Why are some email subscribers receiving blank emails and how can I fix it?
Summary
What email marketers say11Marketer opinions
Marketer from Email Geeks asks if the emails are really blank or if the mail applications are not showing anything, suggesting verifying the raw source of the email is 'zero'.
Email marketer from Reddit suggests that the issue might be specific to certain email clients or devices. They recommend testing the email across different clients and using responsive design techniques to ensure compatibility.
Marketer from Email Geeks explains that forwarding an email will not forward the original email. A new email will be created by the receiving email client and that client will put whatever content it thinks there is into that new email and this is not a valid test.
Email marketer from StackOverflow answers that poorly formatted HTML or missing closing tags can cause rendering issues leading to blank emails. They suggest validating the HTML code and ensuring all tags are properly closed.
Email marketer from Neil Patel shares the importance of optimizing designs for mobile, citing most users read emails on mobile. Emails that are unreadable on Mobile, would appear blank.
Email marketer from HubSpot shares that if personalisation tags aren't rendering properly, and the fallback is blank, the email could appear empty. They advise checking the syntax of the personalisation tags and ensuring fallback values are in place.
Marketer from Email Geeks shares background information that some CSS/HTML might trip some sanitization or rendering logic in some email apps/webmail, causing it to fail to render the email.
Email marketer from Email Marketing Forum shares that if images are blocked by default in an email client, and the email relies heavily on images for content, it might appear blank. They advise using alt text for all images and ensuring that the key message is conveyed even without images.
Email marketer from Campaign Monitor shares that overly aggressive spam filters might flag emails with certain content as suspicious and prevent them from displaying properly. They suggest testing email deliverability and reviewing spam filter rules.
Email marketer from EmailOnAcid explains that using appropriate contrast ratios between text and background colors. Also if the text is white on a white background it could appear blank. They advise checking accessibility guidelines and using tools to ensure sufficient contrast.
Email marketer from SuperOffice shares emails that load slowly because of large images can appear to load blank for mobile users. Reduce image size to optimize for mobile users.
What the experts say5Expert opinions
Expert from Email Geeks asks which mail client people are viewing the blank emails in (Thunderbird vs Apple.Mail, vs Shaw webmail) and if the issue occurs across all mail clients.
Expert from Word to the Wise explains blank emails could arise if the content is interpreted as spam, causing it to be filtered out before rendering. She suggests ensuring email content is relevant, avoiding spam trigger words, and maintaining a clean sending reputation.
Expert from Email Geeks suggests forwarding the problematic email as an attachment to preserve the original email information.
Expert from Email Geeks suggests using attachment or view source to check email issues, while mentioning limitations. Also suggests getting access to a Shaw account to replicate the problem.
Expert from Spam Resource explains that complex or malformed HTML can cause some email clients to fail to render the email content, resulting in a blank email. He recommends using simple HTML and testing across multiple clients.
What the documentation says4Technical articles
Documentation from Mailchimp answers that blank emails might result from complex HTML structures or embedded content that some email clients cannot process. They advise simplifying the email design, using supported HTML tags, and avoiding excessive use of CSS.
Documentation from Litmus explains that rendering issues, including blank emails, often stem from unsupported HTML or CSS. They recommend using email testing tools to preview emails across different clients and devices and ensuring code compatibility.
Documentation from SendGrid answers that emails can appear blank if they fail authentication checks (SPF, DKIM, DMARC). They advise setting up proper email authentication to improve deliverability and ensure emails are displayed correctly.
Documentation from Microsoft Support explains that blank emails in Outlook can be caused by problems with the email format (e.g., HTML rendering), add-ins, or corrupted profile settings. Solutions include checking email format, disabling add-ins, and creating a new Outlook profile.