Email Marketing: Font Use and Font Sizing

Just about everybody uses email to market events, products and services.

If that's you, congratulations...now put some attention into what the email LOOKS like across all platforms (desktop, laptop, tablet and smart phone devices).

FONTS: Not all fonts are universal (which means what looks great to you when putting the email together may get lost in translation on a reader's device and look awful). While technology will continue evolving and one by one, more fonts will become universal, for today, I recommend sticking the following fonts to be on the safe side: Arial, Times New Roman, Verdana and Trubechet.

If you really want to use a fancy font that brands the email communication, the best way to go is to use actual graphics, whether that's a logo or graphics that have been created professionally in Photo Shop. Graphics will always show up perfectly and universally!

SIZING: Not too long ago, I attended a marketing seminar where the speaker told the audience to use larger fonts...12 point or higher. I gasped because this is the OPPOSITE of what I suggest.

Going back to how the email looks across platforms, guess what? On tablets and smartphones, no matter what size font you use, it's going to show up larger on those two types of devices; the operating system makes no differentiation!

I've started designing emails using a 9 point font in the body of the email and never exceed a 12 point font for a header in an email. Here's why: The content has to be as tight and short as possible to hold the interest of a reader...people are so deluged with distractions nowadays their patience level is very low for reading too much. The 9 point font does the trick and looks clean.

Give it a whirl next time you go to lay out a basic marketing email. And look for my next blog article that will focus on how to spur people to ACTION when they receive your email!