Gmail layout templates: create newsletters for branded emails in Gmail

Google regularly releases new Gmail features that enhance the experience of sending and receiving emails. One exciting feature allows Google Workspace users to easily create branded emails using professional newsletter templates in Gmail.

This guide will walk you through how to use this feature to create stunning branded emails for your audience right in your Gmail account.   

{{cta-box}}

Why use layouts to create branded emails in Gmail?

Before we begin, think about how many emails you receive in a day. Is it a lot? Is your inbox flooded with emails? 

Your email recipients are probably facing similarly crowded inboxes, so you have to make sure your emails stand out. Creating professional, branded emails when you enable templates is one of the best ways to do that. 

Using newsletter templates in Gmail requires less effort than other email marketing tools, saving you time and frustration. 

If you're still not sold on the value of branded emails, consider these benefits:

Positive first impressions

Gmail messages can act as your brand's first impression with potential new customers. To create the strongest possible first impression, your email should be professional and recognizable from your brand to avoid being seen as spam. A striking branded email will help you achieve that effect. 

Increased credibility

Gmail templates and branded emails help convey your professionalism and experience to your audience, increasing your brand's credibility. Which would you trust more: a plain text email with no branding whatsoever or an eye-catching email with a brand logo and business contact information? 

The answer is clear. 

Grow brand recognition

Over time, if you start creating templates and continually send branded emails with a clear logo and brand colors, you'll grow your business's brand recognition. Your audience will increasingly associate the colors and logo with your brand, and your brand may come to mind when they're searching for products or solutions in your market. 

Streamline your entire process

Creating email templates in Gmail allows you to streamline your process by batching your work. It also encourages your readers to open your emails and click the links, which is no easy feat in a world full of busyness, disruption, and distraction.

This combination of productivity and engagement is the one-two punch most businesses are lacking in today's society.

How to create professional-looking email templates in Gmail

Launched in August 2022 for Google Workspace users, the branded newsletter email template in Gmail makes it possible to build professional newsletters and other branded emails with just a few clicks.

To use Gmail layouts in your Gmail account, simply follow these steps:

1. Compose a new email

‍Open Gmail and click Compose in the top left to write a new email and open the new message window.

2. Open the layouts menu

‍At the bottom of the compose window, click the button that looks like a collage (or a Streak logo…). When you hover over it, the button should say “Choose layout."

3. Explore email template options in Gmail

‍When you click the button, you'll see previews of the ten different layout templates on the left side of the screen, each with a title like “Call to action” or “Announcement.” You can click on each one to see a larger preview of the Gmail templates on the right.

4. Customize your Gmail layouts‍ in just a few clicks

If it's your first time using branded email templates, click Default styling in the bottom left corner.

On the next screen, you can customize aspects of your Gmail template layouts that will apply to all templates. These include: 

• Your brand's logo
• Color palette
• Font
• Footer details
• Links preferences

You can change these at any time, but once you customize your layouts to match your company branding, you shouldn't have to edit these details often. It will overwrite template settings for any new template.

5. Save your changes‍

Don't forget this part! When you're done customizing the designs, click Save & Continue. The changes you just made will be reflected in the template previews. 

6. Insert an email template layout into your email body‍

Select the email layout you like and click Insert. The layout will appear in the body of the email.

7. Edit your content‍

Now that your layout is in the email, you can customize each section, including text, images, links, and buttons. Click on each section of the layout to see your customization options.

If there's a button in the layout, make sure to add a link to the button so it takes readers to the intended page.

Get started using Gmail newsletter templates in Streak's mail merge feature

Branded newsletter templates in Gmail are very useful, but they're even more powerful when used in Streak's mail merge feature.

With mail merge, you can use your previously saved Gmail template to send newsletters and other promotional emails to your entire contact list at once.

To do so, follow these steps:

1. Download the free Streak extension for Chrome or Safari.
2. Create a mail merge using Streak.
3. In the body of a blank email, open the new “Choose template” feature.
4. Customize the template as desired, following the steps above.
5. Send or schedule the mail merge.

Once you send the mail merge, you'll be able to see the promotions and newsletters you have sent to each contact as well as the mail merge lists in Streak. Note that mail merge variables and Streak snippets don't currently work with the Gmail layouts. 

If you haven't used Streak before, you can try Streak for free to send your first mail merge with Gmail layouts today.