Creating and Managing Email Templates Email templates are essential to "protect" the HTML in an email blast. They provide consistency and ensure critical parts of the HTML are not altered during the creation of a blast. The WYSIWYG we provide in our email blast workflow is a helpful tool, but it isn't perfect. It works best when you let it help you with basic formatting instead of trying to create an entire email. Templates help you by separating the design of an email (which mostly comes from the template) from the content (which you add in Step 3 of the email workflow). We highly suggest using an email template when sending an email blast. STEP 1: Find or Create Your Email Template CREATE a new email template: ‐ Go to the Email blast tab ‐ Click "Email templates" in the subnavigation bar ‐ Once you are at the email template interface (see Image 1), click "Add another Email template" at the bottom of the screen ‐ Click "Edit" on the left EDIT a preexisting email template in three ways: Option 1: ‐ Email blast tab ‐ Click "Email templates" in the subnavigation bar ‐ Click "Edit" in the left column Option 2: ‐ Click "Manage templates" in the subnavigation bar ‐ Under email templates, select "Click here to manage these templates" Step 1: Find or Create Your Email Template Step 2: Template Information Step 3: HTML Email Template Step 4: Plain Text Templates Email Template FAQ
‐ Click "Edit" in the left column Option 3: ‐ Email blast tab ‐ Create blast ‐ Click "Edit" next to any of template previews ‐ Tip: You will navigate away from the email blast workflow if you choose to edit your template here. Click wisely! Once you are at your list of email templates, you can Edit, Preview, Copy or Remove your templates individually. STEP 2: Template Information The basic email template workflow is split into three tabs: From Information, HTML Content, and Text Content. To the left of these tabs are two icons, one to view the list of templates from Step 1, and another to preview your template. Here you provide default information that you want to be populated into every email blast you create with this template. Filling out these fields is not required, but it may be useful. ‐ Reference Name: This is an internal name not visible to the public.
‐ From_Name: The name this email comes from, best formatted as "First and Last Name, Organization" ‐ From_Email: The email address this email comes from. ‐ Tip: This must be a valid email address! ‐ Another Tip: It's best to use the same email address for all email blasts. ‐ Reply_To Email: The address you want to receive direct replies. If you have a Reply‐To Manager set up, use it here. ‐ Subject: Default subject line. ‐ Edit Template: If you want to be able to see and edit your template within the email workflow, click this box. If you do not want to enable this feature, do not check this box! Uneditable templates: + You may change your selected template within the email blast workflow up until you select send. + The only part of an uneditable template that will appear in the email blast workflow is the content wrapped between the TemplateBeginEditable and TemplateEndEditable tags. + The Email Blast workflow will capture and hold onto any text content that is between the TemplateBeginEditable and TemplateEndEditable tags. This means that even if you change your template, any content that was originally from the template and between those tags will remain. o Editable templates + Once you have selected an editable template within the email blast workflow, you can no longer change templates. + If marked as editable, the entire email template will appear in the email blast workflow (not just the content wrapped between the TemplateBeginEditable and TemplateEndEditable tags). + Even though the TemplateBeginEditable and TemplateEndEditable tags don't define what is editable, you still need to have the tags in your email template. + Edits that are made to an editable template inside the email workflow will not be saved on the template itself. ‐ Click Save to save your work or Save & Continue to save and continue to the HTML Content tab.
STEP 3: HTML Email Template Once you are in the HTML Content tab of an email template, you can create or edit the template content, images, and links. ‐ Viewing and editing your template: (Image 1) • By default, you will first see your HTML template in the WYSIWYG viewer without the editing toolbar. • To see the editing toolbar, click in the HTML content box and it will appear at the top of the content box. • To view the source code, click "Source" in the upper right‐hand corner of the toolbar. ‐ Adding an unsubscribe link: (note arrow in Image 1) • To add an unsubscribe link to your template, you will need to be in the WYSIWYG view (not the source view). By clicking this link, hypertext will be autogenerated with all of the necessary code to track unsubscribe rates
‐ Template Editable tags: (Image 2) • All HTML templates require TemplateBeginEditable and TemplateEndEditable tags. • If your template is Uneditable, the only part of the template that will appear in the email blast workflow is the content wrapped between the TemplateBeginEditable and TemplateEndEditable tags. This is where you want to place your email content. • If your template is Editable, the entire email template will appear in the email blast workflow (not just the content wrapped between the TemplateBeginEditable and TemplateEndEditable tags). Even though the tags alone don't define what is editable, you still need to have the tags in your email template. • If you do not have the TemplateBeginEditable and TemplateEndEditable tags in your template, you will see a message at the top of your screen prompting you to add them. Image 1:
Image 2: STEP 4: Plain Text Templates Plain text templates provide basic headers and footers for your plain text emails. Because no HTML can be used, the template includes basic text and full URLs. ‐ Viewing and editing your template: (Image 1) • By default, plain text templates are always editable and will always dump all of the template into the email workflow. • The Email Blast workflow captures and holds onto plain text in a template. As a result, even if the HTML Template is switched halfway through the email workflow, the plain text template will not change. ‐ Adding an unsubscribe link: • To add an unsubscribe link to your template, click the hyperlink that is above the content box. By clicking this link, a URL will be autogenerated with all of the necessary code to track unsubscribe rates in your email blast. ‐ Template Editable tags: • TemplateBeginEditable and TemplateEndEditable tags should be placed
plain text templates are always editable, you still need to have the tags in your plain text email template. • If you do not have the TemplateBeginEditable and TemplateEndEditable tags in your template, you will see a message at the top of your screen prompting you to add them. (Image 2) Image 1: Image 2:
Email Template FAQ ‐ Why can't I change my template in my email blast workflow? • You can only change your template within the email blast workflow if it is an uneditable template. You can't change it after you select "Send". ‐ I checked the box to send only a plain text message and now I can't change it back. Help! • Just unclick the box and then hit "Save". The HTML content tab should now magically reappear. ‐ If I delete a template, will that affect emails that are on our email archive webpage? • Nope, the email blast will appear as it did when the campaign manager hit the big send button. ‐ My email blast has multiple templates wrapped within one another. What gives? • You probably have one of three things going on: o You have more than one set of TemplateBeginEditable and TemplateEndEditable tags in a template. If yes, than just delete that extra tag and start fresh. o You added content in Step 2 before selecting a template in Step 1. If yes, then save the content and start fresh. You must pick your template before adding content. o You don't have the TemplateBeginEditable and TemplateEndEditable tags in your template. If yes, than add them!
