Email templates overview

A template is an email you build once and reuse — in a campaign, in a workflow, or as the starting point for a one-off send. Rather than rebuilding your layout every time you have something to send, you design it once, save it, and pull it in wherever you need it. This article covers the two ways to build one, where the template library fits in, and how folders keep a growing collection organized.

#Two ways to build an email

Every template starts from one of two editors:

Drag-and-drop builder — a visual editor where you assemble an email from pre-built elements (text, image, button, divider, product, spacer, and more) by dragging them onto a canvas. This is the right choice for almost every marketing or newsletter-style email — no code needed, and what you see in the editor is close to what recipients see in their inbox. Covered in full in Build an email template with the drag-and-drop builder.

Plain text / code editor — a simpler editor for sending as raw text, or for pasting in custom HTML if you (or a designer) have hand-coded a layout. Plain text emails tend to read as more personal and less "marketing," which is often the right call for one-to-one style outreach, sales follow-ups, or transactional-feeling messages where a heavily designed layout would feel off. The code option is for advanced users who want full control over markup that the drag-and-drop builder doesn't expose.

Neither option is universally "better" — match the tool to the message. A promotional announcement with a product image and a call-to-action button belongs in the drag-and-drop builder. A quick personal note from a salesperson belongs in plain text.

Screenshot coming soon

Template creation screen showing the choice between drag-and-drop and plain text/code

#The template library

Rather than starting every template from a blank canvas, the platform ships with a library of pre-built templates organized by industry and use case (restaurant, real estate, accounting, and more, alongside general-purpose layouts like newsletters and review requests). Starting from a library template and customizing it is usually faster than building from scratch, especially if you're not confident in email design fundamentals like spacing and mobile layout.

To use one:

1. Open the template creation screen and choose to start from the Template Library instead of a blank canvas.
2. Browse or search by industry or use case.
3. Select one to open it in the drag-and-drop builder, already populated with placeholder content and images.
4. Replace the placeholder text, images, and colors with your own, then save it as a new template.

Tip: Even a template designed for a different industry than yours can be a reasonable starting point — the structure (header, body block, image, button, footer) usually matters more than the specific placeholder content, which you're replacing anyway.

#Folders

As your template collection grows, folders keep it navigable. Group templates however matches how your team actually thinks about them — by campaign type (Newsletters, Promotions, Onboarding), by season, or by the workflow they belong to. A handful of unorganized templates is fine; dozens without folders becomes a search problem every time you need to find the right one.

To organize templates into folders:

1. From the templates list, create a new folder and give it a name that reflects how you'll actually search for things later.
2. Move existing templates into it, or set a new template's folder when you save it.

#What done looks like

You can explain which editor (drag-and-drop or plain text/code) fits a given message before you start building it, you know how to pull a library template as a starting point instead of always building from scratch, and your template list is organized well enough that a teammate could find the right one without asking you.

#Related articles

• Build an email template with the drag-and-drop builder
• Reuse templates in campaigns, workflows, and one-off emails
• Email marketing overview

#Frequently asked questions

#Can I convert a plain text template into a drag-and-drop one later?

Generally no — the two editors store content differently, so a template built in one doesn't cleanly convert to the other. If you're not sure which you'll want long-term, it's usually safer to start in the drag-and-drop builder, since you can always strip a design down to something simpler, but you can't easily go the other direction.

#Does using a template library layout limit customization?

No — once you select a library template, it opens in the same drag-and-drop builder used for any other template. Every element, color, and piece of text is editable; the library just gives you a faster starting point than a blank canvas.

#Do folders affect where a template can be used?

No. Folders are purely organizational — they don't restrict which campaigns or workflows can pull a given template. You can file a template under any folder and still use it anywhere templates are selectable.