What Is an Email Template?
An email template is a pre-designed, reusable email layout that maintains consistent formatting and branding across your messages.
Instead of creating each email from scratch, you design a template once with your logo, colors, fonts, and structure. Then you simply fill in the specific content each time you send a message.
Email templates are especially useful for transactional emails like order confirmations, password resets, and account notifications. They ensure every automated email from your application looks professional and on-brand while saving you time and effort.
How Do Email Templates Work?
Email templates work by separating the design and structure of your emails from the dynamic content that changes with each message. The template defines the fixed elements (your header, footer, styling, and layout) while leaving placeholders for variable content like customer names, order numbers, or verification codes.
When your application needs to send an email, it loads the appropriate template and fills in the placeholders with specific information. For example, an order confirmation template might have placeholders for {{customer_name}}, {{order_number}}, and {{order_items}}. Your application replaces these placeholders with actual data before sending.
Most email templates are written in HTML with inline CSS styling to ensure consistent display across different email clients. The template includes your branding elements and follows best practices for email design, such as using tables for layout.
Why Are Email Templates Important?
Email templates are essential for maintaining professionalism and efficiency in your email communications. They ensure every message your application sends reflects your brand identity and meets quality standards.
From a maintenance perspective, templates make updates much easier. If you need to change your logo, update contact information, or refresh your branding, you only need to modify the template once rather than hunting through your codebase for every individual email.
Templates also help ensure accessibility and responsive design. A well-built template includes proper HTML structure for screen readers and adapts to different screen sizes, from desktop computers to mobile devices. This means every email you send will be readable regardless of how recipients view it.
What Should Be Included in an Email Template?
A well-designed email template should include several key components that work together to create a professional, effective message:
- Header section – Your logo and company name for immediate brand recognition
- Main content area – Clear, scannable text with appropriate headings and white space
- Consistent styling – Colors, fonts, and spacing that match your brand guidelines
- Mobile responsiveness – Design that adapts to small screens since many emails are opened on mobile devices
- Plain text alternative – A text-only version for email clients that don’t support HTML
For transactional emails specifically, keep the design clean and focused. Recipients are looking for specific information, like a confirmation number, a verification code, or shipping details. Don’t clutter the template with unnecessary graphics or promotional content that distracts from the message’s primary purpose.
When sending templates through SendLayer, you can pass the complete HTML in your API request or SMTP message. Our service handles delivery, while your templates ensure the content renders exactly as intended.
That’s it! Now you know what email templates are.
Ready to improve your transactional email design? Check out these helpful resources: