Adding an anchor link

Anchor links let readers jump to specific sections within your email with a single click — useful for long newsletters, product catalogs, or event agendas with multiple sections.

Email client compatibility

What happens when anchor links don't work?

When a recipient's email client does not support anchor links, clicking the link typically does nothing, or in some cases opens the link in a browser. The email itself still displays normally.

Adding anchor links in the Email builder

The Email builder handles the technical details automatically.

Step 1: Add headings to your email

Add heading elements (H1, H2, H3, or H4) wherever you want readers to be able to jump to. These headings automatically become available as anchor targets.

Step 2: Create a link and select "Anchor"

1. Select the text or button you want to turn into an anchor link
2. Click the link icon in the toolbar
3. In the link type dropdown, select "Anchor"

Step 3: Choose which heading to link to

A list of all headings in your email appears, in the order they appear in the message. Each entry shows the visible heading text. Click the heading you want to link to.

Step 4: Insert the link

Click "Insert link" and you're done! The anchor link is now active in your email.

A few things to note:

• The anchor list updates automatically when you add, remove, or edit headings
• Empty headings won't appear in the list
• Each heading gets a unique anchor name to avoid duplicates
• Anchor names are generated automatically and cannot be customised in the Email builder. Use the HTML editor if you need custom names.

Adding anchor links in the HTML editor (advanced)

If you are working in the HTML editor, create anchor links manually.

Step 1: Creating the anchor target:

Add an empty link element with both id  and name  attributes to an empty link element where you want people to land:

<a id="section1" name="section1"></a>

Step 2: Creating the link:

Use a hash symbol (# ) followed by your anchor ID:

<a href="#section1">Jump to Section 1</a>

Technical notes:

• Keep anchor IDs short (max 20 alphanumeric characters) for Outlook compatibility
• Use only letters, numbers, and hyphens in anchor IDs
• Always include both id  and name  attributes for maximum compatibility
• Always use an empty link element -  not a heading or div - as the anchor target.
• Make sure each anchor ID is unique within your email

When to use anchor links

Anchor links work well for:

• Long newsletters with multiple articles or sections
• Product catalogues where you want to create category navigation
• Event invitations with detailed agendas
• Emails primarily viewed on desktop, where client support is stronger.

Skip anchor links if:

• Your audience is mostly mobile - support in mobile email apps is poor.
• Your email is short enough to scroll through easily.
• You are sending to corporate audiences - many corporate email systems block anchor links for security reasons.
• The navigation is critical - anchor links should always be an enhancement, not a dependency.

Alternatives to anchor links

If anchor links are not the right fit for your campaign, consider these approaches:

• Send shorter, more focused emails. Break a long email into multiple shorter ones, each covering a single topic.
• Use segmentation. Send different content to different groups so each person receives a shorter, more relevant email.
• Link to landing pages. Keep your email brief and link out to your website for the full content. This also gives you better click tracking.
• Use clear section headers. Prominent headings, spacing, and visual dividers make an email easy to scan without clickable navigation.

Testing before you send

1. Send test emails to yourself in multiple email clients.
2. Check the anchor links on both desktop and mobile.
3. Pay attention to the clients your audience uses most - check your campaign reports to see what is popular.
4. Consider sending to a small test segment first.

Troubleshooting common issues

The anchor list is empty

If you do not see any anchors available when creating a link, check that you have added heading blocks (H1, H2, H3, or H4) with text content to your email. Empty headings do not appear in the list.

The anchor link does not work in testing

Check the compatibility table above for the email client you are testing in. If it does not work in certain clients, that is expected. For reliable testing, use Apple Mail or Thunderbird.

I need custom anchor names

The Email builder generates anchor names automatically. If you need custom names, use the HTML editor instead.

Accessibility

• Use clear, descriptive link text that tells readers where they will land — for example, "Jump to product features" rather than "Click here".
• Ensure sufficient colour contrast between link text and background.
• Test with a screen reader, if possible, to confirm the navigation makes sense.