Building emails is like performing a magic show for an audience where every person has unique capabilities. Some speak English, others Spanish or maybe Japanese, and a few use sign language. They’re watching the show from their phones, their laptops or their smart watches. And there’s always that one person who hooked up an AI to get just the highlights.

You pull out a carrier pigeon and some see it as round while others see it as square. A few swear there’s just an empty space where the pigeon should be. And there’s someone in the audience who only agreed to watch the show if they could sit at a table and didn’t stop complaining until they got moved.

What do you do as a seasoned magician? You don’t get flustered. You find a way to include every person, every odd request, and make sure your show is a hit.

For those of us who build emails, this magic show scenario is similar to our challenges. There are at least 10 different versions of Outlook out there, just as many flavors of Gmail, and each one interprets things a little differently. We’re still tied to table layouts because of outdated features.

I want to help you optimize your emails for this reality. I’ll be presenting a session at Connections 2026 where I’ll walk through a framework for building email templates that are accessible, functional in dark mode and resilient across every inbox client. Here’s a preview of my framework’s three pillars with tips you can start using right away.

1. Stop sending emails nobody can read

Accessibility in email is respect in the form of code. Every user has the right to read your content, but when it’s hidden behind an image that doesn’t load or a generic button with no formatting, we’re leaving people behind.

In Mexico, where I live, 8.8 million people live with a disability, and 4 million of them experience blindness or visual impairment. If your email is built mostly with images, a significant portion of your audience will never see your message since many clients block images by default for new subscribers.

Start by using semantic HTML, real headings (<h1>, <h2>), paragraphs with <p>, and descriptive alt text on every non-decorative image. Stop using “click here” on your buttons. Every link’s text should tell the reader what will happen when they click.

2. Join the ”dark side” in email

More than half of your subscribers read their emails in dark mode because it reduces eye strain. 

Export your images as PNGs with transparent backgrounds so your image blends better with the email’s background color. It’ll look way more natural.

Your logo is the essence of your brand. Don’t let it disappear in dark mode. Add a border or a glow matching the email’s background color. I know what you’re going to say: “This goes against my brand guidelines.” Don’t think of it as breaking your brand – think of it as expanding it.

Create a section in your brand guide for email and dark mode. Some brands didn’t do this in time, and their logos ended up vanishing against dark backgrounds or showing white edges that break user experience.

3. Put your best face forward in every inbox

This is where progressive enhancement comes in. You send one version of your email, but each client interprets it differently. Apple Mail will render your rounded buttons with shadows and custom typography. Outlook will give you a rectangular button.

Start by understanding how each email client works and design in layers. Your base should work perfectly in the most limited client, and from there you add enhancements that only activate where supported. CanIEmail.com is your best ally for knowing exactly what each client understands: border-radius, web fonts, flexbox, you name it.

AI can be your friend or your adversary. Gmail, Outlook, and iOS now use LLMs to generate summaries that show up before the reader even opens your email. Where does the AI pull that information from? Your live text and semantic code. If all your content lives inside images, the AI works blind and ends up making things up or ignoring your message.

Every magician saves the best tricks for the live show. In my session “Accessible Template for Every Inbox Client“ at CNX26, I’ll go deeper into this framework. If you build emails in Agentforce Marketing or just want your emails to stop looking broken in Outlook, I’ll see you there.