How to Create Gmail Templates: Expert Tips & Best Practices
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There you are, sitting behind your computer screen, looking for how to create Gmail templates. And, you’re going through the motions wishing there was something easier to accomplish your same email communications goals.
Knowing how to enable templates in Gmail is a good skill to have, and we’re going to share the knowledge. But, we’re also going to show you how an email builder like Publicate can save you time and make your communications strategy a lot easier to accomplish.
An email template is a prewritten and preformatted email that can be customized on the spot. With an email template, anyone looking to draft a new email or email newsletter gets to start with something, rather than a blank slate.
Additionally, email builders like Publicate provide an array of email templates for any use case. These email templates are structured with best practices and tested across devices so you can confidently send them to anyone while knowing they are responsive. There’s also no need for a coder or designer.
With over 1.8 billion active users and the majority market share (75.78%) in the United States, Gmail templates can be useful to understand.
The benefits are extensive, including:
Chances are, you’re writing so many emails in a day. A template allows for a quick response rather than having to write original messages from a blank message box. Templates can also be a great way to respond to frequently asked questions and instructions.
Brand consistency and tone of voice is important to maintain a level of professionalism. Templates provide a straightforward way to keep team members on the same page.
Gmail administrators can share email templates with their teams so that team members can respond to customers and clients based off of them. However, you can’t share the email template automatically, you need an extension for that.
Gmail templates are great for plain text emails, but if you’re looking to create professionally designed and eye-catching communications, you’ll want a drag-and-drop HTML email editor like Publicate.
Once you design an email in Publicate, you can export it directly to Gmail to send it out just as you would any other email because of its direct integration. This means you can access all your Publicate templates within Gmail itself!
With the influx of Gmail messages coming in, it’s helpful to structure Gmail in a better way to read your emails.
A few ways to do this include:
New Messages: Gmail shows the most recent message at the bottom of your thread, but if you’d rather flip it to be at the top of your thread, you can add an extension from the Chrome Web Store.
Just like there are tips for reading emails, there are some tricks for sending them, too. Take a look:
Recall Email: Did you hit send on an email and wish you could undo the action? You have a short window of time to change your mind, but it is possible to retract an email by hitting “Undo” in the bottom left where it reads, “Message Sent.” You can also adjust how much time you have to do so (5, 10, 20 or 30 seconds) in the Settings section.
To create Gmail templates, here are the steps you’ll need to follow to set them up:
Start by signing into your Gmail account. Click on the gear “Settings” icon and choose “See All Settings.” Navigate to the Advanced tab to “Enable for Templates.”
Now that templates are enabled, you can create your own. The first step is just like writing a regular email. Think about what template you wish to create and start drafting the email. Keep in mind that if you add recipients to this email, the recipient will not be saved with the template.
Once you’re happy with what you’ve written, you can click on the three-dot menu on the right side of the email composition. Then, save the draft as template and select, “Save as new template.”
You’ll now get the chance to name your template. Enter your name and hit, “Save.”
You can choose to send email templates in Gmail on the spot or automate the sending of them.
When you’re ready to use the templates you create, start by composing an email. Again, click on the three-dot menu and select, “Templates'' and choose the name of the template you wish to use.
Everything you saved in the template will then appear in your composition box. If you want to, you can edit the email as you wish.
But, before you send, don’t forget to add the recipients and subject line.
If you wish to automate the sending of email templates, for example, as a reply to emails, you can set a filter to specify what emails the template should serve as a response to.
Choose the search icon on the right side of the search bar and enter the fields in which this template should be used for. You can set it up as a response based on a sender email address or due to certain words.
If you have already taken the time to create Gmail templates, you may find yourself needing to adjust them at a later date. Or, it could be the case that the email template is no longer necessary, so you want to clean it out of your template library.
You have the option to overwrite existing templates or delete them:
Click on the three-dot menu, hover over “Templates,” and select “Delete Template.” Then choose which template you want to get rid of.
You cannot edit an existing template, but you can overwrite it. You can start by recreating the new template by following the steps above to create Gmail templates.
Then, when you’re ready, click on the three-dot menu, hover over “Templates,” and “Save Draft as Template.” You can click the name of the template you want to change and select, “Overwrite template.”
There’s no denying that having access to email templates is a benefit for any organization. You get to save time, enable standardization, and retain control over the brand’s tone of voice.
If you’re looking to improve upon your Gmail email templates, here are a few ideas to do so:
Your template's name will affect their ease of use and recognizability. Try to keep template names short and to the point so it’s easy for anyone to find.
Examples of titles can be: Welcome Sheet, Password Reset, and Username Setup, for example. A standard rule of thumb is to stick to titles that are around 25-characters.
Personalization packs a punch with email communication. A great and simple way to add personalization to your emails is to use an email builder like Publicate. This way, you can customize templates based on recipients.
To make the most out of templates and branded emails, consider using an email builder like Publicate so you can design branded emails without any need for coders or designers.
This way, you can save time and enable anyone to design professional emails for communications, be it internal or external.
If you’re looking to create, design, and send designed email templates, rather than plain text templates, Publicate is an easy-to-use solution.
Publicate is a robust email builder equipped with hundreds of beautiful templates and features that enable anyone to make professional emails. The entire process is really straightforward.
To get started simply log in and then choose whether to start off with a template or set the content blocks as you please with drag-and-drop functionality. Want to try without committing? No problem! Publicate offers a free 14-day trial.
Publicate’s templates are built with best practices in mind, which allows you to spend your time focused on the message’s content rather than its structure, format and setup. You can choose from a large collection, including new employee announcements, wellness newsletters, training newsletters, etc.
You have access to a built in image editor, multimedia library, and much more within the email builder, making it your one-stop-shop for email design needs. Plus, once you send your emails, you also receive detailed analytics that show you open rates, click-through rates, and a heatmap.
With the ease of use, you get more time to focus on the content that matters. And, all your emails can easily be branded with your saved style kit, which ensures that your communications have your brand’s color palette, logo, typography, and all that jazz in place.
To send your email using Publicate, you have options! You can use any email service provider of your choice. But, if you want to stick with Gmail, you’re in luck because an email builder like Publicate has a direct integration with Gmail.
This means you can choose your template inside Gmail itself and when ready hit “send with Gmail” and your email creation will appear within your Gmail drafts so you can send when you’re ready.
Publicate is designed with all the best practices in place so you can drive engagement effortlessly, save time, and focus on the content that matters most!
Now that you know how to create Gmail templates, all you have to do is think up your next communications need! While Gmail is equipped to create templates, they are best for automated response and plain text emails.
To drive engagement with something more professional, you may need something a little more powerful. An email builder like Publicate enables you to take your email communications to the next level while still sending in Gmail, so you don’t have any learning curves.
Want to try it for yourself? We invite you to trial Publicate and start creating today.
