This procedure applies to PoliteMail versions 4.7 to 4.9. Information on using the PoliteMail Builder in versions 4.94 to 5.0 may be found here.
To access the Template Builder and all of the features that come with it, open a new email in Outlook.
Select a New Message > PoliteMail > Templates > Template Builder
To Create or Edit a Brand Theme
- Inside of the Template builder, select New. (For saved brand themes, simply choose the theme from the drop-down.) If you wish to make adjustments to an existing Brand Theme, choose Edit.
- Set your brand themes by selecting the font and color schemes for different sections of your message.
- Select Save.
Building A Template
To adjust the message Header Format:
Use the slide bar to find the style that works best for your message. Some options are text only, while others include the option for images.
- The Preheader will add a place for short text above the banner.
- The Subheader will create a place for short text below the banner.
- The Footer will create a place for short text at the bottom of the message
- The Outside Footer will create a place for short text at the end of the message, on the outside of the message.
To adjust the Body Format:
- Use the slide bar to find the style that works best for your message.
- To include multiple styles or more content, select the “+” sign to add another section. Select the “-“ symbol to remove extra sections that have already been added.
- When you have finished adding all your sections, choose Place Page Into Outlook.
Editing the Template in Outlook
Adding or Editing Text
Click into the space for the text and create a write up, or copy and paste your content into the section. We recommend right clicking and using “Merge Formatting” or “Keep Text Only”.
Note: By choosing “Keep Source Formatting” when pasting, there may be embedded code or styles that get unintentionally transferred over which can cause issues for both the sender and the recipient.
Use the Smart Attachments feature for additional content that would usually come via a normal Email attachment. These attachments (docs, images, PDFs, etc) can be tracked and reported on.
Adding Images
Select the image placeholder and choose Add Image.
For best results, it's recommended to resize your images to the dimensions specified in the template before you use Add Image. There are plenty of programs like Paint and Photoshop that will allow you to resize your images.
This method also keeps your email sizes small, which makes delivery fast and efficient because it will reference the image from our servers instead of embedding it onto every email.
Editing Links
To Edit Links inside of a template, right click on the line and select Edit Hyperlink.
In the pop-up window, enter the text to display in the top box and the destination URL in the bottom address box.
Select OK.
Saving Templates
To save the template enter a Subject which will be the name of the template and click on Save as Template. You will not be able to save a template without entering a subject.
The following video walks through building a template from start to finish.