An HTML newsletter gives you full control over layout, colour and typography. For Canadian brands that often means one design system shared across English and French editions, with room for longer French copy and a legal footer that satisfies CASL. Mailpro supports both ways of working: coding the HTML yourself or letting the editor generate it.
Option 1: Import your own HTML
If a developer or agency builds your emails, you can import the HTML directly into Mailpro, then send, schedule and track it like any other campaign. A few tips for code that renders well in Canadian inboxes:
- Use table-based layouts and inline CSS; many email clients ignore external stylesheets.
- Declare UTF-8 so French characters (é, è, à, ç, ô) display correctly.
- Set the lang attribute to en-CA or fr-CA on each edition so screen readers pronounce the text correctly.
- Give every image meaningful alt text, in the edition’s language.
Option 2: Let the editor write the code
If you prefer not to code, the WYSIWYG editor and the drag-and-drop builder produce clean HTML for you. Start from one of more than 600 templates, adjust it, and switch to the source view only when you need a detail the visual editor doesn’t offer.
Designing for two languages
French text typically runs longer than English. Build flexible containers: buttons with padding rather than fixed widths, headlines that can wrap to two lines, and images without embedded text, so you can reuse the same visuals in both editions. French-Canadian typographic conventions also differ: a space before colons and inside « guillemets », and prices written as 49,99 $. Planning this into your HTML from the start avoids broken layouts later.
Responsive by default
Many Canadians read email on their phones, whether on transit in Toronto or during a break on a job site in Alberta. Mailpro templates are responsive, adapting columns and font sizes to smaller screens. If you import custom HTML, test it on mobile before every send.
The CASL footer in HTML
Hard-code a footer section with your business name, mailing address and a contact method, and keep the unsubscribe placeholder that Mailpro fills in automatically. Contact details must stay valid for at least 60 days after the message is sent, so avoid temporary campaign addresses.
Personalization inside the code
Dynamic fields work in imported HTML as well as in templates. Insert first names, cities or loyalty points with personalization tags, and use conditional content to show a French or English block depending on the contact’s language field.
Accessibility and dark mode
Accessible HTML helps every reader and is increasingly expected by public-sector and education clients in Canada. Use real text rather than text inside images, keep sufficient colour contrast, and structure content with headings. Many readers also use dark mode; test how your logo and backgrounds look when colours are inverted, and see how Mailpro handles dark mode in newsletters.
Next steps
New to newsletters altogether? Follow the eight-step guide to creating a newsletter in Canada, or go back to the newsletter creation overview. Your HTML, images and lists are stored in Switzerland, outside US jurisdiction.