Bridgetown’s creative agencies, hotel groups with in-house designers and financial firms with strict brand guidelines often want more than a drag-and-drop template. HTML newsletters give full control over layout, typography and brand detail. Mailpro supports both routes: import or write your own HTML, or start from a template and edit the code underneath.
Three ways to work with HTML in Mailpro
- Paste your code into the WYSIWYG HTML editor and switch between code view and visual view.
- Import from a URL if your newsletter is already published as a web page. See importing HTML from a URL.
- Start from one of 600+ templates and customise the HTML to match your brand.
Coding for Barbadian readers
Mobile first, always
Most of your subscribers will open on a smartphone, whether they are commuting on the ABC Highway or reading in a hotel room abroad. Use a single-column layout that stacks cleanly, fluid images and tap-friendly buttons at least 44 pixels high.
Keep the weight down
Compress images and avoid huge hero banners. Readers on mobile data, and anyone checking email after a storm when connections are patchy, will see your message faster.
Plan for dark mode
Many phones display email in dark mode. Test that your logo, text colours and brand turquoise still read well on a dark background. See how Mailpro handles dark mode in newsletters.
Use real text, not text in images
A newsletter that is one big image breaks when images are blocked, and it cannot be read by screen readers. Live text for headlines, prices and dates is also better for deliverability.
Personalisation in HTML
Dynamic fields work in custom code too. Insert the subscriber’s name, parish or loyalty balance, or show a different block to residents and overseas guests. More on this in personalised newsletters.
When HTML is worth it, and when a template is enough
Custom HTML makes sense when you have strict brand guidelines, an agency producing campaigns for several clients, or a layout the drag-and-drop builder can’t achieve. For a small restaurant or shop sending a monthly update, a template customised in the visual editor is usually faster and less error-prone. Many teams combine the two: a designer builds a master HTML template once, and staff update the text and images each month in the visual editor.
A pre-send checklist
- Validate the HTML and inline critical CSS.
- Add alt text to every image.
- Include your business name, a contact address and an unsubscribe link in the footer. The Data Protection Act 2019 gives everyone the right to stop direct marketing, and inbox providers expect a clear opt-out.
- Test on Gmail, Outlook and Apple Mail, on phone and desktop. The HTML email QA checklist lists the common traps.
- Send a test campaign to your team before the real send.
Hosting and security
Your templates, images and contact lists are stored in Switzerland, on private infrastructure outside US jurisdiction, and transmitted with TLS 1.3. That helps when you document overseas transfers under the Barbados Act. For the wider process, see how to create a newsletter in Barbados.