more than 11% of users around the world prefer outlook. it is mainly used by large corporations and office workers. still, you need to make emails elegant, fully responsive, yet informative.
stripo offers hundreds of outlook email templates. what does that mean? are fully optimized for this email client.
choose any of them, edit them and send them to your valued clients or colleagues.
how to create email templates in outlook
email templates in outlook are like templates in other microsoft documents. If you work with email a lot and send similar messages to different people, you can save them as templates by clicking File > save as > outlook template (will create templates often; file_name.oft). And then, instead of spending a lot of time on a new message in Microsoft Outlook, just open a template, customize it if needed, and click send. and yet, the template remains, ready to use whenever you want.
By default, all outlook templates are saved to drive c, which contains the operating system and related system files. this should not be changed, otherwise you will not be able to open your email templates.
c:usersusernameappdataroamingmicrosofttemplates
why do you need email templates for microsoft outlook?
We live in a very dynamic world where time is money. So why would you spend a lot of time doing the same thing over and over again when you can easily spend it on much more important things? For example, you can get your team together and brainstorm new marketing offerings to serve your customers and make more money.
And there’s no need to worry that your email message in Microsoft Outlook will look too similar to those of your competitors: with stripo, you can create custom formatted email templates from literally every content block without any fuss. html/css experience. If you feel any difficulties, feel free to visit our blog and read some of the procedures to make everything clear.
here is an article that gives you the top 14 email signature design examples to create your own memorable default signature.
When creating an email message template for outlook, you can pre-define the address fields (to, cc, and bcc), the subject line, and even the sending account. It’s also easy to make your subject line more precise by filling a preheader with spaces in one click to prevent your recipients from seeing the alt text in a preview.
things to pay close attention to when optimizing your outlook html email templates:
there are only a few of them:
1. work on gifs
as we said, only some versions of outlook support gifs, others only show the first frame of them. what can you do?
-
make sure the first frame of your gif is meaningful and conveys the main idea of the entire gif;
always add a link to the web version of the email so users can view your animated gif;
always add alt text to gifs.
GIFs are very common in the modern world, so we advise you to add them to your email message to make it more fun and attract attention.2. work on your template buttons in outlook
normally, outlook buttons are square in shape.
only the vml based ones look as you planned.
the only way is to insert a unique vml code in the button to round the buttons.
but with stripo, you can do it with two clicks just by enabling the “outlook support” option.
Be sure to turn this on when you start working on your outlook html email template. in this case, these properties will apply to all buttons in your template.
.jpg)
3. working on backgrounds for your outlook email templates
The backgrounds you set for rows and containers are not displayed in outlook. however, it’s worth mentioning that the background images you set for the entire email template display fine.
but how do you set backgrounds for some elements in templates? here is the output.
You need to do some work on the code of your outlook html email template.
In the “outlook rendering issues” blog post, we show in detail how to enable backgrounds for rows and containers.
4. add menu tabs to your emails
Very often, the menu tabs in an outlook email template lose their style. why does it happen?
only if a link url is missing.
5. test emails
Before exporting your emails to outlook, always make sure to send test emails to see how the email looks in your inbox and run a screenshot test to see how the email looks in your inbox. all versions of outlook if your colleagues downloaded different versions of this email client or use different devices. our testing tool will provide you with screenshots of how your email looks in the latest versions of outlook on various devices.
In addition to the screenshot test, you can also use one of these options:
-
get a shared link to your template in outlook. they are public and you can share them with clients and colleagues;
download the letter in pdf format to send it to your colleagues for approval. it gives them the opportunity to see the big picture and leave feedback directly on your emails. you can choose the orientation of the page;
email preview, both mobile and desktop versions, as well as amp and html formats;
Choose, customize, and test templates to send only high-quality emails to clients and colleagues.
what else can you do with stripo to add uniqueness to outlook templates?
We provide many how-tos on our blog to save our users time and help them create an email template. let’s take a look at some features that will enhance your outlook templates.
1. add custom fonts
custom fonts in the body of a message will help you maintain brand style in every contact with your customers.
In a dedicated article, you will find details on how to load and use custom fonts with stripo.
Please note that you should check font compatibility with various couriers before sending letters to recipients.
if the custom font of a template in outlook is not supported by the subscriber’s sender, it will be replaced with the default font preferred by the particular sender.
2. edit photos
When creating an outlook template, you may need a photo editor to work with images. you may want to resize them, apply filters, add stickers, write text over the product image, etc.
now there is no need to edit these visual elements with third party tools and then upload the modified images in the email template in outlook. stripo allows you to do this without unnecessary movements, but directly in our editor.
To enter the editor, just click the desired button after adding an image to the template, as shown on the screenshot.
When you’re done editing, don’t forget to click the “save” button.
3. possibility to customize the width of the letters
We all know that 600px is the most popular email size. but nowadays, more and more brands are experimenting with insole widths. some try 640 pixels, others 700 and, especially the sophisticated gentlemen, even 800 pixels.
To save you the hassle of digging through the email code, we offer the option to manually adjust the width of the outlook email template in the general settings/appearance tab.
4. promotional annotation generator for gmail
This option allows you to provide detailed information about your offer, discount amount, sale dates and promotional codes directly in the preview area of the letter, even before the recipient opens it.
The feature is only available on mobile devices.
5. image rollover effect
The rollover effect can be used for a variety of purposes. but it is mainly used for the gamification of a perspective template, as well as to show products from different angles and in an enlarged way.
you can easily create one in stripo:
-
toggle the “rollover effect” button after loading the first image;
upload the second image;
make sure both images are the same size;
done.
6. countdown timer content block
The task of the timers in the outlook template is to motivate customers to make purchases. they also notify recipients of sales start and end dates.
You can set timers and add them to emails directly in stripo without using third party tools.
timers are completely web-safe, which means they work in all mail programs.
Instructions on how to set up email timers can be found on our blog in the article “How to add a countdown timer to your email”.
7. build amplifier accordion
Marketers should make extensive use of the accordion, which helps better structure a prospect template. it simply “packages” your content into different sections. users only see the names of the sections and open the ones they need. any type of content can be inserted into an amplifier accordion, even product cards.
Accordions save recipients time and prevent annoying scrolling.
8. brand guidelines
this feature analyzes the template you have chosen or created with us and makes recommendations on how to maintain the brand style in your future campaigns.
will tell you what text size, indentation, font, and button colors are best to use in your email template for outlook.
The brand guidelines you create with us will also contain your brand logo and even content modules to use in campaigns; you can copy your html or html with embedded css.
You can create separate brand guidelines for each project.
tips for better email templates
We have already learned how to use different tools to make life easier regarding email templates in Outlook. but we’d also like to give you some essential tips that will make your email templates perfect.
1. use minimal content
Try not to clutter a message template with too much content. people don’t tend to read much on their screens, especially promotions. Make sure your new template also contains photos, gifs or videos (but not too many) to showcase all the benefits of your product or service and keep the customer interested and entertained. however, don’t forget about the purpose of your email templates in outlook.
2. clarify account
The call to action (CTA) is basically the main reason why a client should open a message window. cta placement blocks have to be easy to find: the button needs to be big, easy to reach and catch the eye. Considering the fact that more and more people check their emails with phones, make sure to create a new template with a single column page layout.
3. font size
User templates should be visible on all screens without any effort, so pay attention to the size of your fonts. Also, don’t use too many fonts as it will confuse the customer and lose attention.
4. fast loading time
If your outlook templates take a lot of time to load, no one will see how well designed it is. You can use smaller attachments or fewer files to ensure that an outlook template opens completely in seconds.
5. colors
the visual aspect is a very important part of the templates in outlook. there are a lot of psychological studies on how colors influence our decisions, so feel free to use it while creating new user templates.
6. feel free to try
a/b testing will never be superfluous for templates in outlook. you can trust your audience regarding such things. And don’t be afraid of experiments!
when do you need to add visual content to your email?
If your goal is to create an effective message, you should not only focus on text content, but also diversify it with visual elements. Let’s take a look at the basics:
1. images
Static images are still the most common way to send a message via email. By adding a perfectly relevant image, you can easily get rid of a lot of text.
for example, the wall of intro text above st. Valentine’s day can be avoided by attaching an image with a couple in love.
tips:
-
don’t replace all text with images as it triggers spam filters;
always add proper alt text to images in case an email client blocks them;
try not to put essential information and cta in your images;
avoid adding stock photos, real photos or individual designs usually have a greater appeal.
2. gif
As we mentioned before, gifs have become popular nowadays. gifs are a collection of dynamic frames that play on a loop, giving the impression that the image is animated. they can help us “feel” the product or service in a more effective way than just an image.
If you want to show how your product works very quickly, just attach a gif. It will save your customers a lot of time and increase your income.
3. videos
In the age of youtube and tiktok, it’s obvious that people are interested in video content. and it is also quite easy to send a necessary message in a few minutes video.
you can attach one to your email in two ways: either with redirection to a landing page or youtube to watch it, or with the ability to play a video in the email itself, so the user doesn’t have to go to any third party website.
The first option is simpler and can be used to test video email marketing. another is a bit technique sensitive and should also think about compatibility with email clients.
summarizing
Adding visual content to emails is a very individual thing. you need to experiment a lot, test and analyze what exactly works for your customers. Just because your competitors use gifs doesn’t mean it works for you the same way.
Look at your email templates and see what’s missing and what else can bring your messages to life. work with text as much as you work with images, and don’t forget that there are people for whom text is more attractive than images or videos. keep in mind your most important kpis, turn on both your creative and your ratio, and it will help you achieve your desired open rate, click rate, and conversion rate.
-
-
-