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How Can I Create Email Templates?

Christopher John avatar
Written by Christopher John
Updated this week

Introduction

Pencil's Email Template Editor allows you to build customised email templates with an easy to use, intuitive graphic interface. It allows you switch easily between desktop and mobile views, both for previewing and making adjustments for each device.

You can bring in assets directly from your Asset Library as well as logos and brand skins from your Brand Library

Getting Started

Navigate to 'Work' on the left hand panel of your workspace and, after clicking the 'plus' button, choose 'Generate email'.

In the centre of the Editor you will see the core email builder. Pressing the 'plus' button will reveal a menu allowing you to add various elements to your email.

You will see on the Left hand side of the page the options to switch between Copy, Assets and Brand.

On the right hand side, if nothing is selected, you will see options to format the canvas itself. You can change the background colour, width and vertical and horizontal padding. Padding can be set globally or customised for mobile vs. desktop devices.

At any point you can choose to switch between Desktop and Mobile editing view, as well as Preview both, and Add/Remove labels to your project. The menu is at the top right of the Editor:

Adding Copy

The Email Editor allows you to easily add a range of pre-built copy types, all of which can be customised. Choosing the 'Add Headline' option will populate the following and selecting the 'box' enclosing the headline text will open a panel of editing features on the right hand side.

The text editing panel allows for basic editing functionality including font, size, spacing, formatting options, text and highlight colours, outline stroke and padding of the text within the box.
Again, using the buttons at the top of the panel you can switch between desktop and mobile view and make adjustments for each accordingly.

With the headline text box selected you will see a grab handle on the left which you can use to reposition the box within the email, and at the bottom right you can see options to copy the text box and delete the text box.


Adding additional text will automatically place it beneath existing text, but each exists in their own box, which can be moved and edited independently.

Adding Assets

You can add assets either from your Asset Library or by directly uploading them. Clicking the '+' button in the empty grey box and choosing 'Assets'.

Selecting Assets on the left hand side will give you the ability to access or upload assets, and they can be dragged into place

Dragging and dropping an asset will initially look like this, fitting the width of the email canvas:

Selecting the asset will reveal the black box that contains it, allowing you to move it, duplicate or delete it. It will also reveal some basic image editing settings on the right hand side:

Adding Brand

The third option on the left hand side below Copy and Assets is 'Brand' and it gives you the opportunity to add Brand Skins, Brand Logos and Backgrounds, if you have them in your Brand Library.

Here for example I have added the logo for our fake brand Ambrosia (ice-cream):

Selecting the Logo will again show me the box it is enclosed in and give me editing options on the right hand side, as well as giving you the usual options to move, duplicate or delete the element.

Adding Formatting

The Email Editor gives you intuitive access to a range of formatting tools, again accessed via the '+' button within the empty grey box:

  • Button

  • Divider

  • Spacer

  • Columns

Adding a Button brings its own set of formatting too


Adding a Divider or Spacer is fairly self-explanatory and selecting either will reveal some editing/formatting tools on the right. Below is a simple spacer (white line) followed by a divider (white box, selected)


FInally, adding columns is a useful feature when including smaller elements like buttons, short promotional text or images. By default only one column is added but by selecting the column box you can make changes with the tools on the right hand side.

In this case I have added two further columns and dragged to resize them so they appear as two small columns and one larger column:

And in this case adding a simple Button, Image from the Asset Library and Brand Logo

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