Email Header Design: What to Put Above the Fold (and What to Leave Out)

Quick answer: A good ecommerce email header contains three things: your logo, a headline that says what the email is about and a call to action button. All three should fit above the fold, so they're visible on mobile and desktop without scrolling. If the email has a discount code, the code belongs there too. We don't put a navigation bar in the header. In our tests, menu links worked better in the footer area, and a nav bar in the header only pushes the point of the email down.

Open almost any brand's latest campaign on your phone.

There's a logo. Then a row of menu links. Then a big lifestyle photo. And somewhere below that, if you scroll, you finally find out what the email is about.

Most people don't scroll that far. They glance at the top of the email, don't see a reason to keep going and move on.

The header is the part of the email everyone sees. Here's how we design it.

By Emiel Dingemans, Founder of Magicianly

Updated November 2026

What Is an Email Header?

The email header is the top section of a marketing email: everything someone sees right after opening it, before they scroll. In our view, its job is simple. It has to make it instantly clear what the email is about and what to do next.

That's different from the technical email header (the sender, subject and routing information your inbox reads). This article is about the designed part at the top of your campaigns and flows.

What Should Be in an Email Header?

We put three things in almost every header:

• Your logo. So people recognize the brand right away. Keep it small. It doesn't need to take up a third of the screen.
• A headline. One clear line that says what the email is about. A new product, a restock, a sale, a guide. If someone reads only the headline, they should know why you emailed them.
• A call to action button. One button that tells people what happens next, like Shop The Collection or Find My Shade.

If the email has a discount code, add the code to the header as well. A code hidden halfway down the email is a code a lot of people never see.

Everything else can come after the header. The header's only job is to make the point of the email clear and give people a way to act on it.

Why Do We Never Put a Navigation Bar in the Header?

Because it pushes the real header down.

A row of menu links (Shop Women, Shop Men, New In, Sale) takes up space at the very top of the email. That's the most valuable space you have. Every pixel it uses is a pixel your headline and button don't get. On a phone, that can be the difference between the call to action showing up on the first screen or not.

Our own tests showed that navigation and menu links work better in the footer area than in the header. People who scroll to the bottom of an email are still looking for a reason to click, and that's where a row of category links helps them. At the top, people want to know what the email is about, not browse your whole store.

So we basically never use a navigation bar in the header. We put the category links in the email footer instead.

How Tall Should an Email Header Be?

As tall as fits above the fold, and no taller.

There's no fixed pixel height that works for every brand. What matters is the result: your logo, headline, call to action button and discount code (if there is one) should all be visible without scrolling, on mobile and on desktop.

Mobile is usually the hard one. A header that looks spacious on a laptop can push the button off the first screen of a phone. That's why we always check the header on both before an email goes out, and design the mobile view on purpose instead of letting the desktop version shrink.

What Is the Biggest Email Header Mistake?

A huge hero image with the headline and the button underneath it.

We see it all the time. The email opens with a big, beautiful photo that fills the whole first screen. The headline, the offer and the call to action sit below it. To find out what the email is about, people have to scroll.

And most people don't.

The image might look great in the design file. But if it takes up the entire first screen and doesn't tell people what the email is about, it's costing you attention. The fix is usually simple: make the image smaller, or put the headline and button above it or on top of it, so the first screen explains the email on its own.

We cover the wider version of this idea in our email design best practices.

Does Every Email Need a Designed Header?

No. Plain-text emails, like a short note from the founder, don't need one. They work because they look like a personal email, and a logo and a big button would ruin that.

For designed campaigns and flows, yes. Here's how we decide between the two in plain-text vs designed emails.

How Do You Know If Your Email Header Is Working?

Open your last five campaigns on your phone, and don't scroll.

For each one, ask:

• Can you tell what the email is about?
• Can you see the call to action button?
• If there's a discount, can you see the code?

If the answer is no for any of them, start with the header. Then watch your email click rate on the next sends. If you want to compare two header versions properly, run it as an email A/B test instead of judging by feel.

What Tool Do We Use to Design Email Headers?

We design all our emails in Figma, including every header. It lets us lay out the mobile and desktop views side by side, so we can see exactly what fits above the fold before anything gets built in Klaviyo.

So What Makes a Good Email Header?

• Logo, headline and call to action button. That's the standard.
• Everything above the fold, on mobile and desktop.
• The discount code above the fold too, if there is one.
• No navigation bar in the header. Menu links go in the footer.
• No giant hero image that pushes the point of the email out of sight.

The first screen is the only part of the email you know people will see. Make it count.