Email Specifications

• All materials must be received to the specifications outlined in this document, otherwise your campaign may be delayed.
• You will receive a materials-reminder email 10 business days prior to the scheduled deploy date. You will receive two additional reminders up to 3 days prior to the scheduled deploy date. Please ensure materials are received no later as materials received after your 3rd and final reminder may postpone your campaign.
• Please send the HTML file & the supporting images in a compressed zipped file to NTMemails@ntmllc.com. This is to ensure your files are scanned by our incoming-email security protocols to guard against corrupt files. Due to security regulations Do Not Send .sit files or links to 3rd party sites – we cannot download materials from websites due to cyber-security protocols.
• UK & European clients, please send materials to CATproduction@ntmllc.com
• Please also include your campaign’s subject line and preheader text (optional, but highly recommended) with your materials. For more information, see the subsequent section on Subject Line & Preheader Text

• Coding for email is not like coding for a website. Because each email client (Outlook, Gmail, AOL, etc.) separately controls how coded HTML will render in their email environment, coding standards are much more simplified and elementary. For example, external CSS is not allowed in email coding although it is widely used in website coding. For email, the general rule of thumb is “code like it’s 1995”. For more information on email coding best practices, please see the subsequent section on General Email Design Best Practices. If you are using a 3rd party email builder like Litmus, Unlayer, Stripo, or other email building software, simply export the HTML and image files to send to us.
• The maximum combined weight of your HTML file + image files cannot exceed 300kb as our email marketing platform will not deploy above that limit. Image files received above the maximum limit will be attempted to be re-sized by the Email Coordinator; however, this may delay deployment of your campaign. Also, please be advised that re-sizing will result in reduced quality of the image.
• Creative must be HTML-5 compliant & supported by the most recent browsers, and for up to 2 versions prior. This is to ensure our audience can engage with your campaign using any version of the most widely accepted browsers currently in use.
• All click-through URLs must be hardcoded into the HTML file received. Only fully qualified and properly formatted URLs may be used (example: https://www.ntmllc.com/).
• All tracking codes and/or tags must also be hardcoded as part of the click-through URL in the HTML file received. All testing of tracking mechanism must be done by client prior to sending materials to NTG. Do not send separate files with third-party trackers - NTG cannot implement and test third-party tracking. NTG will provide metrics reports as proof of deploy and performance, but will not guarantee tracking by any third-party vendor or offer any make-goods for non-functioning third-party tags.
• Map all images locally within the HTML file or use a third-party hosting environment as a placeholder for the image path. All images will be transferred to an NTG environment for hosting when building your campaign.
• When possible, ensure all links and assets are SSL compliant so browsers can render the creative properly in all environments and to avoid your landing page being blocked by users trying to click through your email. This refers to both your email materials as well as all materials used on your landing page(s). NTG will not deploy any email where clicking-through to your landing page or website is blocked by security protocols. For more information on SSL compliance, please visit: https://support.google.com/richmedia/answer/6015286?hl=en

• Maximum File Size: 300KB (HTML + Images) - YOUR MAILING CANNOT BE SENT BY OUR SYSTEM IF IT EXCEEDS 300KB
• Maximum Pixel Width: 600 pixels
• Use inline styling (within each HTML element) or internal styling (embedded within tags). External Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) are not allowed in email.
• Use only basic, cross-platform fonts such as Arial, Verdana, Georgia, Times New Roman, or other web-safe fonts.
• All click-through URLs and tracking tags/pixels are required to be embedded into the HTML file.
• Ensure all image dimensions (height, width) noted in the HTML code match the dimensions for that specific image. Optimize & save all images for webview.

• Image formats allowed: GIF, JPG, PNG (no PDFs or WEBPs)
• Maximum Width: 600 pixels
• All graphics used must be 72dpi
• Map all images locally within the HTML file or use a third-party hosting environment as a placeholder for the image path. All images will be transferred to an NTG environment for hosting when building your campaign.

• NO Animation – all images must be static
• NO Embedded Video – instead use a static first frame or preview image of your video and link out to a hosted site. (i.e. hosted video on your website, YouTube, Vimeo, etc.)
• NO Background images, nested background colors or background colors outside of table structure
• NO Map tags
• NO Javascript, Flash, Script Tags, or other plugins
• NO PDF files
• NO Image Layers
• NO External CSS (Cascading Style Sheets)
• NO CSS Floats, CSS Positioning

Email Client Rendering Disclaimer

• Maximum limit of 50 characters, including spaces.
• Most important message should appear in the first 5 to 7 words.
• Avoid using words that may trigger SPAM algorithms. For such words to avoid, and other subject line best practices, please read Ultimate List of Email Spam-Trigger Words
• HTML is not allowed in subject line, but we can accommodate personalization.
• Use special characters and emojis sparingly as we cannot guarantee they will work in all email clients and you run the risk of your subject line not rendering properly.
• We recommend sending a preheader to work with the subject line - with a maximum limit of 75 characters, including spaces. Depending on the recipient’s email client, the number of characters visible in their inbox may vary.

• Text to Image Ratio – avoid relying on images and use HTML-text wherever possible. Strive for 80% text to 20% images in every email. This will help improve deliverability (based on weight of email) since image-heavy emails are spam triggers. It will also help improve engagement since images will appear blank in email until downloaded. HTML-text helps improve readability of your email communication.
• Alt Text – use of alt-text in every image greatly improves readability, allowing for your image’s meaning to be communicated even when images don’t load. This is especially helpful for people with visual impairments who may rely on e-readers to understand your email communication.
• High-color images and photos – use JPG format. JPGs should be web optimized for the images to be sized appropriately.
• Image Transparency – only save images as PNG if you need transparency.
• All images should be sliced where it is practical for display within the email.
• Avoid words that may trigger spam algorithms in the body of your email content. Use email to “get the click” to your website. Avoid overly verbose emails.
• Strive to make your emails accessible to all consumers who may have visual impairments. For more information on Email Accessibility, please read Email Accessibility: A Complete Guide for Marketers, Designers, and Developers.

Seed Lists

Suppression Lists

• NTG will accept suppression lists to be excluded from the mailing.
• Suppression lists need to be in .csv format. Please ensure the first column in the first row of the file is labeled “Email” per the example below:

*First and Last Name data can be excluded but you must provide an email address at minimum.


• NTG requires 10 business days advanced notice for suppression lists exceeding 10,000 names or lists that require scrubbing by a 3rd party vendor. NTM will make every attempt to accommodate any requests that come in after this deadline, but will not guarantee that the lists will be ready in time for your campaign’s deployment date. In this case, the mailing can either be deployed without the suppression list or rescheduled for the next available mailing date, whichever the client prefers.
• Please note that 3rd party vendors are required to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA). NTG will not release any lists without a signed NDA.
• Target distribution list must be confirmed 5 days prior to deployment. NTG will not guarantee any changes received after this deadline.

Opt-Out Policy

Northstar Travel Group provides opt-out capabilities against its audience list in each email. For clients who wish to maintain their own opt-out database, you may choose to use the copy below within the unsubscribe-content of the email. Any deviation from the language outlined below must be pre-approved by the Digital Production Department.

Text below to be used if providing a direct opt-out along with NTG’s:
This email is being sent by Northstar Travel Group on behalf of --CLIENT--. If you wish to unsubscribe from future supplier promotions sent by Northstar please click on the link at the bottom of this email. If you wish to unsubscribe from --CLIENT-- directly, please CLICK HERE.

If you wish to manage your email’s opt-outs separately from NTG, you must provide a working link for managing those unsubs to be used in the copy above.