Using tables in your emails

Use the Data table block to create a table in an email and improve its readability on mobile devices

With so many ways and device types to open an email on, you want to make sure that your emails look the consistent! If you’re trying to insert a table to display an event schedule, a list of product details and prices, or just a large amount of data in multiple columns, you may want to reconsider how to display that information to your contacts.

• Why you shouldn't create tables with columns in your emails
• Why you should use the Data Table block to create a table in your emails
• Alternatives to using tables

Why you shouldn't create tables with columns in your emails

While a table created with blocks and pre-built layouts may look fine when viewing your email on a desktop, your content won’t appear properly on a mobile device. Since all of our email templates are mobile-responsive, your content is stacked from left to right, then top to bottom, to make it easier to read email on smaller screen sizes. However, if you’re attempting to create a table using columns, your column headings stack on top of each other and lose their purpose when viewed on a mobile device.

Desktop view of a table made with a column layout	Mobile view of a table made with a column layout

Why you should use the Data table block to create a table in your emails

When you're creating an email, you can insert a Data Table block to display information in a table format. Just note that when viewing on a mobile device, contacts need to scroll horizontally to see the full table if it’s wider than the screen.
 

Desktop view of a table created with a Data Table block	Mobile view of a table created with a Data table block

Alternatives to using tables

Since tables can become quite complicated, and it’s a best practice to keep your email short, the Data Table block may not be the best solution for every table. Luckily, you have options!

Insert a thumbnail image of the table

If you absolutely need to have your table visible in your email, you can create a thumbnail image of your table. The image resizes to fit the screen size of a mobile device. Your contacts with smaller screen sizes may need to pinch and zoom, but it won't have as big an impact on your overall design as not having the table. The table thumbnail can also be turned into a clickable image, or you can instead include a button with some directional text that points to the full version of your table.

• Insert a thumbnail image of a table into an email

Did you know? When you create an email from a PDF, a thumbnail image of the first page of the PDF is added to the email and it automatically includes a button that points to the PDF document stored in your Library. If you can save your table in a PDF format, this might be a quick and easy option to make your table visible.

Insert a button that points to the URL for your full table

When you have a simple call-to-action, we recommend inserting a button into your email and linking off to the full table content. A button has the added benefit of giving your contacts a chance to engage with your content, and not just scroll through it.

• Link to a website - If you have the full details of the table already displayed somewhere on your website, simply link the button to that page. This option has the added benefit of driving traffic to your site!
• Link to a PDF or Excel spreadsheet hosted in your Library - If you don't have all of the information already listed on your website, you can create the table in Excel, customize its appearance, and upload it into your Library. Then when you create your email, just link the button to the document ! When contacts click the button, they'll be able to view the full table as you intended.
• Link to a Google sheet - You can also create your table in a program like Google Sheets. It's free to use and allows you to customize how you want the table to look. You can even make the sheet "view-only," or give editing access for collaboration. When you create your email, copy the shareable link, then paste the link into your button!

Desktop view	Mobile view

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