When sending a ContactMonkey email through New Outlook, your custom preheader text may be replaced by content from the email body in the recipient's inbox preview. This article explains why this happens and shows two ways to fix it.
What is preheader text? Preheader text is the short summary that appears next to (or below) the subject line in an email inbox preview. ContactMonkey allows up to 130 characters.
Why New Outlook Changes Your Preheader Text
New Outlook fills the inbox preview using the first 130 characters of available email content. If your custom preheader text is shorter than 130 characters, New Outlook pulls HTML content from the top of your email body to fill the remaining space. Recipients then see a mix of preheader text and stray body content in their inbox.
This behavior is specific to New Outlook for Windows and Mac. Classic Outlook and most other email clients respect the custom preheader as written.
Option 1: Extend Your Preheader to 130 Characters
This is the simplest fix and requires no HTML changes.
- Open your campaign in the Email Builder
- Click the Settings tab and locate the Preheader field
- Expand the existing preheader text until reaching the 130-character maximum; use the character counter beside the field to confirm
- Click Save and Exit, then send a test email to confirm the preheader displays correctly
Tip: Use the extra characters to reinforce your subject line or add a clear call to action.
Option 2: Add Hidden HTML Padding
Use this option to keep a short, punchy preheader. The snippet below adds invisible characters that pad the preheader behind the scenes without appearing in the email itself.
- Open your campaign in the Email Builder
- Insert an HTML content block at the top of your draft
- Select the block and paste the code snippet from below
- Click Save and Exit, then send a test email to confirm the preheader displays correctly
<div style="display:none; max-height:0px; overflow:hidden;"> ‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌ ‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌ ‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌ ‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌ ‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌ ‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌ ‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌ ‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌ ‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌ ‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌ ‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌ ‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌ ‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌ </div>
The ‌ entity is a zero-width non-joiner: an invisible character that recipients cannot see, but that New Outlook counts when filling the preheader. The snippet above contains 130 of them, which is enough to push New Outlook past the threshold.
Troubleshooting
The preview still shows body content after applying Option 2.
Confirm the HTML content block is placed at the very top of the email body, before any visible content. If the snippet appears mid-email, move the snippet to the start.
The hidden <div> is visible inside the email body.
Verify the style attribute was pasted exactly. A missing display:none or overflow:hidden will cause the padding to display.