Create Custom Email Headers

  • Updated

Using an email header is considered standard practice for email marketing, so the Act-On Email Composer provides you with a default Email Header to use in your messages. 

To view the default Email Header:

  1. Navigate to Content > Email Headers > Default
  2. Hover over the Default menu bar and click the Preview icon
    • Note: You cannot edit or delete the Default Header. 

Instructions

Step 1: Add a "View in Browser" Link

Email headers often include a "View in Browser" link. This helpful link allows contacts to view messages in their browser when they have trouble loading them in their inbox. 

  1. Click on the Insert View Message In Browser Link icon 
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  2. Click on the Link icon to make any desired changes
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Step 2: Create a Custom Email Header

  1. Go to Content > Email Headers
  2. Click Add Header 
  3. Add your custom content 
  4. Style your header as desired
  5. Below the HTML version, click on Generate Text Header from HTML
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  6. Click Save
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Step 3: Set a Default Header for New Messages

Go to Content > Email Headers, hover over your new custom header, and click Make Default. Setting your custom header as the default will allow you to automatically apply it to new email messages going forward. 

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Examples of Effective Email Headers

Craft your own "view in browser" text:

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Or, add a tagline:

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An email header can spotlight your company logo and link to your website - it doesn't have to have text to look professional:

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FAQs and Troubleshooting

Why does the "View in Browser" link get so many clicks?

Causes

Spambots

Many email service providers use spambots to check messages for malicious content by clicking on the first link in an email message. The first link in an email message is typically the "View in Browser" link, but spambots will click on any link as long as it is the first link. 

Sharing with others

Sometimes people will share an email with their friends by providing the View in Browser link address. 

What can I do?

We do not recommend removing the "View in Browser" link from your Email Header.

There are two options to address this issue:

  • Identify and ignore the spambots by limiting their IP address
  • Ignore the clicks on the "View in Browser" link

You can certainly employ both tactics to keep these excess clicks off your reports. For full instructions, see our article here: Identifying False Positives in Email Clicks

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