Getting Started

If you have a good grasp of HTML and CSS, you’ll have no problem creating and coding HTML emails. Coding a great HTML email is no different than coding a website back in the late 1990's—the same design tools are used to produce your final result. And the same general design principles are still in play: contrast, repetition, proximity, and alignment are all important. Understanding the fundamentals of HTML email coding will save you a lot of time and frustration.

An HTML email is usually mostly text, but the text has been HTML-rendered rather than presented plain. This allows you to use visual cues, spacing, and other HTML elements to direct your recipients to key points in your content. You can create an HTML email that conveys your message clearly to your recipients.

In this section we go over some HTML email basics, and introduce you to some Mailchimp-specific information to help get you started.