Email header: the strip at the top of your email, and the one you can't see
The strip at the top of every email, usually your logo and a few links. Keep it small, because it sits on the best space in the email.
- 054Header
- The top section of an email, often containing the logo, navigation links, and sometimes the preheader text.
- Usually holds
- Your logo, a few shop links, sometimes a delivery or returns line
- Built as
- A block saved as universal content in Klaviyo, so one edit can change every email
- Not the same as
- The technical headers inboxes read: sender, route and authentication results
On a phone, the header is spending your offer's space
Open your last campaign on your phone. Whatever the header takes up is space your headline and button didn't get, and on a small screen that's a good chunk of the first view. Your reader already knows who it's from. The sender name told them.
So the header's job is recognition, then getting out of the way. A logo at a sensible size, linked to your homepage. A few links if they help. Klaviyo's own advice on its header bar block is to go easy on links, because too many make an email look crowded.
Which header suits which email
| The email | The header | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A campaign | Logo and a few shop links | It gives anyone who doesn't fancy this offer another way in |
| A cart or checkout reminder | Logo only | There's one job, and a menu only distracts from it |
| Order and delivery emails | Logo and a help or returns link | It's what people opening them are looking for |
| A plain note from the founder | None | A letter doesn't come with a menu |
Same look everywhere, different contents. The logo and colours stay put. The links change with the job.
The other email header, the one Gmail reads first
There's a second meaning, and it matters more than your logo. Every email carries a block of hidden lines that mailbox providers read before they decide where it lands.
- From and reply-to: who the email says it's from
- Received lines: every server it passed through on the way
- Authentication results: whether SPF, DKIM and DMARC passed
- List-Unsubscribe: the line behind the unsubscribe link Gmail shows beside your name
The FTC's CAN-SPAM guide says the from, reply-to and routing details must be accurate and identify who sent the message. If yours are failing authentication, start with SPF, DKIM and DMARC for Klaviyo.
Related terms
FAQs
Should the logo in an email header link to the homepage?
Yes. People tap logos out of habit, so give the tap somewhere useful to go. The homepage is fine, or your bestsellers if that's where new visitors usually start. Make sure the link's tracked like the rest, so those clicks show up in your reporting.
How do I see the full header of an email?
In Gmail, open the email, use the menu beside the reply button and choose Show original. In Apple Mail, open the View menu, then Message, then Raw Source. Outlook calls it View message source. You'll see who sent it, the route it took and whether its authentication passed.
Should flow emails use the same header as campaigns?
Same look, different contents. Keep the logo and colours, so every email's recognisably yours. Strip the navigation out of single-job emails like cart reminders, and never put a dated offer into a header that's shared across flows, because it'll outlive the offer.
Rather we explained it on your own account?
Bring your Klaviyo account to a growth consultation. We'll walk through what this means for your numbers, in plain English, and what we'd fix first.
Half an hour with Theo, our founder.
We're all about relationships built on trust, mutual respect and a shared vision for success. If that sounds like your vibe, let's make some waves together 🌊
