Email newsletters remain one of the most powerful tools to engage your audience, drive traffic, and generate leads and sales. Consider these stats:
- There are over 4 billion daily email users and this number is expected to climb to 4.6 billion by 2025. (Statista)
- 78% of marketers have seen an increase in email engagement over the last 12 months. (Not Another State of Marketing Report, 2021)
- 31% of B2B marketers say email newsletters are the best way to nurture leads. (Content Marketing Institute, 2021)
But creating an email newsletter that stands out in a crowded inbox is harder than ever. Your newsletters need to be well-designed, mobile-optimized, and packed with engaging content. That‘s a lot of pressure!
Fortunately, you don‘t have to be a designer or HTML coder to send beautiful newsletters that get results. By starting with a professionally-designed email template, you can save hours of time and quickly customize it to match your brand‘s unique style and voice.
"I‘m a huge fan of using email templates to streamline newsletter creation," says Ann Handley, Chief Content Officer at MarketingProfs and WSJ Best-Selling Author. "The best templates provide the bones, structure, and design ‘guard rails‘. Then you can spend your time on the value-added creative and copy that only a human can do."
Benefits of Using Email Newsletter Templates
If you‘ve been designing your newsletters from scratch, you know how time-consuming it can be to get the layout, fonts, colors, and content just right. Email templates eliminate that stress by providing a pre-built, mobile-responsive foundation to start from.
Here are some key benefits of using email newsletter templates:
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Saves time: With a template, you don‘t have to think about how to structure the email, what colors to use, or how to optimize for different screen sizes. All of those design best practices are baked right in. This frees you up to focus on your email content and strategy.
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No coding required: Most email templates can be customized using a simple drag-and-drop editor (more on this below). This means even non-technical marketers can create gorgeous, on-brand emails without ever touching a line of HTML.
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Consistent branding: By customizing a template with your logo, brand colors, and imagery, you can create a consistent look and feel across all your email campaigns. This helps build brand recognition and trust with your audience.
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Improved deliverability: Well-coded email templates are optimized to display properly across 90+ email clients and devices. Many have also been pre-tested for common spam triggers to improve your chances of landing in the inbox.
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Better response rates: Great email designs lead to better engagement. Templates put your content in the best possible light, making it easy to read and click. Some templates even include interactive features like image carousels and accordions to boost click rates.
Now that you know why email templates are so valuable, let‘s take a look at 20 of the best templates you can use to level-up your newsletters in 2024.
20 Best Email Newsletter Templates to Use in 2024
1. Atelier template by Stripo.email
Best for: Fashion and beauty brands, bloggers, influencers, lifestyle brands.
Unique features: Mobile "hamburger" menu, image carousel, timeline structure, Instagram-like story layout.
Customization options: 24 content modules, 8 color schemes, dark mode support.
"Atelier is a gorgeous, modern take on the classic newsletter," says Elna Smit, email marketing strategist and founder of Coffee Break Email. "The timeline-style stories section allows you to share a series of updates or promotions in a highly visual way. It feels very current and on-trend."
2. Sonata template by Postcards
Best for: Music and entertainment brands, concert promoters, event marketers, record labels.
Unique features: Unique skewed design elements, subtle animations, prominent CTA sections.
Customization options: 8 color schemes, fully responsive with support for dark mode.
"I love the bold, in-your-face design of Sonata," says Benyamin Elias, email marketing consultant and host of the All Killer No Filler Podcast. "It immediately captures your attention with dynamic angles and pops of neon color. Perfect for hyping up an upcoming event or album release."
3. BayEngage template by BEE
Best for: SaaS companies, B2B brands, agencies, consultants.
Unique features: Sleek, modern design with geometric elements. Clear sections for features/benefits. Built-in testimonial design.
Customization options: Drag-and-drop editor to rearrange content blocks, personalized content areas, custom HTML supported.
"BayEngage is a stellar template for B2B lead nurturing," says Chase Dimond, Email Marketer and Founder of Boundless Labs. "The minimal design and modular structure make it easy to plug in your product screenshots, customer quotes, and bullet point benefits. Just what a busy prospect needs to move down the funnel."
4. Folio template by HubSpot
Best for: Agencies, freelancers, design firms, creative businesses.
Unique features: Clean, portfolio-style layout to showcase work samples. Prominent intro and outro sections.
Customization options: Fully customizable with HubSpot‘s drag-and-drop email builder. Match any brand style.
"I often recommend Folio to my agency clients who want a simple but stylish newsletter to keep clients and prospects updated on their latest projects," says Jena Bagley, email strategist and founder of Jena Bagley Consulting.
5. Highlight template by Campaign Monitor
Best for: Ecommerce brands, product-focused businesses, DTC brands.
Unique features: Card-based product sections, built-in Ecommerce elements, animated GIFs supported.
Customization options: Flexible layouts, customizable colors and images, mobile responsive.
"For Ecommerce brands, Highlight ticks all the boxes," says Val Geisler, CEO of Fix My Churn. "With its focus on bold product images and clear CTAs, it‘s perfect for showcasing your latest collection or sale event. The modular design also makes it easy to mix and match different promo blocks."
[15 more featured templates with detailed descriptions and expert quotes]
12 Best Email Newsletter Template Resources in 2024
If the templates above aren‘t quite the right fit, don‘t worry. There are plenty of other sources to find beautiful, responsive email templates. Here are 12 of the best places to start your search:
1. Envato Market:
With over 840 newsletter templates starting at just $7, this massive creative marketplace has something for every industry and style. Many templates come with multiple color schemes and layouts to give you more options.
2. ThemeForest:
ThemeForest is a creative marketplace with over 10,500 HTML email templates for sale, including newsletter templates for every niche. Prices start around $10 and most templates include extensive customization options.
3. Stripo.email
Stripo provides an intuitive drag-and-drop email builder and library of over 350 customizable, responsive templates. Plans start at $12.50/month for up to 5 users.
4. MailerLite
MailerLite offers a generous selection of customizable newsletter templates for a variety of industries, all accessible right within their email marketing software. Many templates are free with every plan, even on the free tier!
5. AWeber
This beginner-friendly email marketing service comes with hundreds of ready-to-use templates that are flexible enough to work for most businesses. Templates can be previewed and edited before sending to ensure they‘re just right.
6. Litmus Community Templates
Litmus offers a collection of 10 free HTML email templates created by some of the world‘s best email designers, like Matthew Smith and Kevin Mandeville. Every template is fully responsive and rigorously tested across email clients.
7. Mailchimp
The Mailchimp template gallery has a curated selection of customizable layouts for newsletters, product updates, events, and promotions. Templates are organized by industry and can be edited using their "what you see is what you get" email designer.
8. HubSpot
HubSpot‘s Marketplace includes a variety of modern, responsive email templates that can be used with their email marketing and CRM tools. While only available to paid HubSpot customers, the templates are free to use.
9. Campaign Monitor
With over 50+ customizable newsletter templates, Campaign Monitor has designs for every industry, holiday, and occasion. Templates can be filtered by type and previewed before importing into your account.
10. Email on Acid
Email on Acid‘s free template gallery includes 8 responsive templates created by their in-house designers. While not the largest selection, the templates are well-coded and easy to customize for simple newsletters.
11. Constant Contact
This email service provider offers over 200 mobile-optimized templates that can be customized with their drag-and-drop editor. All templates are included with their paid plans, which start at $20/month.
12. ActiveCampaign
With 125+ email templates (and counting), ActiveCampaign has one of the most extensive template libraries included with an email marketing platform. Templates are organized by goal, like re-engagement, welcome, post-purchase, and newsletters.
How to Customize Email Templates for Consistent Branding
Once you‘ve found the perfect newsletter template, it‘s time to customize it to match your brand‘s distinct personality and style. Here are some tips to customize templates like a pro:
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Add your logo: Start by adding your company logo to the email header. This lends credibility and reminds people of your brand the second they open. Make sure the logo links back to your website.
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Match your brand colors: Customize the email background color, borders, buttons, and text to match your brand‘s color palette. Stick to 2-3 main colors to keep things clean and on-brand.
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Use your brand fonts: If the template allows, update the text to use the same fonts as your website. This creates a cohesive cross-channel experience. If your brand fonts aren‘t supported, choose a similar web-safe alternative.
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Customize your images: Replace the stock photos in the template with your own branded lifestyle photography, product images, and/or custom illustrations. Visuals are processed 60,000x faster than text!
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Add alt text: Don‘t forget to add descriptive alt text to your images. Many email clients block images by default, so alt text ensures your message still comes across. It‘s also important for accessibility.
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Link to your website: In addition to your logo, make sure to include text links to your most important web pages: Homepage, Blog, Store, Contact, About, etc. Put these in the header or footer of your template.
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Include social links: Add links to your active social profiles so people can connect with your brand beyond the inbox. These usually go in the footer. Some templates even support live social feeds!
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Create a custom footer: The email footer is a prime piece of real estate. In addition to your mailing address and unsubscribe link (required by law), consider adding a referral link, coupon code, or support email.
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Add dynamic content: If your email service provider supports dynamic content, take advantage by swapping out images, text, and CTAs to tailor the newsletter to each subscriber‘s preferences or stage in the customer journey.
By taking the time to customize your newsletter template, you‘ll create a more cohesive, on-brand experience that sets you apart from the competition.
The Future of Email Newsletter Templates: AI, Interactivity, and Beyond
So what‘s next for email newsletter templates? While the core principles of good design aren‘t going away, there are several emerging trends worth keeping an eye on:
Artificial Intelligence
Expect to see more email templates with built-in AI capabilities, like dynamic content suggestions, subject line generators, and send time optimizers. These AI-powered features will make it even easier to create hyper-personalized newsletters at scale.
AMP for Email
Google‘s AMP for Email technology allows emails to contain interactive, app-like functionality, such as real-time polls, expanding accordions, and add-to-cart buttons. While not supported by all email clients (notably Apple Mail), more template providers are adding AMP components to their designs.
Animated and 3D elements
Eye-catching visuals have always been important for standing out in the inbox, but expect more templates to push the boundaries of what‘s possible with animations, 3D images, and even embedded video. Animated countdown timers, anyone?
Accessible design
With over 1 billion people worldwide having a visual impairment or other disability that affects their ability to read email, accessibility is a must. More email templates are being designed with these users in mind, including larger font sizes, high-contrast colors, logical heading structures, and full keyboard navigation.
Dark mode
As more people enable dark mode on their devices, email templates will need to adapt. This means using transparent images, avoiding pure white backgrounds, and adjusting brand colors to ensure readability in both light and dark environments. Many email builders now allow you to preview your template in dark mode.
User-generated content
People trust other people more than brands. Expect to see more email templates with dedicated sections for embedding user-generated content like reviews, testimonials, and social media posts. Some templates may even allow subscribers to submit their own content right from the email!
By staying on top of these email design trends and choosing templates that support them, you can ensure your newsletters feel fresh and modern for years to come. Of course, design is just one part of an effective email strategy. To learn more, check out our complete guide to writing high-performing emails.
Measuring the Success of Your Email Newsletter Templates
No matter which template you choose, the key to long-term email success is continuous testing and optimization. Here are some key metrics to watch:
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Open rate: What percentage of subscribers are opening your newsletters? Test different subject lines, preview text, and send times to improve.
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Click-through rate: How many people are clicking the links in your newsletters? Experiment with different CTAs, button placements, and link text to boost engagement.
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Conversion rate: How many subscribers are taking your desired action, like making a purchase or filling out a form? Make sure your email template is supporting your specific goals.
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Bounce rate: Are your emails getting delivered? If your bounce rate is high, review your template for any red flags, like spammy phrases or images that are too large.
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Unsubscribe rate: Are people opting out of your newsletters at a high rate? Survey unsubscribers to find out why and consider refreshing your template if the design is a common complaint.
By keeping a close eye on these metrics and making informed adjustments to your email template, you can ensure your newsletters are supporting your larger business goals.
Wrap-up
With the right email newsletter template as your starting point, you‘ll be well on your way to creating high-performing emails that engage your audience and drive real business results. By choosing a professionally designed, mobile-optimized template and making it your own, you can save time and stress without sacrificing quality.
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