If you are tired of writing the same email over and over again, or even copying and pasting the content into new ones, you should seriously learn how to create email templates. this guide will talk specifically about how you can do this in gmail, with simple and easy steps that won’t take much of your time.
In addition, you will notice how much time you will gain and learn how to share these templates with your team to unify all communication between clients, partners and suppliers.
so let’s cut to the chase. These are the topics that we will cover in this complete guide:
- how to create an email template in gmail
- send email templates
- how to manage existing templates
- delete a template
- overwrite a template
- templates + email sequences
- custom fields
- shared email templates
how to create email templates in gmail
Creating templates in gmail is a simple task, taking only a few minutes. in fact, the only step that will make you spend more time on this process may be writing the email template, if you don’t already have it.
first things first, you need to enable templates in gmail settings. you can simply follow these steps:
- click settings (represented by the gear icon) in the upper right corner of your screen.
- then click the “view all settings” button.
- select the “advanced” tab.
- in the “templates” section choose “enable”.
- finally, click “save changes” at the bottom of the menu.
this last action will redirect you to your inbox so you can start creating templates:
- click the “compose” button. the new message window will open.
- start typing your email template and when you’re done, click the three dots in the bottom right corner of the compose window.
- hover over the “template” option and then on “save draft as template”.
- choose the “save as new template” option.
- enter the name of the new template, then hit the save button.
sending email templates
Sending a new message using a template is as simple as creating one. it will only take a few clicks:
- Start a new email draft by clicking the “Compose” button.
- Click the three dots in the bottom right corner of the compose window.
- Hover the cursor on “Templates”
- Choose the template you want to use.
- The template will appear on the compose window, and you will be able to edit it before hitting “Send”.
You can also automate the sending of messages from templates by configuring gmail filters. for example, you can create a filter for emails that contain certain terms or keywords, by filling in the “has the words” field. or even put the email addresses of the people you’ll need to reply to, in the “from” field.
Once you create a filter, you can set actions to perform on the filtered criteria. And here’s where you can choose the template you want to send to the specified receivers.You just need to check the “send template” checkbox and choose the template you want. each email with the criteria you have selected will automatically receive a template. but be careful and use this feature wisely by choosing very specific keywords eg. This way you will avoid misunderstandings.
How to manage existing templatesMost of the time when you use templates you will need to edit them in some way, for example to add information. or it may happen that a template is no longer useful and you need to remove it.
that’s why in gmail you can edit them in two ways: overwriting an existing one or deleting it.
delete a template
To remove a template, click the three dots at the bottom right of the compose window again. hover over the “templates” option, then “remove template” and choose the template you want to remove.
Overwriting a templateIn case you want to make changes to one of your templates, unfortunately you can’t edit. but it is possible to overwrite it.
first, you need to write the new version of the template and then click on the three dots in the bottom right corner of the compose window. then hover over “templates” and after “save draft as template”, click the name of the template you want to change under “overwrite template”.
gmail business email templates
If you use gmail as your business email, you know the importance of giving messages a personalized touch, while also being aligned with the team’s tone of voice and brand. this includes both your content and your signature in an email. however, the right way to have it all is by using gmail templates with an email signature management tool.
Unfortunately, vanilla gmail is limited to these aspects, offering only what we have explained in the previous topics: create simple templates, overwrite them and delete them. besides using them in filters, that’s a more advanced action within gmail.
This is why there are extensions that you can use to improve your experience within gmail, drag being one of them. Drag helps you run your entire workflow using emails and tasks, which you can share with your team without leaving your inbox.
this specific feature is at the core of drag: sharing everything you need to work with your team within gmail. including templates. In addition to having its own system of shareable email templates, you can combine them with email sequences and custom fields, as opposed to just using gmail.
templates + email sequences
You can set Drag email templates as email sequences, which is great for teams that need to send follow-ups to leads, clients, or partners, for example. With Drag you can add these sequences to any email template you desire automatically. Imagine doing this in Gmail: you would need to create templates manually, email by email.custom fields
You can use custom fields to add the recipient’s first name, last name, and company, making your email look much more personal. this is good practice when sending any email, primarily for outreach. One great thing about dragging custom fields is that they are automatically inserted into email follow-ups, so you only have to manually fill them out the first time.
shared email templates
You can also share drag email templates with your team members, sync them, and maintain a pattern of messages across your organization. This leads to transparency and consistency in your brand, which are key factors in reaching the public and keeping them interested in your company.
Please note that Gmail templates are only available by email address, so the only way to share them is by copying and pasting the same templates into each employee’s account.
summarizing
When you use email templates in gmail, you free up your time to focus on other important tasks. As you can see, the process of creating and using gmail templates is quick and very easy. you can follow our guide in a few minutes and be up and running in no time.
If you need to use business email templates and other additional features to run your workflow smoothly, you should try combining dragging with gmail. your templates will be more customizable and the fact that you can share them with your entire team will make a big difference in the way the company communicates with others.