Bullet Indentation Looks Different Post Delivery

SOLVED
Go to solution
RoannaFlowers
Campaign Collaborator
0 Votes

The behavior of the bulleted lists in Constant Contact both in edit and preview mode don't hold post delivery.  Before I send it, it looks like a normal list, one tab space, perfectly fine. I look at it in Preview, also fine. I send a test message or a live test (live email vs. test email) to a subset of users, and the bulleted list appears indented twice. I can't out tab/indent, because it's built correctly. It's just not delivering correctly. So, like the car rental place in 'Seinfeld,' it knows how to take a reservation, but not keep a reservation.

 

Is anyone else experiencing this? Is it some weird Outlook thing or some weird Constant Contact thing?

1 ACCEPTED SOLUTION
Amanda_G
Employee
0 Votes

Hi @RoannaFlowers , 

 

It does appear that this is a defect specifically with Outlook that our engineering team is aware of, and working to fix. At this time, the only known workaround we have is to recreate the block, so if that isn't working, we may just need to follow back up with you once our engineering team is able to get an update or resolution on this issue. 

 

Another possibly workaround would be to take a screenshot of the text how you'd like it to appear, and insert it into the email campaign as an image. This does only seem to be affecting Outlook users, so anyone using a different email client should have no issues with the bullet display. Again, I will absolutely tag this defect on your account, and have our engineering team reach back out with any updates. 


Amanda G.
Community & Social Care
Did I answer your question? If so, please mark my post as an "Accepted Solution" by clicking the Accept as Solution button in the bottom right hand corner of this post.

You're not alone on your email marketing journey. Connect with a Marketing Advisor to see how they can help you develop the right strategy for your business and get the most out of your Constant Contact experience.

View solution in original post

17 REPLIES 17
Caitlin_M
Administrator
0 Votes

Hi @RoannaFlowers. If you delete and re-add the text block experiencing the issue, are you able to see the correct indentation when sending the email to Outlook?

--

Caitlin M.
Community Manager
RoannaFlowers
Campaign Collaborator
0 Votes

Hi, Caitlin!

It still indents it another full tab-stop. I have even checked my Outlook defaults to make sure it didn't look weird and it doesn't. I would expect an Outlook setting to change the behavior of a Constant Contact element, but you never know.

 

I am also having an issue copy/pasting from Word (I know, but it's what my organization uses). There's a bug where the text pastes but then the Constant Contact formatting window won't display. I have had to retype messages or use Notepad as a go-between, which is adding time to the process. It's weird. 

Kyle_R
Employee
0 Votes

Hello @RoannaFlowers - What version of Outlook are you using? It's possible there is something between the version of Outlook and Constant Contact. I sent a version of your test email to my email (Gmail) and it looked as it does in preview. It does look like the color of the bullets are alternating in color ever so slightly. Are some of the bullets showing more indented than others or are they all consistently twice-indented?

 

If you happen to have a screenshot of how the section looks in Outlook, and when the Constant Contact formatting window doesn't display, that could be helpful!

RoannaFlowers
Campaign Collaborator
0 Votes

They are all twice indented. I'll attach a couple of screenshots, a before (what it looks like in CC preview) and what it looks like once it's delivered. RE: Outlook, we're on semi-annual enterprise for O365. There wasn't really a version number beyond that.What the bullets look like in edit and previewWhat the bullets look like in edit and previewWhat the bullets look like in delivered messages.What the bullets look like in delivered messages.

Caitlin_M
Administrator
0 Votes

Thank you for the screenshots and for working with us on this. Display issues can be tricky and there are a few things to take into consideration during the troubleshooting process. 

 

When you're creating the bullets, is that text being copied and pasted over (either in bullet format or plain text, say from Notepad) or typed directly into the editor and then formatted with the bullets? Just trying to make sure we're getting the exact process you're following on our end so we can do more testing.

--

Caitlin M.
Community Manager
RoannaFlowers
Campaign Collaborator
0 Votes

Both. I'll do a test one of each and provide screenshots shortly. Because we use customized headers and footers, I typically copy a previous email and replace the text. I had a delivery error issue that took from December - March (our issue). This isn't something that occurred up to that point, but only noticed after I started using Constant Contact again in May. I'll do another test, including testing a new template and a full rebuild to see if the issue is the template or something else.

Frankie_P
Employee
0 Votes

Thanks for following up with these details! We have seen cases where text or bullets can display incorrectly due to problematic formatting from copied text or text blocks. So please do let us know how the bullets appear after doing these troubleshooting steps.


Frankie.P
Community & Social Media Support

Did I answer your question? If so, please mark my post as an "Accepted Solution" by clicking the Accept as Solution button in the bottom right hand corner of this post.

You're not alone on your email marketing journey. Connect with a Marketing Advisor to see how they can help you develop the right strategy for your business and get the most out of your Constant Contact experience.
RoannaFlowers
Campaign Collaborator
0 Votes

Ok! I performed another test. I used:

  • A fresh blank basic email template
  • Typed in text and bulleted (no copy/paste)

When I opened it up, it still looks double-tabbed: 

Double-tabbed even from a blank template.jpg

RoannaFlowers
Campaign Collaborator
0 Votes

And just to confirm the following:

  • Looks normal when in edit and preview modes. Standard bulleted list at a single tab position
  • Live test performed to a tiny subset of users, not using the built-in test mode.
Amanda_G
Employee
0 Votes

Hi @RoannaFlowers , 

 

It does appear that this is a defect specifically with Outlook that our engineering team is aware of, and working to fix. At this time, the only known workaround we have is to recreate the block, so if that isn't working, we may just need to follow back up with you once our engineering team is able to get an update or resolution on this issue. 

 

Another possibly workaround would be to take a screenshot of the text how you'd like it to appear, and insert it into the email campaign as an image. This does only seem to be affecting Outlook users, so anyone using a different email client should have no issues with the bullet display. Again, I will absolutely tag this defect on your account, and have our engineering team reach back out with any updates. 


Amanda G.
Community & Social Care
Did I answer your question? If so, please mark my post as an "Accepted Solution" by clicking the Accept as Solution button in the bottom right hand corner of this post.

You're not alone on your email marketing journey. Connect with a Marketing Advisor to see how they can help you develop the right strategy for your business and get the most out of your Constant Contact experience.
RoannaFlowers
Campaign Collaborator
0 Votes

Thank you, Amanda. An image won't work for accessibility reasons (and legibility - even a high quality jpeg isn't the best with text). Appreciate you flagging it as a bug. It'll be nice when this is fixed! 

DeniseN854
Rookie

Hi Amanda, 

 

This is still happening and it's been almost two years. Can you please resubmit this glitch edit to the support team? 

 

Thank you

HCCNH
Campaign Contributor

This is still an issue, years later. It only affects the desktop version of Outlook email in our case. It looks awful.

HCCNH
Campaign Contributor

I am having the same issue with Outlook and also some webmail programs. It really looks unprofessional.

Gmail looks normal, unless someone forwards it to an Outlook app user:

GmailGmailOutlookOutlook

RoannaFlowers
Campaign Collaborator

I agree! It's not a good look. Either having this fixed or giving us more control over bulleted sections and tabbing is needed.

UCLACHPR
Rookie
0 Votes

Any update on this? It's been two years and this issue has not been resolved.

user26191
Rookie
0 Votes

I also am having this issues. 

Has this been fixed?

  • Avatar

    Featured Article

    Use Sections to Build Email Campaigns Faster and Improve Engagement Rates

    Using Sections while designing your marketing email not only increases your own efficiency but helps you to deliver a more friendly, organized message. Check out some of the key benefits of using sections in email.

    See Article
  • Avatar

    Featured Thread

    Casual Conversations: What's your go-to playlist?

    If you listen to music while you work, share your playlist below so we can be inspired and maybe find some new music!

    View thread
  • Avatar

    Featured Thread

    Ready, Set, Send Reflections

    The Ready, Set, Send Challenge has finished! Let's reflect on the wins and accomplishments over the last six weeks.

    Join challenge
Updates
Just Getting Started?

We’re here to help you grow. With how-to tutorials, courses, getting-started guides, videos and step-by-step instructions to start and succeed with Constant Contact.

Start Here

73% of SMBs express doubt that their marketing strategy is effective. Does this sound familiar? Read our Small Business Now Report to learn how you can tweak your strategy to see better results.

Go read our article
Upcoming Webinars
NOV 14
Tis' the Season for Last-Minute Holiday Marketing
2PM - 3PM EST