Your customer opened your email. Congratulations!
Now you have 3.2 seconds before they decide to engage or delete.
They're not reading every word. They're scanning for relevance.
The Skimming Reality
Your beautifully crafted 500-word email? They're seeing:
The first line
Anything in bold
Images that catch attention
The call-to-action button
That's it.
Design for the Skim, Not the Read
🎯 The Visual Hierarchy Most important info goes:
Above the fold (first screen)
In the largest text
In contrasting colors
With plenty of white space
🎯 The Scannable Structure
Short paragraphs (2-3 lines max)
Bullet points over sentences
Bold key phrases
Clear section breaks
🎯 The Mobile-First Reality 70% of emails are opened on mobile:
Single column layouts only
Text size 16px minimum
Thumb-friendly buttons (44px)
Loading speed under 3 seconds
The Psychology of Visual Processing
Your customer's eye follows a predictable pattern:
Images first (0.1 seconds)
Headlines second (0.3 seconds)
First line of text (0.8 seconds)
CTA button (1.2 seconds)
Everything else (if you're lucky)
Design for this natural flow.
The Conversion Elements
Every email needs:
One clear primary action
Contrasting CTA button color
Social proof near the CTA
Obvious way to shop/learn more
The Template Truth
Your email template should be:
Consistent with brand colors
Optimized for quick scanning
Mobile-responsive by default
Loading fast with minimal images
Your customer isn't reading your emails like literature. They're hunting for value. Make it easy to find.
