Overview
Templates are customizable layouts for your emails that ensure consistent design and brand reinforcement across multiple campaigns.
Not only do templates streamline your workflow, but they also save valuable time. For example, if you’re planning a student search series, you can create a template for the entire campaign. When building individual emails, simply select the template and modify the text, images, and call-to-action buttons as needed.
Flexibility is a key advantage of templates. They are fully editable, both during creation and after loading them for individual emails, allowing easy adaptation to your specific campaign needs.
In this article, you’ll learn:
What templates are and how to use them
How to create and customize a new template
How to edit and manage existing templates
Creating Templates
Step 1: Create a Template
Step 1: Create a Template
Navigate to Engagement > Campaigns > Templates. This will open your templates library.
Click the + New Design Template button in the top right corner of the header. The new template side sheet will open.
Replace 'Untitled Template' in the header with a name for your template.
Next, you can select either the "default" or "custom" tab
Default Templates: These give you a head start by organizing content areas by columns and rows where you’ll add text, images, and other elements. You’ll also be able to adjust the background and other colors. Keep in mind that templates do not lock you into their original format. For example, if you pick a 1-column template, you can add another column and rows below it later.
Custom Templates: These are templates that a team member has already created. They’re a great starting point if you want to refresh a previous campaign.
Step 2: Adjust + Manage Content Elements
Step 2: Adjust + Manage Content Elements
To customize, duplicate, or delete an element, click the element and the relevant icon that appears in the top right corner of the content row.
To preview your template, click on the "Preview" tab at the top right of the content editor. You can choose to preview in mobile, tablet, or desktop versions.
Step 3: Configure Email Components + Settings
Step 3: Configure Email Components + Settings
Settings
Click the gear icon to access Settings for the email. Here, you can select a background image for the email or a background color. You can also choose up to two fonts that you would like to use in the email.
Email Components
Our campaign builder has several email components with pre-built blocks to choose from for your templates. Click on the blocks you want to add. You can move them by dragging them to a different location in the template.
Rows: Your template is broken into rows and columns.
Rows contain a set number of columns, which can contain multiple elements.
Elements are things like text, images, and buttons. You can think of elements as columns in a row. For example, if you choose a three-column row, you would have three element boxes side by side.
Ruler: Use this communication element to create space and separate parts of your message. After adding the ruler, double-click it to customize the following features: Color, Width, and Margins,
Add a Row or Pre-Built Block
Click the plus “+” button in the top left and select to add a row, separator, or one of Element451’s pre-built content blocks. If you are adding a row, select the number of columns and think of each column as an element of content. For one text box and a button, choose two columns, one for the text and one for the button.
Column Components Within a Row
Text: This is a text area that you can leave blank for the person entering content into the email or double-click to enter actual or placeholder text.
The text editor contains basic formatting options, including fonts (select two in the template settings first). You can also use tokens to personalize messages with a recipient’s first name, for example. Learn more about tokens here.
Image: When you add an image element, you will be able to select an image that has already been uploaded to the media manager or upload a new image.
To adjust the settings of the image (e.g., make it clickable or change alignment) click on the image and then on the gear icon (Settings) that appears in the top right. The Image Settings menu will appear. Here you can make your adjustments. You can also change an image by putting your cursor over the image and clicking “Remove File.” The image will be removed, and you can then click “Select File” to choose a new one.
Button: When you add a button, a default version will first appear. Click on the button and then the gear icon (Settings) in the top right to further edit. You can change the text, add the URL that the button should link to, adjust the shape and size, and make other adjustments from this sidebar. Note: “Fit” refers to how the text fits in relationship to the button and the button to the element container it’s in.
Regular fits the button to the length of the text.
Expanded fits the button to the size of the element.
Edit a Row
Click outside the row’s elements but still in the row. The row will be highlighted in purple, and several options will appear. You can duplicate or delete the block using the icons at the top right of the block or click settings to edit it further. Some of these setting options are described in greater detail below.
Wrap in Centered Container - This setting allows you to adjust the container around the row of elements. If set to Yes, you can edit the container further under the “Advanced Settings” dropdown menu.
Layout - change the number and layout of elements in the row
Padding - sets the padding inside the row or container element
Margins (Row Only) - sets the margins around the row
File - select a background image for the row itself. Alignment, repeat, and size options are the same as when adjusting a background image in the full template
Transparent - To choose a color to fill in where the image does not uncheck this box
To save your template, click the "save" button.
Your changes will be automatically saved, but you also have the option to click the “Save” button at any time.
There are many options to help you create designs that match your vision. It may seem like a lot at first, but each of the elements described below is customized in a similar way. You’ll soon become familiar with how things work.
The best way to learn how to use templates is to practice creating a few while using this guide.
Managing Templates
Your saved templates can be found in Engagement > Campaigns > Templates.
Each template card includes a preview of the following information: when it was created and last edited and who was the last to edit. Additionally, you can click on the three dots to the right of the template to preview, duplicate, add to a one-time communication, or delete.
Applying a Template to a Campaign
When creating a new Campaign, it's easy to apply a template. Custom templates are selected in the Configure Email section of the Campaign editor.
Email Templates in the Packs Library
The Packs Library contains email templates built for a wide variety of use cases. You can view these by navigating to Data + Automations > Packs > Library. Select “Templates and Design” in the category filter to narrow the list of available Packs to just email templates.
The Campaigns Module is only available with the Element Ignite and Engage packages.