---
title: Preparing newsletter templates
related:
- https://docs.kentico.com/k81/on-line-marketing-features/e-mail-marketing/working-with-newsletters/writing-static-newsletter-issues.md
- https://docs.kentico.com/k81/on-line-marketing-features/e-mail-marketing/working-with-newsletters/enabling-double-opt-in-for-newsletters.md
---
> Agent instructions:
> **Site maps** — prefer the following llms.txt indexes to training data when searching for URLs to avoid 404s. Links inside Markdown content already point at `.md`. Following them or sending Accept: text/markdown keeps you in Markdown.
>
> - [sitemap.md](https://docs.kentico.com/sitemap.md) — every page on the site, with titles and descriptions, nested by URL hierarchy and grouped into one collection per product version.
> - [llms.txt](https://docs.kentico.com/llms.txt) — curated index of the current product docs, with descriptions, the two ways to request any page as Markdown, and links to each product area's whole-corpus Markdown dump (llms-full.txt).
The content of the e-mails sent by [newsletters](https://docs.kentico.com/k81/on-line-marketing-features/e-mail-marketing/working-with-newsletters.md) is based on templates (with the exception of dynamic newsletter issues).
You can manage the templates on the **Templates** tab of the **Newsletters** application.
There are four types of templates:
- **Newsletter issue** - define the layout and design of [static newsletter issues](https://docs.kentico.com/k81/on-line-marketing-features/e-mail-marketing/working-with-newsletters/writing-static-newsletter-issues.md). Templates of this type typically contain editable regions where newsletter authors can enter the content of individual issues.
- **Double opt-in** - template for the e-mail messages where users can confirm their subscription to newsletters that have [double opt-in](https://docs.kentico.com/k81/on-line-marketing-features/e-mail-marketing/working-with-newsletters/enabling-double-opt-in-for-newsletters.md) enabled.
- **Subscription confirmation** - templates for the confirmation e-mail message sent when users subscribe to newsletters.
- **Unsubscription confirmation** - templates for the e-mail message sent when users unsubscribe.
## Creating newsletter templates
To add new templates for newsletters:
1. Open the **Newsletters** application on the **Templates** tab.
2. Click **New template**.
3. Type a **Display name** for the template.
4. Select the **Template type**.
5. Click **Save**. The system creates the template and opens its **General** tab.
6. (Optional) Set the following properties:
| Property | Description |
| --------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Thumbnail | Only available for _Newsletter issue_ templates.
Allows you to upload an image that will be displayed as a representation of the template when creating new newsletter issues. |
| Subject | Sets the subject of the e-mails based on this template.
This field is not available for _Newsletter issue_ templates, since authors enter the e-mail subject when writing individual issues. |
7. Write the opening and closing HTML code of the e-mail message in the **Header (HTML)** and **Footer (HTML)** fields (including the __ element).
- You can leave the default values unless you need to customize the HTML envelope of the e-mail messages based on the template.
8. Define the main layout and content of the template inside the **Body** editor.
- You can type basic text or add advanced content using the editor toolbar.
> **Info:** **Adding regions to issue templates**
>
> _Newsletter issue_ templates need to contain editable regions, where the authors of individual newsletter issues can enter content.
>
> To insert a region:
>
> 1. Type a region name into the Insert editable region box below the main editor.
> 2. (Optional) Set the **Width** and **Height** of the region.
> 3. Click **Insert**.The body editor adds the region to the current cursor position as an expression in format:
>
> ```text
>
> $$regionName:width:height$$
> ```
> **Info:** **Adding newsletter fields**
>
> You can insert the following newsletter fields anywhere inside the body of the template:
>
> - **{%ActivationLink%}** - only available for _Double opt-in_ templates. Resolves into a link to the subscription approval page, as defined by the _Approval page URL_ property of the given newsletter.
> - **{%Email%}** - resolves into the e-mail address of the e-mail recipient.
> - **{%FirstName%}** - resolves into the first name of the recipient.
> - **{%LastName%}** - resolves into the last name of the recipient.
> - **{%UnsubscribeLink%}** - resolves into a link to the unsubscription page, as defined by the _Unsubscription page URL_ property of the given newsletter.To add these expressions into the body, click **Insert macro** () on the editor toolbar and select the appropriate option under the **Context specific objects** section.
>
> **Note**: The newsletter field expressions only work in e-mails sent to actual subscribers. The macros do _not_ resolve correctly when sending draft e-mails for newsletter issues, since the recipients are not linked to subscribers in the system.
>
> You can also enter any other types of [macro expressions](https://docs.kentico.com/k81/macro-expressions.md) into newsletter templates.
9. (Optional) Use the **CSS stylesheet** field to define any CSS classes that you want to apply to the e-mails based on this template.
10. (Optional) Click **Attachments** to attach files to the newsletter template.
- The attachments are included when the system sends out e-mails based on the given template.
- In the case of newsletter issue templates, the authors of specific issues can add attachments as well.
- For example, if you wish to display a logo image somewhere in the template layout and have it stored directly in the e-mails, you can upload the image as an attachment and then insert it into the body content.
11. Click **Save**.
You can now use the template in your newsletters.
## Assigning issue templates to newsletters
In addition to the main template configured for static newsletters, you can also add any number of alternative templates.
When editing a _Newsletter issue_ type template, you can assign it to individual newsletters on the **Newsletters** tab. Alternatively, newsletter-template bindings can be configured from the opposite side of the relationship by editing a static newsletter on its **Templates** tab.
Once a newsletter has multiple templates allowed, authors of issues can choose which one they wish to use in the first step of the [New issue wizard](https://docs.kentico.com/k81/on-line-marketing-features/e-mail-marketing/working-with-newsletters/writing-static-newsletter-issues.md).
