Six updates in the email editor

In May 2024 the Quanda email editor gained six updates: separate storage for images and media, a custom image width for mobile, a prefilled subject line and text behind the Email icon, a background colour for any block, better image display in Outlook and responsive rows with up to five columns. For each update you will learn where to find it in the email editor and when it comes in handy.

In brief

1. Images load from a separate server, faster and even during app maintenance.
2. Set the image width for mobile separately, from 10 to 100%.
3. The Email icon opens a message with your subject line and text.
4. Any block can have a background colour: text, image or button.
5. Outlook on mobile no longer shrinks images.
6. An email row can have up to five columns, which stack on a phone.

In brief: what is new, since when, who it concerns and where to find it

• What is new: separate storage for images, a custom image width for mobile, a prefilled subject line and text behind the Email icon, a block background colour, better images in Outlook and rows with up to five columns.
• Since when: since May 2024, some of the updates were available earlier.
• Who it concerns: everyone who creates emails in the Quanda email editor, especially for reading on a phone and in Outlook.
• Where to find it: in the right-hand panel of the email editor for an image or block, in the Email icon settings and when adding a new row.

What has changed since this article was published: More updates arrived in autumn 2024, such as autosaving draft emails, a background colour or image for the whole email and a stricter SPAM test. You will find them in the article Autumn updates in the email editor.

1. New storage for images and media

Some time ago we moved all media to a separate server. This lets us load all the images you use in your emails faster and display them even if our application server has an outage or is down for maintenance.

Tip: Fast loading helps, but some email programs don't download images at all when an email is opened. So write the key message in text and fill in alternative text for your images. How this looks in individual programs is shown in the article Can't see images? Don't worry. Read the title.

2. A custom image width for mobile

We have added a slider to the right-hand image panel that lets you set a custom image width for mobile. Besides the original option to show an image at full width on mobile, the email editor now lets you set this width anywhere from 10% to 100%.

You will use this setting especially when you shrink an original image, such as a logo, for desktop display, and at full width it is then too big on mobile, or with the desktop width it looks too small on mobile. This setting lets you have the image at, for example, 20% of its display size on a desktop and 50% on a phone.

Which setting to use when:

Tip: After setting it up, switch the email preview to mobile view and check how the image looks. The dimensions to upload images in are described in the guide Image size in an e-mail campaign.

3. A prefilled subject line and text behind the Email icon

In the settings of the Email icon in the list of social media icons, you can now prefill the email subject line and text. When the recipient clicks the icon, the email message that opens automatically already has the subject line and text you set.

A note from May 2024: This setting will soon appear for regular links too, and you will also find it in the link editing dialog of the text editor.

Tip: A prefilled email works wherever you expect a simple reply from the recipient: a catalogue request, interest in a meeting or a confirmation of attendance. Say in the subject line what it is about, such as "I'm interested in the catalogue". You will then know at a glance what the recipient is responding to.

4. A background colour for any block

Some time ago we added the option to give individual blocks, such as text, images, buttons and others, their own background colour. This setting lets you achieve a more interesting email design and make your emails even more visually appealing.

Tip: A coloured block background is a good way to highlight an offer, a date or an important notice. Keep an eye on contrast, though. Low contrast between text and background is one of the most common content issues the SPAM test detects, see the guide Setting up mailing in a simple campaign.

5. Better image display in Outlook

We have fine-tuned how images display in Outlook. They now fully respect the size set in the email editor and are no longer shrunk in the mobile version of Outlook.

The best way to check how an email displays in a specific program is a test email. Before sending a campaign, send one to Outlook and to the other inboxes your recipients use.

6. Responsive email design with up to five columns

This update has also been available for a while when adding new rows, but it definitely belongs here to round off the recent email editor updates. When you add a row, you choose one to five columns of equal width or one of two asymmetric layouts with a narrower and a wider column.

On mobile the usual rule still applies: the content on the right stacks under the content on the left. So on a phone the columns line up one below the other, from left to right.

Tip: Five columns suit partner logos, icons or short figures. Put longer texts and products with descriptions into two or three columns at most. On a phone five columns stack one below the other and make the email much longer, so arrange the column content in the order the recipient should read it.

What to try in Quanda right now

• Give the logo in your header a different width for desktop and mobile.
• Check in the mobile preview that your main images have full width switched on.
• Add an Email icon with a prefilled subject line that tells you at once what the reply is about.
• Highlight your main offer with a block background colour and check the text contrast.
• Send yourself a test email to Outlook on a desktop and on a phone.
• Go through rows with several columns and check the order they stack in on mobile.

In closing

If you have any questions about these updates or an idea for what would make working with email even easier, let us know at support@onquanda.com or call us on +420 605 163 892. We are happy to look at your ideas and, if possible, put them into practice. Step-by-step instructions for building an email are in the guide E-mail editor of a simple e-mail campaign. If you would like help with your email from the start, book a free consultation.

All the best!

Honza from Quanda