Create an Email Template

Mailchimp provides different template options to help you find the right look for your email marketing. Add your logo and select the colors and fonts that fit your brand, so you can create a reusable design for your future email campaigns.

In this article, you'll learn how to create an email template.

Before you start

Here are some things to know before you create a template.

• This article tells you how to use both our new builder and classic builder. To switch builders, check out Switch Your Default Email Builder.
• Depending on your plan, you may not have access to all of the template options. To find out what features are included in each plan, check out our pricing page. To change your plan type, visit the plans page in your account.
• If you're unsure about which template to use, read more about our different template options.
• To ensure your template displays as expected, take a look at our image requirements for content blocks.
• When you edit a custom-coded template, your changes may affect existing campaigns that use the template. Changes to a drag-and-drop template will not appear in existing email campaigns.

This article provides information on creating a template in the new and classic builders. For more information on each email builder and their content blocks, check out About Mailchimp’s Email Builders.

For the new builder

Mailchimp’s new builder provides a lot of template options. Use filters to help narrow your choices, use a saved template, or code your own.

To create a template for the new email builder, follow these steps.

1. Click Content, then click Email templates.
2. Click Create template.
3. In the Choose a template to start from panel, choose Saved templates, Mailchimp templates, or Code your own.
4. Hover over the template you want to start with and click Select.
5. In the Create New Template pop-up, enter a name and click Save.
6. Drag and drop content blocks into your template layout to add and format text, products, images, files, and other content as needed. To learn more, read Design an Email With the New Builder.
7. Click Preview to see how your template will look on desktop and mobile. Click Inbox to see your email looks in different email clients.
8. Optional: To send a test email, click the Save Template and Exit drop-down, then click Send test email. Enter the email addresses to send the test to, then click Send test.
   
9. When you’re ready, click Save Template and Exit.

Your new template will be available for you to use on the Templates page of your account or in the new email builder.

For the classic builder

To create a template for the classic email builder, follow these steps. To switch builders, check out Switch Your Default Email Builder.

1. Click Content, then click Email templates.
2. Click Create template.
3. Click a tab to choose a template category.
   
   The Layouts tab contains Featured and Basic templates. Featured templates provide recommendations for the type of content to include in a campaign, while Basic templates provide blank layouts. The Themes tab contains predesigned layouts. The Code your own tab allows you to import or paste in HTML to create your template layout. To learn more about these options, check out Types of Email Templates.
4. Click the template you want to work with.
5. Drag and drop content blocks into your template layout to add and format text, images, files, and other content as needed.
6. When you're done, click Save and Exit.
7. In the Save Template pop-up modal, type a name for your template.
   
8. Click Save.

Your new template will be available for you to use on the Templates page or under Saved templates in the classic email builder.

Code your own

If you want more control over your email design than our templates offer, consider creating your own custom template. Designers can use Mailchimp's template language to create a dynamic template they can import as HTML. This is helpful for web designers who want to upload a template for a client, and create sections that are editable, repeatable, or hideable.

To view or add a custom-coded template, navigate to the Templates page and click Create Template. On the Code your own tab, you’ll see options to Paste in code, Import HTML, or Import zip. You can also access custom-coded templates in the classic builder.

For more help with custom-coded templates, check out Getting Started with Mailchimp’s Template Language and Import a Custom HTML Template.

Next steps

Now that you’ve created a new email template, you’re ready to use it for future email campaigns. Here are some resources to help you get started.

Access Your Saved Email Templates

Create a Regular Email Campaign