Wisely

We all know that things change.

And in the case of direct response art and copy, things can change multiple times. Think that creative was final? Think again. You may find yourself in the middle of email production making unforeseen changes to art, copy and layout.

If you’re creating multiple versions of an email, making these changes and ensuring they’re done properly can become quite the task. Depending on the email client, your coding work may become compromised, requiring further work to correct issues.  And if you’re using an older (or free) email management system, you may have to create several additional versions so that you can track results accurately.

When working with multiple versions, it’s a good idea to spend most of your time getting the first version right to save you from making the same edits over multiple emails. Making several changes over separate versions leaves more room for error and can take a lot of time.

While perfecting that first version, pay close attention to:

1. Formatting

• Is everything in the correct position (i.e. header, footer, preview text, images, copy)?
• Does your email look the same across multiple email platforms?

2. Copy and Images

• Are the images the right size and positioned where you want them in the email?
• Does the copy flow well in relation to the images?

3. Spacing

• Do you like the line spacing between sentences?
• Are there any extra spaces where there shouldn’t be?

4. Links

• Do all of your links go to the correct URL?
• Are you happy with how your links are positioned throughout the email (i.e. are there too many close together, none near the top of the email, not enough at all)?

Once you have your email where you want it, copy the original to create your other versions and tweak each as needed.

Taking more time on the front end with the first version will save you a lot of time and frustration in the long run!