Turn Your Newsletter Design Into Editable Email HTML
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Turn a finished newsletter design into an editable, mobile-responsive HTML email. Publicate converts existing PDFs, images and HTML files into newsletters that you can customise, send and track.
Even if your only design inspiration is from Pinterest or your inbox, you can use it to create your own branded newsletter.
In this post we’ll show you exactly how to upgrade your static newsletter design into a functional HTML email.
You’ve spent time creating a newsletter, and now you’re happy with the finished design and content, and you’re ready to send it.
But you have one problem.
Your newsletter is still a static design, and sending it as a PDF attachment or a single image can limit how people experience it.
With an HTML email, your content appears directly in your reader’s inbox, with responsive layouts and clickable buttons and links. You also get the added benefit of being able to measure engagement with analytics.
A PDF is less convenient when the goal is to communicate directly through someone's inbox, especially on a mobile device. Readers need to open the attachment, and fixed-page layouts can be awkward to navigate on smaller screens.
Images create a different problem. While they can look exactly like the original design, the individual buttons and calls to action aren't functional, and the image is not mobile responsive, so it can be hard for mobile readers to digest the information.
It is also worth noting that some companies block images in email by default, meaning some of your readers might not see the newsletter at all if you use just an image.
There are two ways to turn a newsletter design into an editable HTML email, depending on where you're starting. Publicate makes both possible without needing to build everything from scratch.
You've already put in the work designing your newsletter in something like Photoshop, or Canva, whether it's an internal company update, an HR newsletter or a marketing campaign. You're happy with how it looks and don't want to start the design process again.
You simply need to turn it into email HTML so it can send it confidently and know that it will be mobile responsive and be interacted with.
Publicate's Email Design to HTML converter lets you do this in just three steps.
You can start by exporting your finished design from the editor you used to create it.
There is no need to abandon your existing design tools. Publicate accepts upload formats like PNG, JPG, PDF and HTML files. This means you can upload designs created in Canva, Figma, Photoshop or other design softwares, provided you export them in these supported formats.
Step 2: Upload Your Design and Convert It Into HTML
Upload your exported chosen file format to Publicate's converter.
It analyses the design, identifies its visual structure and recreates the layout using editable HTML email elements, including text, images, sections and buttons.
Instead of producing another static image, Publicate gives you an editable newsletter that you can refine in its drag-and-drop editor with ease. The goal is to keep the design you've already created while ensuring it can be sent with full functionality.
If you like your original design, focus on checking that the conversion is accurate and that the newsletter functions to your desired needs.
Before sending, make sure you:
Once you're satisfied with the final design, you should be ready to distribute it.
Publicate lets you send your newsletter through Gmail, Outlook and more than 57 other supported services, so you can continue using the tools your readers are already comfortable using.
What if you haven't designed your newsletter yet?
Perhaps you've discovered an interesting email design on Pinterest or seen a newsletter template that would work well for your next campaign.
Rather than building the layout entirely from scratch, you can use any existing design as a visual reference, and Publicate will use it and adapt it to your brand.
Start by searching for designs you like and that suit the type of newsletter you want to create. The templates you find in Publicate are also a good place to start.
Look at newsletters you've enjoyed reading through and consider what makes their layouts appealing.
Pinterest and other online design platforms can also provide inspiration for different newsletter structures, typography ideas, colour combinations and calls to action.
If you have a design you want to reuse or adapt, export it in one of the supported formats (image, PDF, HTML) and upload it to Publicate.
The converter will recreate the design's layout as editable HTML elements, giving you an overall workable structure you can edit.
You then have the flexibility to adjust the design rather than being restricted to a singular flat image.
If you're editing from an inspired newsletter design, you will likely want to make personal and substantial changes to your newsletter before sending it out.
Use this checklist to personalise your design:
Bonus
Publicate's Brand Kit helps you save and apply your brand colours, fonts and typography throughout the design. You can use the drag-and-drop feature to rearrange sections, replace content and refine the finished layout.
The result should then feel like your own unique newsletter, not a copy of the design that originally inspired you.
Whether you started with a finished newsletter or a design reference, both workflows lead to the same place: an editable HTML email.
A big time-saving opportunity comes after you've created your first newsletter.
The layout is approved, the branding is correct and the newsletter has been sent successfully.
Next week, there's no reason to start again. Save the whole newsletter or specific sections as reusable modules. Then, the next time you need to build a new newsletter, just update any headers, footers, calls to action, or content sections as needed; the design is already sorted.
It's a simple workflow improvement that can save a lot of time and energy.
Publicate offers newsletter analytics across any channel, even in Gmail, Outlook, Teams, Slack and over 57 other platforms.
With Publicate's analytics dashboard, you can monitor metrics such as:
These insights help you make more informed decisions about what to include next, how to structure your newsletters better and where to position important content.
Publicate's ability to track engagement is especially useful because all other email builders rely on other sending platform analytics, which Gmail, Outlook, Teams, Slack etc don’t have, so you are left in the dark.
With Publicate, creation, distribution and measurement can happen within one connected platform.
Try Publicate's Email Design to HTML converter.
You don't need to fully redesign a static newsletter you’ve created to be able to send it through as a mobile-responsive HTML email.
If you're starting with newsletter inspiration rather than a finished design, you also don't need to build every section from scratch.
Publicate helps you turn either starting point into an editable HTML newsletter, providing you with the tools to customise your content, send it through your preferred platform that Publicate can export to, and then you can understand how readers engage with it.
Yes, you can upload an existing newsletter design as a PNG, JPG, PDF or HTML file to Publicate. The converter recreates the design as editable HTML email content, which you can review, customise and prepare for sending with ease.
Yes, just export your existing Canva newsletter as a supported image or PDF, then upload it to Publicate's converter. You don't need to rebuild the design manually in an HTML editor.
Absolutely! Publicate converts PDF newsletter designs into editable HTML emails with responsive layouts. You can preview the converted newsletter on desktop and mobile and make adjustments before sending it out.
You can use any newsletter design you like as a starting point. Upload the supported file; it will be converted into an editable layout, then just replace the branding, imagery, text, and links to create your own newsletter.
Publicate aims to recreate your original layout and design, and you can refine the converted design in their editor as needed.
No. Publicate handles the initial conversion, and then the drag-and-drop editor lets you make changes without having to code HTML or CSS.
Definitely! Publicate provides newsletter engagement analytics through its Gmail and Outlook integrations, including opens, clicks and engagement reporting. Analytics are also available across any other sending or sharing platforms.
Once you've converted and refined your newsletter, you can save the design as a reusable template. For future newsletters, update the text, images and links instead of creating the entire layout again.
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