The preheader is the summary text that displays along with the message's subject in a recipient's inbox. The preheader gives recipients an idea of what the message is about before they open it.
NOTE: A preheader is different than a message's preview or reading pane. These often display in a separate viewing panel that recipients can choose whether to show or hide, as well as where to display the panel (e.g., below the message list).
Why use preheaders?
If you're questioning the necessity and/or value of preheaders in your messages, consider that preheaders are typically used to offer a "sneak peek" at the message content and to create interest in that content.
- The subject and the preheader should work together to generate interest in your message and encourage your recipients to open it.
TIP: You could think of the preheader as an extension of your message's subject.
- This is your chance to make a good first impression with tailored content that occupies a strategic location in your message.
- The preheader text could be what inspires the recipient to open your message — or to ignore it.
Preheaders in Message Designer messages
In Message Designer 2 (MD2), you can configure a custom preheader to be included with a message. Preheaders are managed per message, which means that each message can have a distinct and unique preheader that is tailored to:
- the specific message content and
- your organization's "voice" and "brand."
Preheader examples
The image below highlights two preheaders in a recipient's inbox.
In order to include a preheader in an MD2 message, two actions must occur.
- The Preheader feature has to be enabled in the corresponding template for the message; refer to Enable the Preheader placeholder in Template Designer, below, to learn how.
- The Preheader content has to be added while creating or editing the message, as described in Configure a preheader in Message Designer, below.
Enable the Preheader feature in Template Designer
This section describes how to enable the Preheader feature in Template Designer.
IMPORTANT: In order to be able to add a preheader to an MD2 message, the Preheader feature has to be enabled on the Design tab of the template upon which the message is built.
If the Preheader feature is not enabled, you can enable it by editing the template after navigating to either:
- the Messages > Templates page or
- the Messages > List page (and editing the message and then clicking the Template tab).
TIP: Another option is to switch the message's template to one that has the Preheader feature enabled. To learn how to do this, see Switch a Message's Template. Also, refer to TIP: Switch the template, below.
- In the following example, we'll go directly to a template to enable the Preheader feature for its messages.
To enable the Preheader feature:
- Navigate to Messages > Templates.
- Open the template that you want to edit (e.g., Sparkle Template).
- On the Design tab, click the text, Click here to add a Preheader.
NOTE: The Preheader is fixed in this location; you cannot move it to another place in the template. This ensures that the content displays as intended as the summary text in the inbox.
The Preheader feature is now enabled (as shown below) and its corresponding placeholder is available in Message Designer for each message based on this template.
- If you ever want to disable the Preheader feature for this template, return here, select the placeholder, and click the trashcan icon.
Now you can:
- manage the properties of the Preheader (described in the next section), and
- add unique preheaders for the messages that are built on this template (described in, Add a Preheader in Message Designer, below).
Configure the Preheader properties
You can manage some aspects of the Preheader in order to ensure a certain amount of consistency in how it displays in the recipients' inboxes.
- Click the Preheader placeholder on the design canvas to open the Preheader Properties panel on the left.
Build tab
- On the Content subtab, you can check the box to not have the Preheader content display in the body of messages that are built on this template.
NOTE: This setting can be overridden, per message, in Message Designer by unchecking the same-named box in the message's Preheader Properties panel.
- On the Style subtab, click the dropdown to choose a text style for the Preheader content. As you choose a style, the text in the placeholder on the canvas automatically updates to reflect the style.
Theme tab
The Theme tab is persistent within Template Designer. It controls the overall appearance of the template, not just the Preheader.
Before making changes on this tab, review Manage a Template Theme to review the settings and to ensure that you have a good understanding how any changes might affect the entire template.
- Save your changes. (Template Designer auto-saves every minute, but it's a good idea to manually save your changes.)
The next step is to add the preheader to a message as described in the next section.
Add a Preheader in Message Designer
This section describes how to add and configure a Preheader in a message.
IMPORTANT: The information in this section is dependent on the Preheader feature being enabled in the message's foundational template. If the Preheader placeholder does not display, refer to Enable the Preheader placeholder in Template Designer, above, to learn how to enable it.
- You can manage the Preheader for new and existing messages; the steps are identical. The example in this section edits a message to add a Preheader.
Preheader and no Preheader
The two images below show the same message, New MD2 in Brand 1256, but with different templates: one with the Preheader feature enabled and the other without.
With a Preheader
The text, Message Preheader Content, will be replaced by your custom Preheader content.
Without a Preheader
To add and configure a Preheader:
- Navigate to Messages > List.
- Open the message that you want to edit.
- On the Design tab, click the Message Preheader Content placeholder to select it.
NOTE: By design, the Preheader is fixed in this location; you cannot move it to another place in the message.
This opens the Preheader Properties panel on the left.
- You can check the Hide preheader in email body box to not have the Preheader content display in the body of messages that are built on this template.
NOTE: This can also be managed on the message's template, but the setting here in the message will override that template-based setting.
- Add and configure your custom Preheader content.
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| Text editor field | Type or paste the text for your Preheader right into the editor field. |
| Toolbar | Use the formatting options in the toolbar to customize (e.g., bold, italic, bullets, links, personalization) the header text. See Rich Text Editor for information about this editor. |
| AI Assistant icon | Click the AI icon in the lower left to open the AI Assistant fly-out panel on the right. See AI Assistant for information on this feature. |
| Pop-out editor icon | Click the double-diagonal arrow icon in the lower right to open the text editor in an overlay dialog which is larger and much easier to use. |
As you work, your custom text, including any formatting, automatically displays as a preview in the Preheader placeholder on the canvas.
- Click Save in the upper right of the page to preserve your changes as you work.
- Click Back in the upper right of the panel to close it and save your changes.
TIP: Switch the template
If you decide to switch a message's template to one that has the Preheader feature enabled, you don't have to open a template to check for the feature. You can easily determine which templates have the feature enabled right on the Template tab, as shown below.
- The Template tab provides a preview of the templates and the preview includes the Message Preheader Content placeholder!
- The presence of the placeholder indicates that the Preheader feature is enabled for that template — and its messages.
Related articles
- To learn how to create a template and manage your templates on their dedicated list page, see Manage Your Templates.
- Learn how to create a message, and how to manage your messages on the Messages > List page.
External resources
The following resources are provided as a courtesy if you want to learn more about preheaders. The links open in a new tab.
- Preview vs. Preheader Text: How Long Should Preheader Text Be?
- The Ultimate Guide to Email Preview Text
https://www.litmus.com/blog/the-ultimate-guide-to-preview-text-support
- What is an Email Preheader and How Can it Increase Email Open Rates?