A Template is a complete email design saved for reuse — including layout, content structure, design settings, sender details, and unsubscribe configuration. Templates are the single most effective way to save time and maintain brand consistency across your email campaigns.
In this article
Template types
Type | What it is | Where to find it |
Your Templates | Templates you or your team have created and saved. Also includes custom Templates built by the Apsis Consultancy team. | Email tool start page → Templates tab, and in the Template selection step when creating a new email. |
Pre-defined | Ready-made layouts provided by Apsis. Each includes a preview and description. Fully customisable in the editor. | Template selection step → Pre-defined tab. |
Themed | Seasonal and occasion-based templates (holiday, sale, event, etc.). | Template selection step → Themed tab. |
Create a Template from the Templates tab
Go to the Email tool start page → click the Templates tab.
Click Create template (top-right corner).
Enter a Template name.
Choose a Template to start from — Pre-defined, Your Templates, or Themed. You can also start from scratch with a blank layout.
Build your Template layout — add Rows, Elements, Assets, images, and brand styling.
Click Template settings (top-right of the editor) to configure the settings across all five tabs (see details below).
Add an Unsubscribe link in the footer if not already present. Read about the Unsubscribe link.
Check Preview and do a test send to make sure the Template looks as intended across devices.
When ready, click Finish (bottom-right corner). The Template appears on the Templates tab.
Template settings — tab by tab
Click Template settings in the top bar of the Template editor to open the settings panel. The settings are organised in five tabs along the left side:
1. Template tab
This is the main configuration for sender details and the email header.
Field | What it does |
Name (internal only) | The Template name — visible on the Templates tab and when selecting a Template. Not seen by recipients. |
Sender name | The "from" name recipients see in their inbox (e.g. "Apsis Product Team"). |
Description | An internal description to help your team identify the Template's purpose (e.g. "Short message template"). |
Do not track email openings | Tick to disable the tracking pixel. Emails using this Template will show 0 opens in the report. |
Subject | The subject line recipients see in their inbox. Type |
Sender email | The "from" email address. Use a DKIM-authenticated domain. |
Language | Set the content language for accessibility — screen readers use this to pronounce text correctly. |
Preheader | Preview text after the subject line. Type |
Reply email | Where replies go. Can differ from the sender email. Use a monitored mailbox. |
2. Design tab
Controls the overall look of the email frame.
Setting | What it controls |
Email width (px) | Width of the email body. Recommended: 600px. Min: 320px, Max: 800px. |
Top padding (px) | Space between the top of the email client window and the email content. |
Body → Colour | Background colour of the email content area. Set via hex code or colour picker. |
Background → Colour | Background colour behind the email body (the outer area visible in desktop clients). |
Background → Upload Image | Upload a background image. Uses Tile mode (repeats in x and y). Note: Fill, Fit, and Stretch do not work in Outlook — the fallback background colour shows instead. |
Border → Colour | Colour of the border around the email body. |
Border → Border | Thickness of the border in pixels. |
Border → Radius | Corner radius (rounded corners) of the border in pixels. |
Click Reset design settings (top-right) to revert all Design settings to defaults. Click Done when finished.
3. Unsubscribe tab
Configures the landing page that appears when a recipient clicks the unsubscribe link. This consists of four sections:
Section | Field | What it does |
1. Unsubscribe page | Headline | The headline shown on the unsubscribe landing page (e.g. "We're sorry to see you go"). |
| Message | The message asking the recipient to confirm (e.g. "Are you sure you want to unsubscribe?"). |
| Button text | The text on the confirmation button (e.g. "Unsubscribe now"). |
2. Confirmation | Confirmation type | Message — shows a confirmation message on screen after opt-out. Redirect link — redirects to a URL of your choice. |
| Confirmation message | The text shown after the recipient confirms the opt-out (e.g. "You're now successfully unsubscribed"). |
3. Design | Change logo | Upload a logo for the unsubscribe page. Recommended: 100×100px. |
| Logo text | Text displayed alongside the logo (e.g. your brand name). |
4. Background | Colour | Background colour of the unsubscribe page. Set via hex or colour picker. |
| Upload Image | Optional background image for the unsubscribe page. |
Click Reset to default to revert unsubscribe settings.
Use Preview to see how the unsubscribe page looks before saving.
Click Done when finished.
4. Analytics tab
Add Google Analytics UTM parameters to track email traffic to your website. These are applied to all tracked links in emails created from this Template.
Field | Required? | What it identifies |
utm_source | Yes* | The traffic source (e.g. "apsis_one"). |
utm_medium | Yes* | The marketing channel (e.g. "email"). |
utm_campaign | Yes* | The campaign name (e.g. "spring_sale_2026"). |
utm_term | No | Optional keyword or term. |
utm_content | No | Optional content variant — useful for distinguishing links or A/B test versions. |
* Required when analytics is enabled.
All fields support Data tags — type ## to insert dynamic values. Use the Disabled / Enable toggle to turn UTM tracking on or off for the Template. Click Done when finished.
5. Custom Parameters tab
Create your own tracking parameters — these work like UTM parameters but with custom names and values that match your own analytics system.
Click + Add Custom Parameter.
Enter a name for the parameter.
Enter a value. Type
##to include Data tags for dynamic values.Add more parameters by clicking + Add Custom Parameter again. Remove with the ✕ icon.
Use the Disabled / Enable toggle to turn custom parameter tracking on or off. Click Done when finished.
💡 Tip: Choose the right starting Template
Promoting your products? Choose a Template that focuses on images and a bold CTA to direct Profiles to your webpage. Sending a newsletter or update? Choose a Template where the text content is the main focus.
Additional options in the Template step
Option | What it does |
Get inspired | Opens the Apsis Email Design Gallery for layout ideas and inspiration. |
Request | Send a brief to the Efficy Creative Services team to have a custom Template designed for you. Edit the message draft and click Submit. |
⚠️ Data tags and Templates created from the Templates page
Templates created from the Templates tab do not contain Data tags based on Attributes. This is because Attributes are Section-specific, but Templates are available across all Sections in the account. If you need Data tags in a Template, create the email within a specific Section first, then save it as a Template using the "Save as template" method below.
Save an email as a Template
While editing any email (Draft or new), click Save as template in the bottom bar.
Enter a name and description.
Click Save. The Template is saved and appears on the Templates tab.
This is ideal when you've just finished an email and want to reuse the design — save it as a Template on the spot.
💡 Which method to use?
Create from Templates tab when you're deliberately setting up brand Templates before your first campaign. Save as template from an email when you've just built something good and want to reuse it. Both methods produce the same result.
Use a Template to create a new email
Click Create New Email on the Email tool start page.
Enter the email name.
In the Templates step, select a Template from Your Templates, Pre-defined, or Themed.
Click Next step — the editor opens with the Template's content, layout, and settings pre-loaded.
Make your changes (swap content, update images, edit subject line) and continue through the wizard.
💡 Good to know
When you select a Template to create a new email, you're working on a copy. Changes you make in this email do not affect the original Template. The Template remains intact for future use.
Edit an existing Template
Go to the Templates tab on the start page and click on the Template you want to edit. It opens in the editor.
⚠️ Autosave is active
The email editor has autosave. When you edit a Template from the Templates tab, changes are saved automatically to the original Template. If you want to keep the original intact while making a modified version, duplicate the Template first (select it → Duplicate in the bottom bar), then edit the copy.
What is (and isn't) saved in a Template
Saved ✅ | Not saved ❌ |
Email layout (Rows, Columns, Elements) | Row Segmentation |
Content (text, images, links) | Google Analytics / UTM settings applied to Rows |
Design settings (width, colours, padding, borders) | A/B test version assignments |
Sender name, sender email, reply-to | Send To settings (Subscription, Segments, Tags) |
Subject line and preheader | Schedule |
Language setting |
|
Unsubscribe settings (confirmation page, logo, colours) |
|
Open tracking on/off setting |
|
Managing Templates
Action | How |
Find Templates | Email tool start page → Templates tab. Use Search to find by name. |
Edit | Click the Template to open it in the editor. Changes autosave. Duplicate first if you want to preserve the original. |
Duplicate | Select the Template → Duplicate in the bottom bar. Creates a copy you can modify independently. |
Rename | Select the Template → Rename in the bottom bar. |
Delete | Select the Template → Delete in the bottom bar. Emails already created from the Template are not affected. |
💡 Templates are account-wide
Templates are available to all users in the account, regardless of Section permissions. Keep your Templates well-named and described so the whole team can find and use the right one.
Templates as a collaboration tool
Because Templates are shared across the account, they're a powerful way to align a team. A marketing lead or brand manager can build and approve the definitive Templates — with the right layout, brand colours, sender details, unsubscribe settings, and footer already locked in.
Team members then start every email from an approved Template, which means the brand stays consistent regardless of who creates the send. New team members can be productive immediately without needing to learn the brand guidelines from scratch — the Template does the heavy lifting.
Troubleshooting
Issue | Cause and solution |
"I accidentally edited my Template and the changes saved" | Autosave is always active when editing Templates from the Templates tab. For future safety, always Duplicate a Template before editing. If the original is lost, you may need to recreate it from an existing email or a Draft that used the original. |
"My Segmentation isn't in the Template" | By design — Row Segmentation is not saved with Templates. Reapply it each time you create an email from the Template. |
"I switched Template and lost my content" | Selecting a new Template replaces the current content and cannot be undone. Always save your work as a Template before switching. |
"I can't find my Template when creating a new email" | Check the Your Templates tab in the Template selection step. If it's not there, verify it was saved successfully on the Templates tab of the start page. |
What's next?
Email Assets — Create reusable content blocks to use inside your Templates.
Email: Settings, Preview and Test — Configure the settings saved in your Template.
Email – Best Practice — Design principles for building effective Templates.