In the newspaper world, editors placed their biggest stories above the fold so newsstand shoppers would see them—and be intrigued by them—all without opening the paper. 

In email marketing, we see a similar concept at play. Above the fold email content refers to the part of your message that is visible immediately when the message loads, with no scrolling required. That sliver of real estate includes the subject line, preview text and roughly the first few hundred pixels of the email body.

Unfortunately, there is no universal pixel height across all devices. Many designers treat the top 300–500 pixels as “above‑the‑fold.” And with 46% of email opens happening on mobile devices, that space gets even more precious. 

Keep in mind that, while there’s no definitive list of best practices for above the fold email design, one thing is certain . . . How you craft this section determines whether recipients keep reading or click away.

No pressure. 😉

Why Does Above the Fold Content Matter?

• First impressions drive attention. 57% of a subscriber’s viewing time is spent on content above the fold. This makes it your prime opportunity to capture and retain attention, as a hidden headline or CTA may never be seen.
  
  

• Email fatigue and scrolling behaviors are shifting. Readers spend less time on long emails. Presenting your value proposition in the first few lines increases the odds of engagement. It also increases the odds that your email will be served up to subscribers as Most Relevant to them.
  
  

• Conversions and bounce rates are impacted. A clean above‑the‑fold area reduces bounce rates and improves conversions. Simply put, cluttered designs do the opposite.

Essential Elements for Your Above the Fold Email Layout

Look at this email by Pretty Litter.

The holistic email design is impeccable—and you can learn why it has such an excellent layout here—but let’s focus on its above the fold content. What makes it so effective? 

Its tiny section at the top includes all of the following:

1. Recognizable branding. A compact header with your logo and brand colors reassures readers who the email is from.
   
   

2. A compelling headline. Summarize your offer in a short, benefit‑oriented headline.
   
   

3. Hero image or banner. A compelling hero image or email banner reinforces your headline. Be sure to include descriptive alt text, as some clients block images by default.
   
   

4. Social proof, if relevant. Shopify suggests adding a star rating or brief testimonial near the top portion of your email marketing design to build credibility.
   
   

5. Brief summary. Use one or two lines to expand on your offer . . . and keep ‘em short to help readers scan.
   
   

6. Primary CTA. Place your main button above the fold and use action‑oriented copy within it. Additional CTAs can go lower down throughout the email.
   
   

7. Benefit icons. Simple icons with short labels (“free shipping,” “this weekend only”) communicate urgency and product features quickly.

Email Design Tips for Above the Fold Content

You have the quick hits of what makes a successful above the fold email experience. So what are some email design tips to keep your ideas cohesive and your subscribers engaged?

• Keep it concise and scannable. Remember to keep the above the fold zone to 300–500 pixels. Use headings, bullets and short, simple text as space is limited.
  
  

• Follow proven patterns. Email layouts such as the Z-pattern, F‑pattern and more may offer the best hero image experiences for your sends. Their wide hero images draw the eye, a brief summary provides context and a prominent button guides action.
  
  

• Use white space. Generous spacing highlights your most important elements and reduces clutter. You can learn more about how to use space throughout your email layouts here.
  
  

• Contrast and accessibility. Readability is critical, so make sure your text has high contrast against its background and is of a large enough size.
  
  

• Optimize images. Keep your email banner dimensions consistent (usually 600–700 px wide) and compress images for fast loading.
  
  

• Mobile should be top-of-mind. With over half of this year’s holiday shopping expected to take place on phones, be sure to use large buttons and adequate spacing to account for shoppers using them.
  
  

• Personalize, of course. Use merge tags and dynamic content to tailor subject lines, images and CTAs to subscriber behavior. Readers engage more when the message feels relevant to them. In fact, people are 29% more likely to open said emails and 41% more likely to click something inside.

Quick Checklist for Killer Above the Fold Email Layouts

When applying these takeaways to your next campaign, run down the following checklist to ensure your email layout is optimized to its full potential. Cohesively blending these items together will ensure subscribers will feel compelled to keep scrolling.

Backstroke’s Hero Lab and Predictive Templates Automate Effective Above the Fold Content

If all of this was simple, we wouldn’t have written a 1,200 word blog about it. And you wouldn’t have read it! Thankfully, with assistance from its proprietary email AI and retail marketing data, Backstroke has two solutions that automate excellent email design.

Hero Lab generates on‑brand hero sections—including imagery, copy and CTAs—using design direction informed by our proprietary ecommerce data. It clusters subscribers by buying stage and intent, tailoring the hero image, headline and CTA to each group. You save design time and deliver personalized offers in one step.

Good design continues below the fold, too though. Predictive Templates apply machine learning to select from more than 75 template variations based on behavior. The tool predicts who is likely to open, scroll, click and convert, then serves an email layout optimized for those behaviors. This cluster‑level personalization helps brands scale campaigns that still feel tailored and fresh.

Ultimately, The Fold isn’t about rules so much as priorities. When you place your core offer, a compelling image and CTA within the first few hundred pixels, every subscriber sees your key messaging, understands your offer and recognizes your brand, right away.