How Digesto RSS Email Design Works
In this article:
Overview
Digeso emails work in two parts. Marketo hosts the first part of the template (which we'll call "header and footer," though you can add other modules besides a header and footer in Marketo if you wish) while Digesto hosts the second part: the feed elements. Both parts will merge as your email goes out as Digesto will insert the feed content inside of the Marketo template and automatically schedule the email send. With that in mind, here are a few tips to keep in mind and examples of the look and feel you can build with your Digesto email.
General Email Best Practices
Establish clear objectives for your newsletter (drive traffic? engage & nurture? convert leads?) and set measurable performance goals
Keep it focused. Avoid overloading it with too many call to actions, too much text, or too many images
Keep your email's default maximum width close to 600px. The height of the post images should not exceed 300px to avoid excessive scrolling
Use email-safe fonts. You can use Google Fonts, but also plan for a good fallback font
Go mobile first; use single column, avoid complex layouts or fixed image width and put the title on top of images so that it shows above the fold
Test your email across multiple clients and mobile devices (or ask our support team and we'll run the test for you)
Make your titles and images clickable
Have a clear call to action
Plan for image blocking: use alt text
Give it some personality: your Digest/Newsletter is a great way to deliver a strong message that reflects well on you and your brand!
Publishing Email-Friendly Posts
Articles published on your website will become the input source of the Digesto Email.
Standardize the size of featured images for a consistent design. Chose an image size that works well online and in email (to avoid blurry images)
Don't force special text alignment (ex: aligned right, justified, etc.)
Don't force special picture alignment (ex: wrapped images)
Don't force fixed sizes like height and width on images
Avoid floating text over or below images.
Known Limitations
Marketo "Forward to friend" and "View as webpage" links will not work when used with a Digesto email (API method limitation)
Your Digest (feed content) design is setup once and will repeat for each post within the email.
Access a multitude of pre-built email designs at your fingertips. Both new or existing accounts can make use of one of our sixteen professional templates, which are free and available to all subscription levels. The templates include both the Marketo Email Template and the posts layout. All templates are mobile optimized, fully compatible with Marketo emails (1.0 or 2.0). and cover for a multitude of usages: digest or full post, centered or left aligned, with or without post images, etc.
For new customers: access our templates from the Digest editor. You can’t miss that new carousel navigation bar:
For existing users, select “Change Template” to access the Gallery.
Once you have selected your Template, it will lead to one of these two paths:a) For B.Y.O. Marketo (Bring Your Own Marketo) Templates, you will be taken back to the Digest Editor - Skip to Customize Your Template section below.b) For Full Template (including the Marketo Template portion), you will be invited to select a destination Workspace for your template - Continue to Marketo Template Push.
Marketo Template Push
Once you have selected your workspace, Digesto will push the Marketo portion of your email (outline) as a new Marketo Email Template in your Design Studio.
It will appear under Design Studio -> Your Workspace -> Emails -> Templates -> “Digesto - Your Digest” Use this new template as you create your blog email and customize it there with your logo, colors, etc. using the Marketo Email Editor in Marketo.
Customize Your Template
The Dynamic portion (post layout) is still available in Digesto for you to tweak it to fit your needs using our WYSIWYG Editor.
Position your cursor in the editor and use the small tag icon to select/bring/add feed elements in your email or use the merge tags - see below.
If you wish to customize your template further, use the </> icon to toggle to "Code View" to directly edit your template HTML.
To use your own custom code, start by picking a template from our library. Pick one that is tagged "BYO" (Bring Your Own Template). Once the template opens, use the </> icon to toggle to "Code View" to directly edit your template HTML.
Position your cursor in the editor and use the small tag icon to select/bring/add feed elements in your email or use the following merge tags.
Digesto Tag | RSS Feed Element | Description |
{{ITEM-TITLE}} | <title> | Article Title |
{{ITEM-LINK}} | <link> | Article URL |
{{ITEM-DATE}} | <pubDate> | Publication Date |
{{ITEM-DESCRIPTION}} | <description> | Article Summary/Abstract (Usually text only) |
{{ITEM-CONTENT-ENCODED}} | <content:encoded> | Full Article (HTML) |
{{ITEM-AUTHOR}} | <author> or <dc:creator> | Author's name |
{{ITEM-FIRSTPOSTIMAGE-URL}} | Digesto Custom Element | URL of the first image extracted from the <description> or <content:encoded> elements |
{{ITEM-FIRSTPOSTIMAGE-IMG}} | Digesto Custom Element | Code snipped (<img...>) to embed the first image extracted from the <description> or <content:encoded> elements |
{{ITEM-IMAGE-URL}} | <enclosure> (image) | Image file enclosure URL |
{{ITEM-VIDEO-URL}} | <enclosure> (video) | Video file enclosure URL |
{{ITEM-AUDIO-URL}} | <enclosure> (audio) | Audio file enclosure URL |
{{ITEM-MEDIA-CONTENT-IMAGE-URL}} | <media:content> | Image file from media-content |
{{ITEM-MEDIA-CONTENT-IMAGE-IMG}} | <media:content> | Code snipped (<img...>) to embed the image file from media-content |
{{ITEM-CATEGORIES}} | <category> | List of categories applied to your article |
As you run a test or activate your scheduled run, it all comes together!
Live Preview
Get an instant preview of your new email with real blog content. Toggle between "Live Preview" and "Customize" mode to edit your template and immediately view the impact of your changes.