The Social element in the ZipLeads Email Builder lets you add clickable social links straight into an email. Use it in newsletters, promotional emails and other branded emails to help people connect with your social profiles. You can customise how the links look, control when they show and adjust the layout to suit your email design. Always preview and test your email before you send it, because email clients can display responsive styling differently.
What is the Social element?
The Social element is a drag-and-drop block in the Email Builder. It lets you add linked social profiles to an email. Each social item sends the recipient to the profile URL or supported handle you set up.
It gives you control over how your social links look, without having to build and line up each icon by hand.
Key benefits of the Social element
The Social element is a reusable way to connect your email recipients with your social channels, while keeping the links consistent with the rest of your email design.
Direct Social Links: Give recipients quick access to your social profiles from the email.
Flexible Display: Choose to show icons, text labels or both.
Customisable Design: Adjust the supported styles, sizing, alignment, spacing and padding.
Visibility Controls: Control when the Social element shows using device visibility or supported Conditional Sending rules.
Reusable Layout: Save supported elements or layouts to reuse in other email templates in your account.
Social element customisation options
Select the Social element in the Design Editor to set up your social profiles and change how they look in the email.
Social Profiles: Add the social platforms you want to show and enter the profile URL or supported handle for each one.
Display Type: Choose from options such as Icon, Text or Icon and Text.
Icon Appearance: Choose from the icon styles and appearance options available in the editor.
Text Settings: When text labels are shown, set the available font and text colour options.
Icon Size: Change the size of the social icons.
Alignment: Align the Social element to the left, centre or right.
Spacing: Change the space between social items.
Padding: Control the space around the Social element in the email layout.
Note: The social platforms, icon styles and appearance controls can change as the Email Builder is updated. Check the options shown in the editor when you set up the element.
If the social platform you need isn't available in the Social element, you can use a linked Image Element with the right image and destination URL instead.
Visibility and Conditional Sending
Use the Social element's visibility settings when you only want the social links to show on certain devices, or for recipients who meet certain conditions.
Device-Based Visibility: Choose whether the element shows on supported desktop or mobile views.
Conditional Sending: Show or hide the element based on supported contact conditions.
Conditional Sending supports operators including Is, Is Not, Is Empty and Is Present. The operators available can depend on the field you use.
Important: If a parent layout is hidden, the Social element inside it is hidden too. If your social links are missing, check both the element's visibility settings and the visibility of its parent layout.
Mobile and email client behaviour
Device visibility decides whether the Social element is shown. Mobile formatting controls how supported content is styled on smaller screens. These are separate settings.
Email clients can read responsive styling differently, so the email that arrives may not look exactly like the preview in the editor.
Preview the email in the desktop, tablet and mobile views. Then send a real test email and check that each social link opens the right profile.
How to add and test the Social element
Add the Social element in the Design Editor, set up your social links and how they look, then test every link before you use the template.
Go to Marketing → Emails → Templates and open an existing template, or create a new one using the Design Editor.
Open Add Elements (+), find the Social element and drag it to where you want it in the email.
Select the Social element to open its settings.
Add the social profiles you want and enter the correct destination URL or supported handle for each one.
Set the display type, icon appearance, text settings, size, alignment, spacing and padding.
If needed, set up Device-Based Visibility or Conditional Sending. Check the visibility of the layout it sits in as well.
Preview the email using the desktop, tablet and mobile views.
Open the three-dot menu beside Preview and select Test Email.
Enter the sender, recipient, subject, preview text and any other test email details, then send the test.
Open the email you received and click every social link. Check that each one opens the right social profile.
Go back to the template, fix any issues and save your changes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What if the social platform I want isn't available?
Use a linked Image Element with the right image and destination URL when the platform isn't available in the Social element.
Q: Can I reuse my social link design in another email template?
Yes. Supported elements and layouts can be saved as Saved Items in the Design Editor and reused in your account. Saved Items aren't currently supported in the AI Editor.
Q: Why does a social icon open the wrong page?
Check the destination set for that social item. Make sure the URL or supported handle points to the right profile, then send another test email and check the link.
Q: Why can some recipients see the social links while others can't?
Check the Social element's Device-Based Visibility, its Conditional Sending rules and the visibility of its parent layout. Conditional rules can hide the element for recipients who don't meet the selected criteria.
Q: Why do the social icons look different in the received email than in Preview?
Email clients can display responsive styling differently. Preview helps you check the design, but a test email is the best way to see how the social links will look in a real inbox.
Q: Does the Social element replace the email footer or unsubscribe link?
No. The Social element only links to social profiles. It doesn't replace required footer content, sender details or the unsubscribe option.