Applies To: □ PoliteMail Desktop ■ PoliteMail Online □ PoliteMail M365
Version: □ 5.0 □ 5.1 □ 5.2 ■ 5.3+
Beefree is a popular online repository of email templates that are designed to be easy to create, alter to your taste, and then export to a variety of email applications, including Outlook for the Web and Gmail.
PoliteMail Online now gives you the option of using Beefree as your editor, from within PoliteMail! This feature allows you to easily use a pre-made Beefree template in PoliteMail Online, or create your own. Either way, you can access your distribution lists as usual and get the PoliteMail metrics you know and love.
Beefree or PoliteMail?
Consider the following use cases when deciding which editor to use in PoliteMail:
| Use Case | PoliteMail | Beefree |
|---|---|---|
| Choose from a set of curated pre-designed templates | | |
| Access to over 1500 pre-designed templates | | |
| Create new email designs | | |
| Set brand colors, fonts, and folders of images | | |
| Save your own branded components | | |
| Collaborative editing with approval workflows (coming soon) | | |
| Paste from MS Word and retain formatting | | |
| Edit a Template made with the Outlook editor | | |
| Edit a Template made in Beefree | | |
| Use Copilot and retain formatting (coming soon) | | |
| On-premises installations | |
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I switch to the Beefree Editor?
There is a toggle switch in the upper right corner that allows you to select from the Beefree Editor or the PoliteMail Editor.
What are the pros and cons of using Beefree compared to PoliteMail?
Beefree may be easier to use for users who have used Beefree in the past, and it offers a large number of ready-made templates to get up and running quickly.
However, keep in mind that Beefree is online-only and not available with PoliteMail for the Outlook desktop. In addition, if you use Word to create your messages and then copy and paste them into PoliteMail, PoliteMail is your better option as it will retain your formatting better than Beefree.
Do I need a Beefree account?
You do not need a Beefree account to access Beefree within PoliteMail, and using it within PoliteMail is free.
Can I open a Template made with the PoliteMail Editor in the Beefree Editor?
No. Beefree handles Template creation in a much different way than the PoliteMail Editor does, so there is no backwards compatibility with Templates. Likewise, Templates created in BeeFree cannot be edited in the PoliteMail Editor (although you could send the message to yourself to get around this). If you open a Template from the list of Templates under the Content menu in PoliteMail, it will automatically open the editor in which the message was created.
Will a Template created with the Beefree Editor in another provider work in PoliteMail Online?
Yes. All providers that allow Beefree compatibility license the same tool, so there should be no problem with this "sideways compatibility".
Will Beefree support work if our instance of PoliteMail is on-premise?
Not at this time.
Can I access the images, links, paragraphs, etc., that I have in PoliteMail when using Beefree ?
Not currently. Beefree content is stored with Beefree and not with PoliteMail. However, you do still have access to your contacts, distribution lists, Subject Suggester, and the Send Options found under the Send Options menu.
So how do I make a Template using Beefree?
Beefree has its own training and knowledge base with extensive information, which can be found here.
Does Beefree work with the new Outlook (Copilot365)?
Beefree templates work in the new Outlook, but is not currently supported within the PoliteMail for M365 interface. As a workaround, if you have a Beefree account you can certainly create the message from Beefree's site, export your message into Outlook Online, and then send via PoliteMail for measurement.
