How To Create An Email Template - Design Video

This article will go over how to design email templates with the email builder in your account.

To watch a general overview of the email marketing builder, watch the below video:

Email Marketing Overview

To learn how to create and send an email campaign, watch the below video:

Creating and Sending Email Campaigns

The ZipLeads Email Builder helps you create and customise professional emails for templates and campaigns using a visual, drag-and-drop editor. You can add text, images, buttons and other content, edit formatting directly on the canvas, and personalise messages using contact information.

The builder also gives you layout, mobile formatting, preview and advanced editing options to help you get your emails ready for your audience.

This guide explains how to find your way around the builder, customise your email content and review your design before sending.

The Email Builder is a visual design tool in ZipLeads that lets you create email templates and campaigns without writing code. Its in-line editor is a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editor. You make formatting changes directly on the email canvas and see the results straight away.

For example, you can select text to change its font or colour, add a button to encourage recipients to take action, or insert an image to support your message.

The Email Builder brings content editing, layout, personalisation and preview tools together in one workspace.

Please note: To keep the structure of your emails consistent, a default padding setting is applied. You can still manage the spacing around your content yourself. The default padding is:

This gives you better control over your email's layout and appearance.

Go to Marketing > Emails > Templates. From here you can create a new template, edit an existing one, or build one using AI.

When you open the Email Builder, you'll see a toolbar at the top with these options:

Add Elements lets you add new content to your email, from text and images to more complex structures.

Manage Elements gives you an overview of every element in your email, so you can select and adjust them easily.

Appearance lets you control the overall style of your email, including background colour, Divider, Custom CSS and Mobile Formatting.

Together, these give you full control over your email's design, from individual pieces to the overall look and feel.

Click Add Elements to see the list of content types you can add to your email. Here's what each one does.

Use the Text element for headings, paragraphs, captions and more. With the in-line editor you can fine-tune font style, colour, alignment and more. For heading text (H1–H4), select the heading and use the Bold (B) button in the toolbar to turn bold on or off. The heading level stays the same.

Use the Image element to add photos, graphics or other visual content. You can upload images from your computer or link to them from somewhere else.

Image Upload: Upload an image directly from your device. The maximum upload size is 10MB, which is plenty for high-resolution photos.

Image URL: Or link to an image from an external source or your Media Library. Paste the image URL into the field.

Alt Text: Alt text makes your email more accessible for people using screen readers, and shows if the image doesn't load. Describe the image briefly and clearly.

Link (optional): If you want the image to open a web page when clicked, enter the URL in the Link field.

Width and Height: Set the size of your image in pixels, or tick Set height and width to auto to size it automatically based on the image's original proportions.

Padding: Control the space around your image by setting the top, bottom, left and right padding.

Alignment: Choose where your image sits. For example, select 'Centre' to centre it in its container. You can also choose 'Left' or 'Right'.

You can dock the edit panel on the right (or switch it back to the left). This makes it easier to work with Email AI and your manual edits side by side.

Why it helps

Putting the panel on the right gives you a natural split workspace. You can try changes faster and stay focused on your email rather than the tools.

Before you start

Email AI needs to be turned on for your account before you'll see Email AI and the panel switch in the editor. If you can't see them, contact the ZipLeads support team.

How to switch the panel position

Use the Button element to get people clicking. A button can link to a web page, start a download or trigger another click-based action.

Button Text: Enter the text to show on your button. For example, 'Follow Me' to invite readers to visit your social media page.

Font and Size: Choose the font and size that suit your email. For example, 'Arial' at size '14' gives a classic, easy-to-read look.

Font Colour: Choose the colour of your button text using a hex code, for example '#ffffff' for white.

Actions:

Alignment: Choose 'Left', 'Centre' or 'Right'.

Total Width: Turn this on if you want the button to stretch across the full width of its container.

Background Colour: Choose the button's background colour using a hex code. For example, '#000000' makes the background black.

Custom values in colour fields (real-time rendering)

You can use custom values in colour fields (for example, Background Colour, Body Colour or Button Colour).

When you enter a custom value token, the builder shows the colour on the canvas straight away. You don't need to switch to Preview mode to check it.

Border Radius: Set how rounded the button's corners are. A higher number gives rounder corners. For example, '75' gives a pill shape.

Padding: Set the space between the button text and the button's edge for the top, bottom, left and right.

With these settings you can design buttons that match your email and encourage recipients to take action.

Use the Divider element to clearly separate sections of your email. You can customise the colour, width and style.

Height: Sets how thick the line is. A bigger number gives a thicker line. For example, '2' gives a moderately thick line.

Width (%): Sets how far the divider stretches across its container, as a percentage. For example, '100' spans the full width.

Line Type: Choose the style of line, such as 'Solid', 'Dashed' or 'Dotted'.

Alignment: Choose 'Left', 'Centre' or 'Right'.

Colour: Set the divider's colour using a hex code. For example, '#FED7E2' gives a soft pink.

Padding: Sets the space between the divider and other elements. You can set the top, bottom, left and right separately.

Want recipients to visit your social media profiles? The Social element adds icons that link to your social platforms.

Social Items: Add your social media platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Click the platform and enter your handle or profile URL.

Icon Styles: Choose the style, shape and design of your icons to suit your email.

Display: Choose how the icons show: 'Icon', 'Text' or 'Icon and Text'.

Align: Align your icons 'Left', 'Centre' or 'Right'.

Font: Sets the font for the platform name shown with the icon. If you use 'Icon and Text', this is the font of the text.

Font Colour: Set the colour using a hex code. For example, '#00a4bd' gives a teal colour.

Size: Make your icons big enough to see easily, but not overwhelming.

Space: Sets the space between each icon.

Padding: Sets the space between the icons and other elements. You can set the top, bottom, left and right separately.

With these settings, you can add your social media presence to your emails and give recipients an easy way to connect with you.

Use the Footer element for important details like contact information, your business address or unsubscribe links.

Text Editing: Click the footer text to open the in-line editor, then change the text as needed. You can type your business address, privacy policy links or an unsubscribe link straight into the footer.

Font and Style: Change the font, size and colour of your footer text. Highlight the text and choose from the options in the toolbar. You can also make text bold, italic, underlined or strikethrough.

Links: Highlight the text you want to link, click the link icon in the toolbar, and enter the URL. This is handy for linking to your website, terms of service or privacy policy.

Alignment and Spacing: Align text left, right or centre, and set the line spacing so your footer is easy to read and neatly presented.

Need something more advanced? The Code element lets you add your own HTML directly into your email, so you can build more advanced layouts and components.

Please note: The Code block is meant for people who are comfortable with HTML. We recommend learning the basics of HTML before you use it.

Custom HTML lets you create highly personalised emails that go beyond the standard design options. Keep in mind that email apps support HTML and CSS differently, so always test your emails before sending them.

Engage recipients with video. Add a Video element and link it to your hosted video.

Video Type: Choose where your video is hosted: YouTube, Vimeo, Wistia or HTML 5 video.

Video URL: Paste the direct link to the video on that platform.

Video Thumbnail: The image people see before they play the video. Upload your own thumbnail (maximum 10MB) or use an image URL, such as an image from your Media Library.

Width and Height: Set the size of the video player in your email. You can also set them to 'auto', which sizes the player based on the video's aspect ratio and the space available.

Play Button Size: Choose the size of the play button on the thumbnail, such as Small, Medium or Large.

Play Button Opacity: Make the play button more or less see-through to suit your design.

Padding: Set the top, bottom, left and right space around the video player.

If you sell online, the Shopping Cart element lets you show product details, prices and links to your online store. It's a great way to remind customers about products they're interested in and encourage them to finish their purchase.

Here's how to customise it:

Padding: Set the top, bottom, left and right space around the cart to separate it from the rest of your email.

Font: Choose the font for the cart text. This could be the system default or another font that matches your email.

Text Color: Choose the text colour, such as black (#000) or another colour that suits your design.

Background Color: Choose the cart's background colour, such as white (#ffffff) or another colour that keeps the text easy to read.

For each product, the Shopping Cart usually shows:

Product Name: The product's name as it appears on your website or online store.

Price: The price of one item.

Quantity: How many of that product the customer has chosen.

Line Price: The total for that line (Price x Quantity).

This repeats for each product in the cart. Showing these details makes it clear what the customer is buying and helps them review their order, so they're more likely to check out.

Customising the Shopping Cart this way gives a better experience, matches your email design and helps drive sales.

The RSS Header block lets you automatically fill in the <channel> tags from your RSS feed in your email campaign.

Here are the tags and the custom values that match them:

You can choose 'Basic' or 'Custom' when using the RSS Header block.

'Basic' adds non-editable text in the Text Editor, like this:

<h1>{{rss_feed.title}}</h1> {{rss_feed.description}}<br /> <br />

'Custom' adds editable text in the Text Editor, like this:

Updates from {{rss_feed.url}} <h1>{{rss_feed.title}}</h1> <strong>{{rss_feed.description}}</strong><br /> <br /> <strong>In the {{rss_feed.date}} edition:</strong><br />

You can also use these RSS <channel> variables in your email campaign's subject line.

The RSS Items element is a dynamic placeholder that pulls content from your RSS feed into your email campaign. RSS items can be blog posts, news updates, articles or any other content published through an RSS feed.

You have these RSS editing options:

Excerpts: Shows only a summary or snippet of each RSS item. Useful when you want to give subscribers a preview that encourages them to click through and read the full item on your website.

Excerpts with Image: Like Excerpts, but also includes an image from each RSS item. Images add visual impact and can really boost engagement.

Title: Shows only the title of each RSS item. A minimal option that works well when your titles are descriptive or interesting enough to get people clicking.

Full Content: Brings the entire content of each RSS item into your email. Useful if your items are short or you want to give the full story in the email. Long items can make for long emails, though.

Custom: Lets you choose exactly what information from the feed is included and how it looks. For example, you might include the title, a short excerpt, the author's name and a link to the full item. It takes more setup but gives you the most flexibility.

This element can pull in these details for each RSS item:

When you add RSS Items to your email, you decide what to show and how. You can show just the title, the title with a summary, or add a link to the full post.

You can also customise the design. For example, adjust the top, bottom, left and right padding around the element, and choose whether to include an image from each post.

Layouts set the structure of your email content. You can choose from simple single-column layouts to more complex structures.

Here's what each layout does:

1: A single column. All content sits in one vertical line. This is the most basic and one of the most common email layouts. It's great for readability, especially on mobile phones.

2: Two equal columns. Ideal for showing two pieces of content side by side, like an image and a block of text, or two articles from an RSS feed.

1/3 : 2/3 and 2/3 : 1/3: Two unequal columns. In 1/3 : 2/3, one column takes up a third of the width and the other takes up two thirds. 2/3 : 1/3 is the reverse. Great for giving one piece of content more focus, like an image with a description where the image is the star.

1/4 : 3/4 and 3/4 : 1/4: Similar to the above, but one column takes up a quarter and the other three quarters. Useful when one piece of content is much more important, like a small menu next to a large content area.

4: Four equal columns. Useful for showing several equally important pieces of content side by side, like a grid of images or several RSS articles.

Choose the layout that best suits your content and the type of email you're sending.

To add any of these elements, drag and drop them onto your canvas. When you select an element to edit it, the in-line editor opens with options to change it to suit your needs.

The in-line editor makes it easy to manage your text and its formatting. When you highlight some text, a range of options appears in the editor.

You can change the heading type.

You can choose a different font, change the font size and change the text colour.

You can also use bold, italic, underline and strikethrough.

To add a link to your text, use the in-line editor. You control both the text people see and the URL it goes to.

Add/Edit Link: Add a new link to your email or change an existing one.

Link URL: The web address the link opens when clicked. This could be a web page, a downloadable file or another online resource. Always check the URL is correct and works.

Text to Display: The clickable text that appears in your email. This could be a call to action like 'Read more' or 'Download now', or the name of the page you're linking to. Keep it short and clear about where it goes.

Title: Optional. Adds extra information about the link, which often shows as a tooltip when someone hovers over it.

Open Link in New Window: When this is selected, the link opens in a new browser window or tab instead of the current one. Useful when you don't want people to navigate away from the email or the current page.

Link List: A drop-down list of previously used or saved links, so it's quicker to add links you use often.

You can also change text alignment and line height, or add bullet points.

Here's what each bullet point type looks like:

Disc: A filled circle. This is the default style for unordered lists.

Circle: An empty circle or ring. Often used for second- or third-level points in an unordered list.

Square: A filled square. An alternative to disc or circle bullets for variety or emphasis.

Decimal: Numbers (1, 2, 3 and so on). Used for ordered lists where the order matters.

Lower Alpha: Lowercase letters (a, b, c and so on). Often used for sub-points in an ordered list.

Lower Greek: Lowercase Greek letters (alpha, beta, gamma and so on). Not common, but an interesting alternative.

Lower Roman: Lowercase Roman numerals (i, ii, iii and so on). Often used in formal documents, such as legal documents.

Upper Alpha: Uppercase letters (A, B, C and so on). Often used for main points in an ordered list.

Upper Roman: Uppercase Roman numerals (I, II, III and so on). Like lowercase Roman numerals, often used in formal documents.

The in-line editor also has advanced editing options. Clear Format removes any existing formatting from the selected text, which is handy when you paste text from somewhere else.

Custom values: Add a personal touch by including details about each recipient, such as their name or location. Personalised emails feel more relevant and can improve engagement.

Service and Rental custom values: When creating or editing email content, you can pick supported Service and Rental custom values straight from the Email Builder's custom value picker. This makes it easy to add booking details without typing or remembering the custom value.

Select the Service or Rental custom value you need from the picker to insert it into your email.

Trigger links: Let recipients take action straight from the email, such as confirming a subscription, unsubscribing or claiming a special offer. Making actions simple can boost engagement and conversions.

Content AI uses artificial intelligence to help you write text. Give it a title, description and keywords, and it generates relevant content for you.

Context: Tell the AI the general theme or topic, such as 'Digital Marketing' or 'Healthy Recipes'. The more specific you are, the more accurate the content will be.

Content Title: The main idea for the content you want, such as a blog title, an email subject line or a product description. This guides what the AI writes.

Provide a brief content description: Briefly describe the content you want, including any details or angles you'd like the AI to cover.

Add keywords: Words or phrases that describe your content. The AI works them naturally into the text, which can help with SEO.

Writing Tone: Choose the tone, such as professional, friendly, informal or authoritative. The AI matches its writing to the tone you pick.

Number of Variations: How many versions you want the AI to create, so you can choose the one that suits you best. You can create up to five.

Manage Elements gives you control over every element in your email. Select an element here to choose whether it shows on desktop, mobile or both.

Visibility settings let you control which elements of your email show on each type of device, using mobile visibility and desktop visibility.

Mobile visibility controls how elements appear on phones and tablets. Because these screens are smaller, you might hide elements that don't display well or simplify your content so it's easier to read on mobile.

Desktop visibility controls how elements appear on desktop computers. Larger screens have more room, so you can include extra elements that wouldn't fit well on mobile, including elements that rely on hovering (which doesn't work on mobile).

You can also edit each element separately to change its settings.

If an element doesn't fit your email, you can remove it from the Manage Elements section.

When you hover over and click a section, column or element in Manage Elements, the screen scrolls to that section, column or element.

Appearance is where you fine-tune your template's overall look and feel.

Here you can choose your template's colours, upload a background image and set the width of your email's content.

Background Color: The colour behind all the content in your email. Choose a colour that suits the design and mood of your message. A well-chosen background colour can make your email easier to read and more appealing.

Custom values in colour fields (real-time rendering)

You can use custom values in colour fields (for example, Background Color, Body Color or Button Color).

When you enter a custom value token, the builder shows the colour on the canvas straight away. You don't need to switch to Preview mode to check it.

Body Color: The colour of your email's main content area, where your text, images and other elements sit. Choose a colour that contrasts well with your text so it's easy to read.

Content Width: The width of the content area in your email. It may be set to a standard 600 pixels by default, but you can change it to suit your design. Very wide content may not display well on all screens, especially mobiles.

Background Image: Upload an image to show behind your email. It's a great way to add visual interest and branding. Not all email apps support background images, so it's a good idea to set a background colour as a fallback.

The maximum upload size is the largest image file you can upload as a background. Large files can load slowly and may not work in all email apps, so it's best to use optimised, web-friendly images.

Background Image URL: Instead of uploading an image, enter the URL of an image hosted online or in your Media Library. The email loads the image from this URL when it's opened. Make sure the URL is secure (HTTPS) and reliable so it loads for everyone.

The Button section lets you set the style of buttons across your email, so they're interactive and engaging.

Corner Radius: Sets how rounded the button corners are. A value of 9 gives moderately rounded edges.

Button Color: Set the button colour to match your brand or your email's theme.

Font: Choose the font and size for the button text. In this example, 'Arial' at size '16' is selected.

Text Styling:

You can set separate colours for bold, italic and underlined text in the button. This helps highlight key words and makes your buttons more eye-catching.

The Divider section lets you set the style of the lines that separate your email content.

Height: Sets how thick the divider line is. The default is 2 pixels, but you can change it to suit your email. A thicker divider stands out more, while a thinner one separates sections more subtly.

Color: Choose the colour of the divider line. Pick a colour that works with your email's overall colour scheme.

Style: Choose how the divider line looks.

The Custom CSS section lets you add your own CSS styles to customise your email layout further. You'll need a good understanding of CSS and how it works in emails. CSS in emails works a bit differently from websites, because email apps display it in different ways.

Your emails need to look good on every device. The Email Builder has a special mobile formatting section where you can set how headings, paragraphs and buttons look when your email is viewed on a mobile. This helps your emails work well on both desktop and mobile.

These settings only change the mobile version of your email template, and only work in email apps that support media queries.

Font Size: Your main heading on mobile should be big enough to grab attention, but not so big that it takes over the screen or forces scrolling. Mobile screens are much smaller than desktop, so finding the right balance is key.

Text Alignment: Alignment affects how easily people take in your content on mobile. Centre alignment is common on mobile because it looks balanced on tall, narrow screens.

Line Height: Good line spacing matters even more on a small screen. A setting of 1.5 is comfortable to read.

Font Size: Sets the size of your second-level headings on mobile. Smaller than H1, but still big enough to show the order of information.

Text Alignment: As with H1, centre alignment often works well on mobile, but the best choice depends on your content and design.

Line Height: The same principles as H1 apply. Line height affects how easily readers move from one line to the next, especially on small screens.

Font Size: Third-level headings should stand out without being overpowering. A smaller size sets H3 apart from H1 and H2, but it should still be easy to read on mobile.

Text Alignment: H3 alignment can vary with your design and content. Keeping it consistent with H1 and H2 usually looks more cohesive.

Line Height: The right line height keeps your content accessible and easy to read, even on small screens.

Font Size: Paragraph text should be comfortable to read on mobile, which often means a slightly bigger font than on desktop.

Text Alignment: On mobile, paragraphs are usually left-aligned for languages that read left to right, but this can depend on your content and design.

Line Height: Comfortable line spacing is especially important for longer content. It makes text less dense and easier to follow on small screens.

Font Size: Button text should be easy to read and tap on a mobile. A bigger font size helps prevent mis-taps and makes your call to action clearer.

These are all starting points. Depending on your content, audience and design, you may need to adjust them to get the best mobile experience.

When setting up your emails for mobile, pay close attention to these key areas:

Use a single-column layout: Single columns work best on mobile because they scale down easily. Multiple columns can look cluttered and be confusing on a small screen.

Optimise images: Use good-quality images with small file sizes so they load quickly. Consider responsive images that adjust to the screen size. Don't forget alt text for accessibility.

Touch-friendly buttons: On mobile, people tap buttons with a finger rather than clicking with a mouse. Make your buttons big enough to tap easily. At least 44px by 44px is recommended.

Limit the amount of text: Long text can be off-putting on mobile. Keep it short and break it into small chunks. Use bullet points and subheadings to make it easy to read.

Use a responsive email design: Your email will then adjust automatically to fit any screen.

Preview and test: Always preview and test your emails on different devices and email apps to make sure they display correctly.

Include white space: White space isn't wasted space. It makes your email cleaner and easier to read on a small screen.

Font size and style: Keep fonts big enough to read on small screens. Size 14 for body text and 22 for headings is often recommended. Avoid fancy fonts that are hard to read.

Clear and concise calls to action: Make your call to action clear, short and easy to find. The middle of the screen is usually the best spot for a button.

Optimise subject lines and preheader text: Keep subject lines short and engaging, and use the preheader text to give a summary or teaser of your email. It's also a good idea to A/B test subject lines to see what works best for your audience.

Choose text over images where you can: Some email apps don't show images automatically. To make sure your message gets through, use text as much as possible and only use images when needed.

Unsubscribe option: Make it easy for people to opt out of your emails. It's a legal requirement and it also gives a better experience.

Accessibility: Make your email accessible to everyone. Use larger fonts, good contrast between text and background, and alt text for images.

The best approach can vary depending on your audience and the type of content you send. Always test different approaches to see what works best.

You can add a 'Preview in Browser' link to new and existing campaigns. It lets recipients see an accurate version of your email design in their web browser.

Included by default: All blank email templates include the 'Preview in Browser' link at the top by default.

Adding it to existing campaigns or templates: