Bronto Blog

Choosing a message to showcase was no easy task. Not only do many Bronto clients produce well crafted emails, we also had to consider what makes for good design, in both the objective and subjective sense. In the end we elected to spotlight an excellent product announcement message from Trek.

Once images are enabled, several things jump out:

1. Link to online version. Always a best practice to offer an online version of your message for those who have trouble or simply aren’t familiar with enabling images in their email.

2. Balance. The message uses a minimal (2!) amount of images and they balance the text quite well.

3. Space. Plenty of space surrounds the images and text blocks - nothing feels crowded or overly busy.

4. Fold. The most important area of a message needs to be in the top third so the recipient need not scroll down. The black section is well above the fold, showing and describing the Madone, and also providing a call to action.

5. C-T-A. Trek avoided the “Click here” trap and sold the Call-To-Action with a promise. “See the new Madone” tells the reader exactly what to expect.

6. Boilerplate. Providing the physical address and a clear unsubscribe link may not excite the reader, but it’s Can-Spam compliant, and Bronto loves compliance.

The overall design comes through as simple and upscale. A new product launch could easily become an excited mess with excessive description, too many images and not enough room to breathe. This classy approach likely scored points with Trek’s target audience.

DJ Waldow
Account Manager at Bronto