Three short, usable pieces on writing email people can actually read.
A demonstration newsletter by Brian Mills
 
The Receiving End
 
Issue 01  ·  Spec work, built to demonstrate craft
 
This newsletter is a work sample. It shows two skills at once: writing built for fast, clear reading, and HTML email that renders the same in Outlook, Gmail, and Apple Mail. The three pieces below are real advice you can use today.
 
600
 
pixels, the one width every major client renders the same
3
 
inboxes every issue is tested in before it sends
90
 
the character ceiling for a preview line that earns the open
 
1
 Write for the reader
Write the inbox preview line yourself
Inbox apps show two things before anyone opens your email: the subject line and the first text in the body. If your first text is "View this email in your browser," that is your pitch. Instead, write one sentence that says what the email contains and why it is worth opening, keep it under 90 characters, and place it first.
  The preview line of this email reads: "Three short, usable pieces on writing email people can actually read."
 
2
 Build for the worst client
Why this email is built from tables
Outlook for Windows renders email with Microsoft Word's engine, which ignores most modern layout code. So this email uses HTML tables, inline styles, and a 600-pixel fixed width: the only layout that every major client renders the same way. The lesson applies beyond email. If the format breaks for your reader, the writing inside it never gets read.
 
3
 Prove it before you send
Three checks before any send
First, read the email with images turned off; many clients block images by default, so whatever text remains is what those readers see. Second, send a test to a real Outlook account, a real Gmail account, and a real Apple Mail account; the three render differently and only a live test proves the build. Third, read it once as the recipient: does the first screen tell you what this is, who sent it, and what to do next? If any answer is no, fix it before sending.
 
Read the full build guide →
 
Every choice above was made for the reader.
 
The Receiving End is spec work by Brian Mills, built to demonstrate email craft. It is not affiliated with any employer and was never sent to a mailing list. A production send would carry the sender's physical mailing address and an unsubscribe link in this footer, as the law requires.