Overview
Templates give you a starting point when you create a new newsletter or automation. You can add blocks to arrange a template however you like, or add content that gets edited later when you actually create your emails.
Step 1: Navigate to the Templates page
Go to the Templates page and click New Template.
Step 2: Choose a template to start from
Choose a starting point from:
Your templates — templates you've previously created, so you can start a new one from an existing design
Themes — pre-built templates for specific seasonal occasions and holidays (Christmas, Black Friday, Mother's Day, and many more), plus general-purpose templates (like Flash Sale or Gift Guides). These come fully designed and ready to customize with your own content.
Layouts — generic structural starting points shown under your Brand Kit, already styled with your brand. Options include content layouts like "Sell Something" and "Announcement," as well as a completely Blank canvas if you'd rather start from scratch.
You can also search for a specific template by name.
Step 3: Set up the basics and design your template
Once you've chosen a starting point, you'll land in the template composer. Before (or while) designing, fill in:
Name — what this template will be called when you select it later
Subject — a default subject line, which you can still change per-email later
Preview text (optional) — the preview snippet shown in an inbox alongside the subject line
Brand Kit — your template's styling is tied to a Brand Kit. Use Select another brand kit if you'd like to switch which one this template uses. See our guide on the basics of email design for how Templates and Brand Kits relate to each other.
Page background image and background color — optional page-level styling. See our guide on adding a page background for more detail.
Then design your template by adding blocks: Product, Text, Image, Button, Image + Caption, Video, Coupon, Line, HTML, Smart products, or Custom trigger products.
Note: Custom trigger products is tied to SmartrMail's Custom Events feature — it pulls in data from a Custom Event you've already set up (like a lifetime spend milestone or loyalty tier upgrade) to personalize this block. If you haven't configured a Custom Event yet on your account, this block will show a "Custom event setup is not complete" message instead of its usual options.
Set up a Custom Event first via Automations → New Automation Flow → Custom Trigger before using this block type.
Every element you add here will be available when you select this template in a newsletter or automation.
Step 4: Save and exit
Once you're done, click Save and Exit in the top right of the screen.
That's it — you've created a template with SmartrMail! 🎉
Tip: from the Templates page, click the three-dot menu next to any template to preview it, create a newsletter directly from it, edit it (including renaming, via the Name field in the composer), create a copy, or delete it.
FAQs
Can I duplicate an existing template?
Yes — click the three-dot menu next to a template on the Templates page and select Create copy.
Can I rename or delete a template after creating it?
To rename a template, click Edit template from the three-dot menu and update the Name field in the composer. To delete a template, select Delete from the same three-dot menu.
What's a "Custom trigger products" block?
It pulls in data from a Custom Event you've already configured (like a lifetime spend milestone or loyalty tier upgrade) to personalize that block. You'll need to set up a Custom Event first — see our guide on triggering an automation using Custom Events.