{"id":28984,"date":"2021-05-14T14:11:11","date_gmt":"2021-05-14T18:11:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/?p=28984"},"modified":"2023-02-27T16:55:07","modified_gmt":"2023-02-27T21:55:07","slug":"the-fold-in-email","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/the-fold-in-email","title":{"rendered":"Email marketing assumptions: I need to keep email content above the fold"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\t
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Last month, we kicked off a series on revisiting some common marketing assumptions by looking at whether marketers should use single or double opt-in<\/a> signup methods. This week, we\u2019re looking at one of the most pervasive assumptions in both the web and email world:<\/p>\n

I need to keep important content \u201cabove the fold.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

What is the fold?<\/h2>\n

Whether you\u2019re brand new to digital marketing or have been around for decades (like some of us), you\u2019ve likely heard of \u201cthe fold.\u201d The fold is a relic of the print news world, where newspapers are physically folded in half when shipped and displayed at newsstands around the world. Traditionally, the most important headlines and content\u2014along with the newspaper masthead\u2014were printed \u201cabove the fold.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"The
The news of the Titanic sinking displayed above the fold in The New York Times<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In the digital world, the concept of the fold has carried over to mean the bottom of a screen. Anything displayed on a screen without requiring a user to scroll is above the fold, while everything displayed after scrolling is below the fold.<\/p>\n

Marketing assumptions have long held that the most important information on a web page or in an email should be displayed above the fold so that users don\u2019t need to scroll to find it. But\u2026<\/p>\n

Does the fold still matter?<\/h2>\n

Back in 2016, we published our own article on why it\u2019s time to say goodbye to the fold in email<\/a>. Our working thesis was that people are now so used to scrolling\u2014the result of years of computer use and mobile\u2019s dominance\u2014that the fold doesn\u2019t really exist anymore. It\u2019s all about the scroll.<\/p>\n

In 2021, that mostly holds up. If anything, people are more used to scrolling through content\u2014including emails\u2014than ever before. Apps like Instagram and TikTok have trained people\u2019s thumbs to be constantly on the move, and that behavior has carried over into web browsing and the inbox, too.<\/p>\n

The Nielsen Norman Group, a well-known usability firm, released a study<\/a> comparing scrolling and reading behavior between 2010 and 2018. They found that, while only 20% of time was spent below the fold in the past, 43% of people\u2019s time is spent below the fold more recently.<\/p>\n

\"percentage
Source: Nielsen Norman Group<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

So, it seems like the data backs up the death of the fold. However, the same study makes a point of calling out the fact that people still don\u2019t scroll that much<\/em>. The study essentially used long pages grouped as \u201cscreenfuls.\u201d In 2010, 80% of time was spent in the first three screenfuls of content. More recently, that has increased<\/em> to 81% of time. Yep, just one percentage point more.<\/p>\n

So, it might be more accurate to say that the fold has turned from the bottom of a screen into a few swipes of the thumb instead.<\/p>\n

It all depends<\/h2>\n

Our current take on this longstanding marketing assumption is: It depends. Just like everything else in email marketing, huh?<\/p>\n

The fold exists to some extent, but it\u2019s moved down below the physical constraints of our device screens. However, people still tend to spend more time higher up on a page or email. So, it makes sense to still highlight key information sooner in an email.<\/p>\n

Although folks have gotten used to scrolling\u2014especially with the longform email newsletter renaissance\u2014there\u2019s no guarantee that subscribers will scroll to the bottom of your email. If your goal is to get them to take some action, put your call-to-action front and center in your email campaign. First impressions matter, so use the limited time a subscriber spends in an email<\/a> to get them to do what you want.<\/p>\n

If you are creating longer emails, there are a variety of ways to encourage subscribers to scroll all the way through, including:<\/p>\n