Templates for Email Marketing: Essentials to Drive Customer Action

Email marketing is a bridge between your business and customers. Sending valuable, personalized information is a surefire way to get noticed and do more business with them. 

The best marketing emails follow the three Cs: Clear, Concise, and Compelling. But how do you get it right every time, while also making each email stand out? It’s a rewarding challenge, especially when you’re sending out emails regularly (which you must!).

Templates for email marketing can speed up your writing and design process. This guide breaks down where to find them, what they should include, and — most importantly — how to use them to inspire action. 

Where to find email templates

There are plenty of affordable and professional marketing email templates available online. 

Email marketing platforms

Your marketing software may already have a built-in library of marketing email templates. Constant Contact, for instance, has dozens of layouts for newsletters and other formats. Mailchimp and HubSpot also have template libraries. 

Free email templates typically come with basic features, such as: 

• Ability to customize logo, colors, and other visuals
• Call-to-action (CTA) buttons 
• Drag-and-drop editors

For more advanced tools, you may need to invest in premium options. For example, paid templates could allow you to conduct A/B testing or add dynamic content. 

Design resources

The internet is a goldmine for email marketing templates. Hundreds of websites offer free layouts, such as Campaign Monitor and Stripo. But they’re not all created equal. Make sure your chosen template is compatible with every major email service — Gmail and Outlook, for example — before you click “download.” 

Check out marketplaces for premium templates, too. For example, MailBakery and Envato have dozens of paid options created by professional designers. 

Design tools like BeeFree and Canva are another option. They have customizable templates for email marketing that you can easily tailor to your brand. 

DIY template creation

Sometimes, it’s easier to build a custom layout from scratch than start with a pre-made option. An HTML editor or design software like Canva gives you total control. 

Brush up on basic design principles, such as: 

• Use an F-pattern or Z-pattern layout to guide the reader’s eye
• Choose colors to influence your audience’s emotions (blue = peaceful, red = energetic, and so on)
• Leave white space around key images and headlines

Test your template thoroughly to make sure it looks great on different email platforms and devices. You should also save each version of your template (sales, Black Friday specials) in your email provider’s library to reuse later.

How to format marketing emails

While creativity is excellent, your emails shouldn’t be totally abstract or unstructured. Look for templates with these core features. 

Structure elements every template needs

Here are a few must-have elements of templates for email marketing: 

• Header: Establish your identity from the get-go with your logo and signature brand colors. That way, customers will know exactly who’s communicating with them. 
• Body: This is the place to add images, text, and other content. Keep this section concise, and start with the most important ideas. 
• Footer: Legally, you must include your company’s physical address, contact information, and an unsubscribe button. 
• Mobile-responsive layout: Use a template that automatically adjusts to different screen sizes. 

Visual vs. text-based templates

As the old adage goes, a picture is worth a thousand words — especially in emails. Use image-heavy designs when you want to make a strong emotional impression or show off products. 

Meanwhile, a text-focused template lets you convey precise information quickly. For example, you might need a lot of words to explain how to enter a contest. You could also use a hybrid template that balances both images and text. Avoid relying on one type of template over the rest to ensure you’re crafting a solid content mix and keeping subscribers engaged. 

Just keep accessibility in mind. Always include alt-text for images, and don’t rely purely on visuals to convey information. That way, people with visual impairments can still get the gist of your message. 

The 5 Ts of email marketing

Choosing a gorgeous design is only the first step to a successful campaign. Follow these principles to get the best results. 

Targeting

You already know your subscribers are diverse. Take the time to segment them by their behavior (inactive clients, frequent buyers, and similar) or demographics. 

Once you’ve created a few segments, make custom templates or add dynamic content for each group. For example, you might send exclusive product announcements to loyal customers, or swap the template’s photos to suit different age groups. 

Timing

Research when your audience is most likely to be online so you can send your messages at the best times. Software like Constant Contact lets you automate sends, so you don’t even have to be awake when your emails go out. 

Consider tweaking your templates for email marketing for different time zones or seasons. Cozy colors are perfect for fall, while energetic animations might work better for spring. 

Testing

Don’t just assume your templates for email marketing are working. Take the time to test them with your provider’s built-in analytics tools. Use A/B testing to assess one element at a time, such as different subject lines. Or, perform multivariate testing to play with multiple variables at once. 

No matter which test you choose, monitor these key metrics: 

• Bounce rate
• Click-through rate
• Open rate
• Unsubscribes 

Tone

It’s normal to use different templates — too much repetition is boring — but they should all feel recognizably you. Here are a few tips to help maintain a consistent tone: 

• Create a copywriting style sheet that outlines your ideal voice, preferred language, and words to avoid. 
• Use color and other visuals to evoke similar emotions, such as a homey or adventurous vibe.  
• Give examples of acceptable tone variations. For instance, you could have a peppier template for holiday sales and a down-to-earth one for community newsletters. 

Tracking

Many pre-made templates come with built-in analytics and reporting tools. Prefer to DIY? Add UTM parameters manually to track who’s viewing your emails. 

But that’s not all. Click tracking tools let you see exactly how your subscribers interact with your messages and where they click most often, whether that’s your call-to-action (CTA) link, videos, or product links. Once you’ve gathered some baseline data, build on what’s working to help guide readers to the right places. 

Essential email marketing templates every business needs

Ready to jumpstart your next campaign? Here are five key templates to include in your email marketing calendar.

Welcome email templates

As the name suggests, a welcome email is one you send soon after someone: 

• Signs up for your newsletter
• Registers on your website
• Makes the first purchase
• Shares their contact information in exchange for an incentive

You can personalize the headline, message body, and call-to-action to cater to your brand tone and add more information accordingly. 

Once you send your welcome emails, track conversion and open rates to see if they’re encouraging new subscribers to engage. 

Social connection templates

To keep communication flowing right from the start, send an email that invites your customers to connect with your organization on social media channels within two days of sending the welcome email. 

You can personalize the invitation to connect by adding all the ways customers can get in contact with you. Constant Contact lets you add buttons with links to all your social media channels, but you can also add your physical address, website, customer service email, and phone numbers. This demonstrates that your business is willing to connect and communicate, whenever and however a customer wants.

Event invitation templates

Whether you’re hosting an event online, like a webinar or a Facebook live chat, or offline, such as a pop-up sale or a business conference, you can use email to invite people and get RSVPs to boost attendance. 

Break down your promotion into a three-email series: 

• First invite: Three weeks before your event
• Sneak-peek: Two weeks prior 
• Reminder: Three or four days before 

Customize your template for different event types. For example, you might include an RSVP button for a webinar, while in-person events might include a link to the location in Google Maps.

Holiday and seasonal templates

Many customers start their seasonal shopping early. Get on their radar by sending your holiday emails a few weeks in advance. That way, they can find inspiration and take advantage of your deals.

Tailor your emails for different holidays with festive colors and images. For example, you might use greens and reds for Christmas, while Halloween is all about spooky ghosts and witches. 

Promotional and product announcement templates

Call attention to your latest sale or product launch with eye-catching promotional emails. Use a bold headline to grab attention, then spell out your value proposition in the text. You should also include a prominent CTA button to inspire action. 

Switch up your templates with seasonal offers and personalized product recommendations to keep things fresh.

Template design tips to drive action

The strongest templates for email marketing motivate clients to do something. Here’s how. 

Clear call-to-action design

Follow these best practices to create effective CTAs: 

• Make CTA buttons stand out with colored backgrounds and large text. 
• Include CTAs at the top and bottom of the message. 
• Use concise, action-oriented text. (“Shop now!”) 
• Conduct A/B testing to experiment with different phrasing and placements. 

Mobile optimization

Encourage mobile users to interact with single-column layouts, large buttons, and easy-to-read fonts. And, of course, be sure to test your emails on several devices to ensure images load properly and no text gets cut off. 

Visual hierarchy

The way you structure your email can help direct the reader’s attention. Place key content at the top, where the audience is most likely to see it, and use white space to spotlight CTAs. You should also aim for a roughly 50/50 balance between images and text — unless your message relies on one more heavily. 

Starting your template-driven email strategy

Kickstart your creative process with templates for email marketing. These convenient layouts help you build compelling, professional emails every time.

Get started by choosing one of Constant Contact’s curated templates and testing simple elements, such as CTAs. As you experiment with different messages, you’ll gradually build your own custom template library and streamline your email marketing process.