Black email templates

Importance of black in marketing

According to recent color psychology research from Straits Research, approximately 93% of consumers cite visual appearance as the primary factor influencing their purchasing decisions. According to design industry reports, black has consistently remained one of the most powerful colors marketers use in premium advertising. It continues to be one of the most impactful and versatile colors in marketing communications, representing sophistication, luxury, authority, elegance, power, exclusivity, and timelessness.

Black in email is often used for promoting luxury goods, high-end fashion, premium electronics, exclusive events, upscale restaurants, professional services, and special occasions such as Black Friday or New Year’s Eve galas.

Does it apply to email marketing too?

In email marketing, black can be the color that significantly elevates perceived value, especially when used in targeted campaigns in combination with segmentation for luxury-seeking audiences. You can also experiment by adding minimal visuals to an email with a stark black background to showcase your premium products dramatically. Use free templates for black email in this category for inspiration, while Selzy’s drag-and-drop builder will help you customize every element of their design.

Don’t have the right visuals? No problem! With Selzy’s AI image generation integration built right into our email builder, you can have a custom unique black email template design in a minute. Just type in what kind of image you need and a custom image will be generated just for you. Give your brand a sophisticated, instantly recognizable presence!

Subject line and preheader

Statistics show that using minimal, carefully chosen words in black-themed email subjects and preheaders can increase open rates by creating an air of exclusivity and mystery. But don’t make your messaging too cryptic, because unlike intriguing minimalism, complete obscurity can be considered confusing and harm your open rates.

Since black is often associated with something premium and exclusive, you can use it year-round for maximum effect — include emojis like diamond sparkles, black hearts, or simple stars in your email when appropriate for your brand voice.

With Selzy’s writing assistance built right into the drag and drop editor, you can save time crafting compelling copy for black email templates that will resonate with customers and convert them into the action you want them to take. Simply enter a prompt and select one of the available role-based models to get personalized email content and customize black email templates for your specific occasion.

Fonts and style

Try using clean sans-serif fonts in your black emails, as they emphasize the same modern sophistication and convey the same premium mood. But instead of using the same font throughout, create contrast with selective use of thin and bold weights in key elements, such as email headlines or call-to-action buttons. Also, try to integrate generous white space in your black email template to enhance the luxurious feel.

Geo targeting (not-so-obvious use of black in email)

Besides being considered a luxury color in most Western markets, dark shade has some interesting (or even surprising!) connotations in different cultures. For example, in many Asian countries, black is traditionally associated with bad luck, mourning, and negative forces, though this perception is evolving with globalization and modern design influences.

So targeting black email campaigns to certain Asian markets may require additional consideration, as traditional audiences there might not initially associate this color with the premium qualities Western consumers do.

But besides potential cultural considerations, any other “unconventional” use of black in email templates can be… your unique way to stand out!

What they didn’t tell you about black (truth revealed!)

Many people are tired of predictable marketing approaches and have developed ad blindness to those typical luxury-signaling designs that almost every premium brand wants to send them. Think about it: besides your emails, customers could potentially receive numerous other marketing messages in their inbox. If it’s Black Friday, the first few dozen emails they see are likely to use dark hue prominently. Brrr… predictable, right? But it’s a perfect opportunity for your brand to stand out!

To break through your subscribers’ ad blindness, use designs and visuals that aren’t considered “standard” for luxury or premium positioning. Set the trends instead of following them (truth is, it’s usually too late!). Besides (or instead of!) using black emails for commonly expected premium promotions, use them for unexpected occasions (or no occasion at all) — or even make this color your primary brand one for distinctive recognition.

Some companies that aren’t traditionally luxury-focused have been using dark tint in their branding to great effect. Take Spotify, for example — choosing black emails gave them a sophisticated, contemporary vibe that set them apart from other streaming services (competition is fierce!) and the more colorful tech brands.

Then there’s The New York Times, a brand that uses color brilliantly even though it’s a news organization rather than a luxury product. It fits perfectly with their authoritative, timeless positioning, which naturally conveys credibility and substance.

Finally, there’s Squarespace, a website building platform that uses black emails to stand out in a sea of tech companies that tend to use brighter, more casual tones like blue and green.

Technical things you need to know

Before you start designing custom black email templates, check accessibility standards to ensure adequate contrast between text and background. Dark-themed emails require careful attention to readability! Then it’s important to make your black email designs responsive and test how they appear in dark mode email clients. Whether you use one of Selzy’s ready-to-use email templates or create a custom design with our drag-and-drop editor, you can be sure your emails will maintain their sophisticated appearance across all devices because it’s included by default.