Choose the Perfect Colors for Your Newsletter

This article has been updated to maintain its accuracy and relevance. 

It’s not a secret that your audience’s inboxes are crowded. The average email user receives 121 emails per day. That’s a lot of email to compete with to get your subscribers’ attention.

That’s why creating a cohesive color palette is equally as important as creating amazing content. While you can’t judge a book by its cover, capturing the attention of your subscribers is what leads to them reading your emails and clicking your links.

The right color palette brings awareness to your brand, makes your newsletter look professional AF, and draws your audience in to experience more of your fantastic content. 

In this article, I'll be diving into the best colors for email newsletters and how to use them effectively in your email marketing campaigns.

Enhance Readability: The Best Color Combinations for Email Newsletters

Choosing the right color for your successful email newsletter is all about enhancing readability.

The last thing you want is to use too many colors, creating visual clutter and making it hard for your reader to focus. Instead, opt for a two-color palette that complements your brand's colors and provides a cohesive visual experience.

Black text on a white background is the most traditional and easiest-to-read combination for email newsletters. However, if you want to add a splash of color, choose a color that contrasts nicely with your brand's primary color. 

For example, blue and orange or green and red are complementary colors that work well together.

Avoid These Colors: Why Some Colors Are Considered Bad for Email Marketing

While color can enhance the visual appeal of your email newsletter, some colors can turn off your subscribers. 

For instance, using too much black or gray can make your email look dull and uninviting. 

Likewise, using too many bright and bold colors, like neon or fluorescent, can be harsh on the eyes and may make your subscribers feel overwhelmed.

Another color to avoid is yellow. Although it's a bright and cheery color, it's hard to read on a white background and can strain the eyes. Additionally, some email clients highlight yellow text as spam, making it less likely for your email to get delivered to your subscribers' inbox.

Not to mention, using too many neon or fluorescent colors can make your emails so much more difficult to read, particularly for people who may be color blind. Avoiding these colors can make your email more accessible to everyone. 

Stand out in Inboxes: The Easiest Colors to Notice in Email

Using the right color palette in your email newsletters can make a significant difference in the success of your email marketing campaigns. 

Red, blue, and green are the easiest colors to notice in an email, with red being the most noticeable.

However, it is crucial to use these colors strategically to avoid overwhelming your subscribers. 

For example, using red to highlight critical information or call-to-action buttons can draw the reader's attention and increase the likelihood of engagement. On the flip side, using red for text, or for the background, can be off-putting.

Remember, your email newsletter is an extension of your brand. If readers find something about your newsletter they don’t like, they’re going to associate those negative feelings with your brand - not just the newsletter itself.

Here’s an example from Big Desk Energy. The color palette is simple (retro PC vibes) and has a very distinct brand look: 

Creator Spotlight also has a clear, distinct brand with the cream, black, and pops of orange. 

Psst: In case you didn’t hear, Creator Spotlight just launched a podcast!

TeaTalk uses shades of blue and green to create a visually stunning email.

Those shades of blue and green aren’t the only ones TeaTalk uses. Just look at how stunning their beehiiv archive page is- chef’s kiss.

EarBuds Podcast Collective uses shades of purple to define their brand and stand out in a crowded inbox.

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Here are some tips to keep in mind:

• Choose your brand's colors carefully

• Enhance readability by choosing a two-color palette

• Avoid using too many colors, which may cause visual clutter

• Avoid colors like yellow, black, and gray

• Use red, blue, and green strategically to stand out in your subscriber's inbox

How To Optimize Color for Email Newsletters (Top Tips)

Testing and optimizing your color combinations is crucial to ensure your email newsletters are visually appealing and effectively engaging your subscribers. Here's how to do it:

• Use A/B testing: Try sending two versions of your email with different color combinations to a small sample of your subscribers and see which one performs better. Once you identify the winning color combination, you can use it in your future email newsletters.

• Optimize for mobile: Mobile optimization is crucial for email marketing success. Remember that the majority of emails are now opened on mobile devices. Be sure to test your color combinations on different devices to ensure they are easily readable. And in case you didn’t know, beehiiv now offers custom mobile apps so that your audience can consume your content right on their home screen! 

• Pay attention to analytics: Keep track of your email open rates, click-through rates, and other engagement metrics to see which color combinations resonate with your subscribers. Use this data to refine your color choices for future newsletters.

• Keep it consistent: Use a consistent color palette across all your email newsletters to maintain brand recognition and create a cohesive visual experience for your subscribers.

• Consider your audience: Think about your target audience and their preferences when choosing your color combinations. For example, using bright and bold colors may not be the best approach if your audience is primarily professional and conservative.

How To Use beehiiv’s Newsletter Builder

beehiiv’s newsletter builder gives you all the tools you need to take your newsletter design to the next level.

To get started, in your beehiiv dashboard, click design then click Newsletter Builder.

In your newsletter builder, you have so many options! For example, when you click into the background, you can change your background color for both the outside and within the specific post, and even the border.

You can edit your font color and your link color, and get even more granular by selecting colors for each of your header levels.

The options are absolutely endless for color combinations that fit your style, your brand, and your content. Customizing every detail is easy, and you can even save your newsletter design as a template that you can use again and again. 

Upgrade Your Email Game with beehiiv

As we wrap up, I wanted to remind you of the importance of staying up-to-date with your email marketing efforts.

With so much competition out there, it's crucial to have a strategy that captivates your audience and drives results.

That's where beehiiv comes in. The platform makes it easy to create visually stunning newsletters that engage your subscribers and generate real impact.

And the best part? 

You can try out beehiiv for free!

So why not give beehiiv a shot and see what it can do for your email marketing game? 

Trust me, your audience will appreciate the effort you put into delivering top-notch content straight to their inbox.