These are common obstacles that people encounter when they are trying to spice up their e-mail. It's important to create a design that balances a catchy look with engaging text and which doesn't require too much time to put together. After all, the point of using a template is to avoid too many formatting changes. Here are four sure tips that will make sure you newsletter looks appealing but is also conveying the message that you are trying to spread.

Tip 1: Avoid clutter! White space is an undervalued and important element to design. It's easy to get carried away in filling up a message with lots of images or text. Keep the space around your text proportionately free so that the readers' eyes naturally focus on the text rather than the things surrounding it. Keep in mind that your audience's attention span is limited – the denser your gray blocks of text are, the faster you will lose their interest.

Tip 2: Make sure the first part of your message is text! Don't use the top space of your e-mail for images or some type of header. Many e-mail services block the loading of images, and hence the only thing the viewer will see is a message stating that the image could not be loaded. It will be a waste of your effort and your message will not be conveyed. Design your e-mail such that the beginning contains the crux of text that captures the essence of your message. This can be followed by images, but never preceded by images.

Tip 3: Keep links for the middle or end of your e-mail! Avoid including a series of links at the beginning of your e-mail. Particularly in our modern day in which many people check their e-mail on their cell phones; these links will appear as long and unending lines to scroll across. This is sure to turn off your customer, and it is likely that they won't read further.

Tip 4: Avoid excessive formatting! Be careful of using too much formatting – many times it does not get carried over in various e-mail services. Many designers use CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) to create their templates, but services such as Outlook 2007 no longer show formatting unless it is coded in “inline CSS,” which is a much more detailed coding process. It is good to convey this to your designer if he or she is using CSS.

Finally, while design is key to a first glance, text is still the essential core of your message. Don't let design misguide your audience – without text to back it up; your readers will not know why the message was sent. Images, videos and other features may not always come through in an e-mail, so make sure you have text to back up your design!