Most Saint Lucian businesses do not need to write HTML to send a good newsletter. Some do: resorts with strict brand guidelines, agencies producing newsletters for several clients, and organisations whose web developer wants the email to match the website exactly. This page is for them.

When to use custom HTML

  • You have a brand book with precise fonts, colours and spacing.
  • A Castries or regional agency designs your campaigns and delivers HTML files.
  • You need a layout the drag-and-drop builder does not offer.

Otherwise, a template edited in the builder is quicker and safer.

HTML rules that still apply to email

Email clients are less capable than web browsers. Outlook, Gmail and Apple Mail each render HTML differently. Keep to proven techniques:

  • Table-based layout with inline CSS.
  • A maximum width of about 600 pixels.
  • Web-safe fallback fonts behind any custom typeface.
  • Alt text on every image, because some readers block images by default.
  • No JavaScript or embedded forms; link to a hosted form instead.

Designing for the Saint Lucian context

Mobile data and image weight

Your readers include residents on mobile plans and travellers on roaming data. Keep the total email weight low: compress photos, avoid animated GIFs over a few hundred kilobytes, and never put the only copy of important information inside an image.

Bright photos, dark mode

Caribbean imagery is colourful, and many readers use dark mode. Test that your logo, with its transparent background, stays visible on dark backgrounds, and that text colours do not invert into something unreadable.

Languages and characters

If you write Kwéyòl phrases or French text for visitors from the French Caribbean, save your file as UTF-8 so accented characters such as é and ò display correctly.

Importing into Mailpro

Mailpro lets you import HTML from a file or URL. Once imported, you can edit it in the WYSIWYG editor, add personalisation fields such as first name, and send it to a segment. Mailpro adds tracking and the unsubscribe link, so your HTML stays clean.

Test before every send

  1. Send tests to Gmail, Outlook and Apple Mail accounts.
  2. Check on at least one Android phone and one iPhone.
  3. Switch dark mode on and off.
  4. Click every link, especially booking-engine links with tracking parameters.

Responsive by default

If your HTML is not responsive, readers on phones will pinch and zoom, then give up. Use media queries with a single-column fallback, or start from Mailpro’s responsive templates and adjust them.

Common HTML pitfalls

  • Background images that Outlook ignores, leaving white text on white.
  • Fonts that fall back to something unreadable.
  • Oversized files: Gmail clips long messages, hiding the footer and the unsubscribe link.
  • Copy-pasted code from web pages that relies on external stylesheets.

Accessibility

Good HTML is also accessible HTML. Use real text for headings, sufficient contrast between text and background (pale turquoise text on white fails most readers), and descriptive link text such as “See October rates” rather than “Click here”. Screen-reader users among your guests will thank you, and so will everyone reading in bright sunshine on a beach.

Prefer a simpler route? Follow our step-by-step guide on how to create a newsletter in Saint Lucia, or return to newsletter creation options.

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