Are you wanting to create a custom email template, but not comfortable working with code?
Try our visual email template editor! You can create beautiful custom email templates, without having to touch a line of code (unless you want to, that is—you can still add custom CSS to our visual editor).
Here’s how it works!
How to create a new email template
Head on over to the Email Templates page in your ConvertKit account and click the + New email template button. You’ll be taken to this page:
Here, you’re faced with a choice: do you want to use the visual editor (which applies to both our starting point and classic templates), or the HTML editor?
That’s right — you still have the option to work with the code editor if that’s what you prefer! Here’s our guide to that.
NOTE: If you choose the visual editor, you will not be able to access the HTML for your template, but you will still be able to add custom CSS (here's how!)
If you choose the HTML editor, you will not have access to a visual editor for your template. You are also not able to switch editors for a template after it has been created.
If you want to work with the visual editor, select one of the starting point or classic templates. After you've chosen a template, you can customize it to your liking!
Styling the email content
Once you select your template, you’ll be taken to a page that looks something like this:
To start with, give your new template a name from the top corner so you can easily identify it:
Then, you get to customize the visual styles!
Click the relevant part of your email template to customize its visual styles. For example:
Click the placeholder body text in your email template to customize the visual styles of your body text
Click the placeholder button in your email template to customize the visual styles of your buttons
Click the Built with ConvertKit badge at the bottom of the email template to show or hide the badge (paid plans only).
From the right sidebar, you'll also be able to customize the visual styles of your overall template and email body.
(If you can't access those settings, click the placeholder body text in your email, followed by either the Body or Template tab in the right sidebar depending on which settings you want to adjust.)
Default content
If you're using one of our starting point templates, simply add your default content anywhere in the template. Your default content will appear when you load your template in the email editor.
For example, here's how to replace the placeholder heading in the "Escape" starting point template with a custom default heading:
As for classic templates, you'll be able to enter your default content between the tags that say "Start of default content" and "End of default content" in the template editor.
Adding additional content above or below the default content in classic templates
If you're using a classic template, you can add additional content sections above or below the default content section. (You can add additional content sections anywhere in a starting point template.)
Hover your cursor near the top or bottom of the default content section until a gray block appears.
Click this block, and then click the + sign to the left of the screen. Then you can select the content blocks from that list to add to your template, and edit them accordingly.
For example, if you want to add your logo at the top of your template, you can select ‘Image’ and then upload your logo accordingly.
Adding additional content to the template footer
If you’re adding content to the footer of either a starting point or classic template, you can also click at the beginning or end of the section with the Unsubscribe link in it, then press ‘Enter’ on your keyboard to create new sections above or below:
If you want to customize the unsubscribe text, here's how to do that.
Don’t forget that it's necessary to include an Unsubscribe link and mailing address in your emails to be compliant with anti-spam laws!
Finally, click the Save button in the top right-hand corner when you’re done!