1. IMPORTANT: make sure you are using Editor v.2. If it currently says "Switch Editor to v.2" you must click it so that it now reads  "Switch Editor to v.1" as in the image below.
2. You cannot set spacing when you place an image in MagnetMail. You must first place the image, then select it using your mouse and, with the image selected, click the image icon in your toolbar. This pops up a new window for adjusting the image.
3. Set the vspace and hspace (this is vertical space and horizontal space respectively in HTML). I've set both to 20 in this case as discussed in the post on Tips for Styling Email Content.

That's it!  Your emails will look much better without the text bumping right up against your images and graphics. Leave a comment with any suggestions or questions you have about sprucing up your emails or Tweet me @frostmiller.

In my Tips for Styling Email Content post, I recommended changing your text color to improve your email content's style. Today I give you: How to change the color of your text in MagnetMail in 3 easy steps!

1. Select all the text by dragging the cursor or clicking CTRL+A. Then click on the text-color icon in the toolbar.
2. Click once in the empty box below the word "Color". This pops up a new window for picking the color.
3. Pick a custom color or better yet enter a HEX code, the HTML code for denoting color on the web-in the area circled below. In this case I've entered #333333, a nice dark grey as discussed in the post on Tips for Styling Email Content.

Repeat the process for changing colors of links or headlines. You're done! Doesn't that look nice?

So you have a beautifully designed, professional-looking email template (perhaps you enlisted Frost Miller) to communicate with your customers/members. It's been uploaded to your email service of choice (i.e. MagnetMail, eFlyer, MailChimp, Emma, etc.). And now, it's up to you to add content. Here are two quick tips to make sure that the all-important content looks as beautiful and professional as that Frost Miller designed template.

1. Choosing text colors: beyond black type and royal blue links.
Black type and blue links are the default value on the web and as a result they tend to look a bit generic and may imply to the reader a less than professional source. Try using dark grey in place of black-it's easier on the eyes and more sophisticated looking. Likewise, take the time to apply colors to your links by hand. If your campaign has a dominate accent color in its design that is appropriately dark for text try using this for the links. Read this step-by-step guide for changing text colors in MagnetMail.

2. Adding open/white space.
Making sure your copy has some open/white space gives the eye a place to rest and makes for a less cluttered and more sophisticated layout. The most common place to include open space is around images and graphics and between paragraphs and subheads. If using images make sure to set some spacing to give them room to breath. Likewise, add extra space in the text by adding an extra return (or soft return by hitting Shift+Return) between paragraphs and especially before subheads. Read this step-by-step guide for adding space around images in MagnetMail.

Content is king, BUT your readers make subconscious judgments about whether something is worth reading before that headline is even processed. Emails that look professional are more likely to find an audience.

*BONUS TIP: Never use underlined text in emails or on the web unless the text is a hyperlink. The convention of underlined text denoting a link is so ingrained in us that we all assume clickable link as soon as we see underlined text on screen. If something is underlined but not a link it will only confuse and annoy your readers.