Create an email

Select an email template and customize it with your branding and content

Design tip: Before you get started, give our BrandKit a try! You can scan your website for your logo, brand colors, and other images to generate a theme that is applied to a collection of templates just for you.

Ready to create a new email? It's as easy as choosing an email template and customizing it with your content and branding! We have hundreds of mobile-responsive templates to choose from that are designed to look great on smartphones and tablets, as well as traditional desktop and laptop computers.

• Create a new email and select a template
• Use the Build tab to customize your layout
• Add and edit images through the Images tab
• Make your branding consistent using the Design tab
• Get ready to send your email

Not sure where to start with marketing? Check out our free Getting Started webinar series!

Create a new email and select a template

1. Click Marketing channels > Email.
2. Click the + Create an email button.
   
    
    
3. You have lots of template options to choose from—you can click and drag the templates in each row to the left to see more, or swipe left if you're using a touchscreen. You can also start from scratch, use your own HTML code, or create an email from the first page of a PDF! 
   Tip: Click the magnifying glass icon to expand the Search field and search by keyword. For example, search for things like "restaurant," "non-profit," or "invitation" and see if the results are a good place to start!

• To select a template, place your cursor over the template, or tap the thumbnail if you're using a touchscreen, and click Select.
• Click the Preview button to see the full template or how it renders on a mobile device.
  Note: Branded templates give you the option to preview and select the template with or without the branding applied.
  
  
   

4. Click on the name of the email in the upper left-hand corner of the editor to change the name of your email.
5. Enter a unique name in the Campaign Name field that you’ll easily recognize in your account later. Your contacts don't ever see this name.
6. Click the Save button to return to the email editor.
   
   

7. Click on the email header to edit your email settings.
8. Customize your subject line, preheader, and "from name," and select your "from" email address and "reply-to" email address, then click the Save button to return to the email editor.
   
   
    

Use the Build tab to customize your email

Design tip: Sending shorter emails with a clear call to action to a targeted audience can improve overall email engagement. Our AI content generator can help you, too!

The Build tab is where you'll find all the blocks, layouts, and sections you can use to customize the look of your template. Blocks and layouts can be used on their own or you can group them together within sections. You can also move individual blocks anywhere in your template (in and out of layouts and sections), while layouts and sections can be moved above and below other blocks, layouts, or sections.

1. Click the Build tab. 
2. Use the Blocks section to add individual elements to your email.

• Add a text block
• Add an image placeholder
• Add a button
• Add a horizontal or vertical divider
• Add a spacer
• Add a Social share or Social follow block
• Add a video
• Add a Read more block
• Add a table
• Add an Event block
• Add a Feedback block
• Add an RSVP block
• Add a Product block

3. Use the Layouts section to add pre-built configurations of blocks into your email. Layouts with a highlight color indicate that a background color is applied to certain areas of the layout for more versatile designs.

• Create columns
• Add a navigation bar
• Change the background color behind a block or layout
• Copy a layout
• Use dynamic content

4. Use Sections to create a container that groups blocks and layouts together into a single unit.

• Group blocks together in a section
• Add, move, and customize sections
  
  
   

5. Click anywhere on a block to open the block toolbar to change the alignment, add links, or make other customizations unique to the block. The block toolbar opens at the very top of the editor.

• Use AI to help you write your content
• Add a text link
• Link a document from your Library
• Link to a landing page
• Add a greeting tag
• Add contact details to personalize your email
• Add your organization information
• Add a mailto link
• Add a "click to call" link
• Add a "View as webpage" link
• Link to a Nift gift card
  
  
   

Add and edit images through the Images tab

Design tip: Want to make your pictures pop out of your email? Check out these tips for giving your images visual impact.

The Images tab is where you can find all the images in your Library, access editing tools to crop images or add filters, access your Canva account, find free stock images or purchase stock images through Shutterstock, and import images from Facebook.

1. Click the Images tab. From here you can:

• Insert an image into your email or upload a new image
• Create and insert images from Canva
• Find a free stock image or purchase a stock image
• Import images from your Facebook account

2. Place your cursor in the lower right-hand corner of any image in your layout to expose the resize tool. 
3. Click on any image to expand the Image toolbar and:

• Replace an existing image
• Adjust image padding
• Turn an image into a clickable image link
• Make edits to an image using our editing tools
  
  
   

Make your branding consistent using the Design tab

The Design tab is where you can apply branding colors, font styles, link colors, and button styles across your entire template so that everything is uniform. Placing your cursor over a font or color option lets you preview what it will look like through the entire template before you click to select it.

Design tip: If you style text, choose a button color, or select the background color for an individual block, that block gets ignored when you apply global styles through the Design tab. We recommend making selections from the Design tab first and then fine-tuning individual blocks afterwards to save time from having to manually adjust multiple blocks.

1. Click the Design tab.
2. Click Backgrounds & Borders to expand the menu to:

• Change the background color for your template and for blocks within the template
• Add a background pattern
• Add a border around your entire template
• Apply styles to all the dividers in your template
  
  
   

3. Click Fonts to expand the menu to apply styles to all the text in your template:

• Choose the font, font size, and font colors
• Choose link colors and emphasis styles (bold, underline, italic)
  
  
  
  

4. Click Buttons to expand the menu to apply styles to all the buttons in your template:

• Select a button color.
• Select the font, font size, and color for the button text.
• Choose a radius to give your buttons a rounded or square look.
• Select a border color.
  Note: If you apply a border color and it isn't visible in your template, make sure the border is enabled for each button in your template.
  
  
  
  

Get ready to send your email

Join the conversation: First time designing an email? Our Community can help! Just submit your email to the "Template Feedback" forum for some honest feedback before you send it out to your contacts.

Now that your email content is complete, we recommend taking a little time before you send to make sure your content is error-free and has a lower chance of ending up in the spam folder:

1. Click Preview & Test to expand the drop-down menu and select:

• Check your email for errors
• Preview your email
• Send a test email for proofreading

2. Once you're ready to schedule your email to send to your contacts, click the Continue button.
   
   
    

Want to learn more about creating an email? Watch our webinar:

Learn more about marketing and Constant Contact through our free live webinars.

Questions?