Help Center

Building and Preparing Email Templates

* Page referenced in this article: email templates page.

Email templates are the messages your contacts receive. They can be used in email marketing campaigns and in other parts of LeadCenter where emails are sent automatically or manually.

Templates support shortcodes, which let you personalize the message with contact, appointment, calendar, event, and other dynamic data.

Where Email Templates Are Used

Email templates can be used in:

• Email marketing campaigns
• Workflows
• Appointment confirmation emails and reminders
• Appointment follow-up emails
• Client review reminders
• Event confirmation emails and reminders
• Event follow-up emails
• Direct emails sent to contacts

How to Open Email Templates

1. In the left sidebar, click Marketing.
2. Expand Templates.
3. Click Email.

This opens the Email Templates library, where you can create, edit, preview, and manage your templates.

Choose an Editor

When you click New template, LeadCenter lets you choose between two editors:

The Visual editor is built directly into LeadCenter, so you do not need to use an external email editor for the normal template-building workflow.

What a Template Includes

When creating or editing an email template, you will usually fill in:

• Name — an internal name for organizing your templates
• Category — helps determine where the template is used and which shortcodes are appropriate
• Subject — the subject line contacts see in their inbox
• Body — the email content created in the selected editor

Using Shortcodes

Shortcodes are placeholders that are automatically replaced with real data when the email is sent. A searchable Shortcodes panel is available in the editor.

Examples of shortcode groups include:

• Contact shortcodes — such as first name, last name, full name, email, and phone
• Owner shortcodes
• Business shortcodes
• Appointment and calendar shortcodes
• Event shortcodes
• Custom fields

Important: Some shortcodes are only useful when the template is used in the right context. For example, appointment and calendar shortcodes are meant for templates used in appointment-related categories, and event shortcodes are meant for templates used in event-related categories.

In other words, the shortcode should match both:

• the template category, and
• the feature where the template will be used

For example:

• Use appointment and calendar shortcodes in templates for appointment confirmations, reminders, and follow-ups.
• Use event shortcodes in templates for event confirmations, reminders, and follow-ups.
• Use general shortcodes such as contact, owner, and business in most template types.

Build the Template Content

After selecting your editor, build the email content in the template body.

• Use the Visual editor for layout-based emails with images, buttons, and styled sections.
• Use the Text and HTML editor when you want simpler formatting or need direct HTML control.

You can add personalized content by inserting shortcodes directly into the subject or body.

Preview and Send a Test Email

Before using a template in a campaign or automation, review it first.

• Click Preview to see a sample version of the email
• Use Send test email to send a test message to yourself

Testing helps you confirm that the layout, subject line, links, images, and shortcodes look correct before you use the template in a live campaign. Links clicked during preview open in a new browser tab and behave more like the final sent email.

How Links Work in Template Preview

When previewing an email template, links in the email body now work correctly and open in a new browser tab. This makes template preview behave more like the actual sent email while keeping you inside LeadCenter.

What Changed

Previously, clicking a link in template preview could sometimes open an incorrect URL based on the dashboard address. This has been fixed so preview links behave more like they do in the final email.

How Preview Links Behave

• Full website links — links such as https://example.com open as entered in a new tab
• Links without https:// — links such as www.example.com automatically open with https:// added
• Email links — mailto: links stay unchanged
• Phone links — tel: links stay unchanged
• Anchor links — links such as # stay unchanged
• All preview links — open in a new browser tab so you do not lose your place in LeadCenter

Where This Applies

This applies anywhere LeadCenter shows an email template preview, including:

• the Email Templates list page
• the Email Template edit page
• the Compose Email page
• workflow email previews
• contact activity email history

Tip: Preview is still the best place to test whether your links, layout, images, and shortcodes look correct before sending the template live.

Using HTML Directly

If you prefer, you can still use the Text and HTML editor to paste or edit HTML directly. This is useful if you already have custom HTML from another source or want more control over the email markup.

Warning: When switching between the text editor and HTML editor, existing body content may be removed. Review the template carefully before saving after changing editor modes.

Best Practices

• Use clear internal names so your team can quickly identify the right template.
• Always test the email before using it in a campaign or automation.
• Use shortcodes to personalize the message instead of creating many similar templates.
• Keep marketing templates visually clean and easy to scan.
• Use the correct shortcode group for the system where the email will be sent.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I still need to use an external email editor?

No. LeadCenter now includes a built-in Visual editor as well as a Text and HTML editor, so the normal template-building workflow can be done directly inside LeadCenter.

Can I still paste my own HTML?

Yes. Use the Text and HTML editor if you want to paste or edit HTML directly.

Can email templates be used in email marketing campaigns?

Yes. Email templates are used in email marketing campaigns as well as workflows, appointments, events, client review reminders, and direct emails.

How do I personalize an email template?

Use shortcodes in the subject or body. LeadCenter replaces them with real data when the email is sent.

If you need help building email templates, contact support@leadcenter.ai.