The average click-through rate for emails ranges from 2.6% to 3.43%. Given that users typically spend only 11 seconds on an email, you’ve got a short amount of time to capture their attention.
But how can you do so?
Besides creating an attractive design and
writing a solid copy, there’s one more thing you’ll need to pay attention
to—the fonts you use.
These can either make or break your emails.
After all, if your fonts are hard to read, users will not bother trying to
understand the message you’re trying to convey, thus rendering your email
ineffective.
That’s only one part of the issue, though.
There are still plenty of things you’ll have to consider when choosing a
font.
That’s why today, we’ll talk about what you
need to look out for when choosing the perfect font.
Choosing
The Right Fonts
Let’s start with the basics.
Firstly, you’ll need to choose a font
that’s easy to read. As we’ve said, if your font isn’t legible, no one will
bother trying to decipher what you’re trying to say.
Secondly, you’ll have to look for something
simple. In terms of emails, picking something clean with clearly defined lines
will work the best for you.
Also, be sure to make your fonts a bit
larger than usual. Experts at Digital Silk, a web design Miami company, say that increasing the font size
will not only improve readability but may also lead to a significant increase
in conversions.
Furthermore, your fonts need to be
psychologically appropriate. Different fonts evoke different emotions. So make
sure to pick something that complements the mood your content conveys.
And finally, the font you choose needs to
fit with your niche, as that will allow you to ensure brand consistency. Using
an old-fashioned, classy font won’t work for you if you’re running an IT
Start-Up, for example.
That’s not all, though. When choosing the
fonts, you’ve got two options available: email-safe fonts and web fonts.
Let’s discuss this in further detail.
Email-Safe
Fonts
These are default fonts that are
pre-installed in just about any device or operating system.
Consequently, if you were to use email-safe
fonts, your emails will remain readable regardless of the type of device your
readers may use. This is not always the case with web fonts.
Let’s quickly go over the types of
email-safe fonts you could use.
1.
Serif
Serif fonts like Georgia, Times New Roman,
and Baskerville convey a sense of reliability, tradition, confidence, and
respectability.
In other words, if you’re an older brand,
or you want to appear as you’ve been around for a while, these fonts might suit
you.
2.
Sans Serif Fonts
Franklin Gothic, Helvetica, and Calibri are
all part of the Sans Serif family. Like the previous ones, these fonts give the
impression of stability and respectability as they are clean and
straightforward.
The difference is that Sans Serif is a bit
more modern-looking.
3.
Modern Fonts
Modern fonts like Futura and Century Gothic
are stylish and give the feeling of strength. This type of font can work great
with companies that operate in the tech industry.
4.
Script Fonts
Script fonts like Edwardian Script and
Bickham Script are great for logos. But with emails? Not so much.
They’re too stylized, making them hard to
read when used in entire texts. But, in terms of logos, they can make a lasting
impression. The best example of script font that comes to mind is
Coca-Cola.
5.
Display Fonts
Just like with the previous one, displayed fonts
wouldn’t work that well in blocks of text. However, they’re good at grabbing
attention when used in logos and headers.
Web
Fonts
If you think that email-safe fonts won’t do
the job for you, then you may want to consider web fonts.
But, this doesn’t mean you should drop
email-safe fonts altogether. As we’ve mentioned, web fonts don’t always work.
That’s because not all devices or operating systems support web fonts. That
said, email-safe fonts can be a handy backup.
So, what are web fonts?
As the name suggests, these fonts are
designed and licensed for website use. As opposed to email-safe fonts, web
fonts allow for more creativity for design companies, as their options are not limited to
pre-installed fonts.
There are plenty of platforms where you can
get web fonts, like Village or MyFonts, for example. However, one of the most popular options
is Google Fonts, as it’s versatile and, most importantly,
entirely free.
You can integrate web fonts into your
emails in two ways:
First off, you could work with email
marketing services that include web font support, like Campaign Monitor, as these web fonts will be integrated
automatically.
The alternative is to do it yourself or
work with. This requires a bit of HTML coding knowledge. You could embed fonts
within your emails in three ways.
We’ll only go over them quickly. So, if
you’d like to see proper examples, check out this article.
1.
<link>
This is the more popular choice, as most
email clients support it and can be done rather quickly.
With this method, you’ll first start by
going in the <head> section of your email’s code.
Then, you’ll have to insert the URL that
hosts the font. So, if the font is hosted on the seller, you need to use the
URL they provide. Otherwise, you can use the font URL that’s on your
website.
2.
@import
Just like the previous method, this one is
also easy to implement and is supported by most email clients. The only problem
you may have is with older versions of Android.
Again, you’ll insert the code snippet in
the <head> section of your email’s HTML. In terms of the URL, it’s the
same story.
3.
@font-face
This method is similar to the other two
we’ve talked about. However, @font-face can be more reliable. That’s because if
the font you chose isn’t supported, you could specify exactly what other font
it should fall back to.
Choosing
The Right Fallback Font
You shouldn’t choose a fallback font just
for the sake of it. Even though an email subscriber might be able to load your
primary font, you’ve still got a chance at getting the email right.
But, keep in mind that you’ll need to pick
between the email-safe fonts we discussed earlier, making your choices
limited.
For starters, you’ll have to choose
something that has the same feel as your primary font. Otherwise, your email
won’t convey the right brand image.
So, if you first chose something classy and
more vintage-looking, you should pick a fallback font from the Serif family,
like Times New Roman, for example.
The next thing you have to keep in mind is
the fonts’ x-height. If one foot is higher than the other, the vertical spacing
of your email will be affected, potentially making it look a bit off as a
result.
Final
Words
All in all, the fonts you use in your
emails are just as important as the design of your templates and your copy.
Getting all three of these elements right will ensure a more consistent and
powerful message.
