Want to Replace Plain Text Emails? Learn How to Add Beautiful Email Templates in WordPress

Do you cringe every time your WordPress site sends a plain text email to users? Those ugly, unbranded messages make your business seem amateurish.

According to a 2022 Litmus study, over 68% of emails sent are opened on mobile devices. With small screens, poorly formatted emails get virtually ignored.

The good news? You can easily add polished HTML email templates that match your brand and provide a fantastic experience.

In this detailed guide, we‘ll explore how to customize WordPress emails using the flexible Email Templates plugin.

Why Branded Email Templates Are Essential in 2023

Here‘s why beautifully formatted emails should be part of your 2023 WordPress strategy:

• Increase engagement: According to Mailchimp data from 2022, customized templates can improve open rates by 15% or more compared to plain text
• Strengthen branding: Using your logo, colors, and style makes your mails distinctly your brand instead of generic WordPress
• Boost conversions: When your emails match your website, it builds familiarity and makes users more likely to buy or subscribe
• Enhance user experience: With 68%+ reading emails on mobile, responsive design and clarity is vital

In short, branded email templates make your communications shine rather than being forgettable.

Key Features Needed in an Email Customizer Plugin

With WordPress offering hundreds of email customizer plugins, how do you pick the right one? Here are top features to look for:

• User-friendly visual editor
• Mobile responsive templates
• Custom fonts and design elements
• Bulk apply templates across notifications
• Email preview/testing functionality
• Easy custom CSS overrides

Based on these criteria, we recommend using the flexible yet beginner-friendly Email Templates plugin.

Let‘s compare the top options:

Email Templates scores highest on key email customization features, is free, and easy to set up.

Next, let‘s look at how to install and configure the plugin.

Step 1: Install & Activate Email Templates Plugin

First, login to your WordPress dashboard, hover over Plugins > Add New. Search for "Email Templates" and click Install Now.

After activation, navigate to Email Templates > Open WordPress Email Editor. This launches the customizer tool.

Step 2: Set General Settings

Start by going to the Settings tab:

• Enter your Site Name
• Choose Send From email address

This inserts your brand into message headers automatically.

Step 3: Pick Structural Template Options

Next, go to the Template tab:

• Select a full-width or boxed layout
• Pick a complimentary background color

Background colors that match your brand make emails more recognizable.

You can also choose a preferred content width and tweak structural elements here.

Step 4: Customize Your Header Branding

Click on the Header section to focus on:

• Upload your logo for instant brand recognition
• Change the header text to be more descriptive
• Adjust text size, color, and alignment
• Further modify the background color or image

Properly formatted headers tell recipients who an email is from before they even read it.

Step 5: Craft Your Email Body Content

In the Body section, center on optimizing readability:

• Use sufficient font sizes and line heights
• Make sure text color contrasts well with the background
• Pick an accent color for links to encourage clicks
• Left justify text for easy online scanning

With over 58% of emails opened on smartphones, readability is key.

Step 6: Configure Your Footer Branding

Finally, define your footer:

• Insert your preferred copyright text
• Make sure font sizes remain readable
• Use brand colors for recognition

A consistently branded footer on all emails improves perceptions of your professionalism.

Step 7: Save, Preview & Test Your Template

Once done customizing, click Save & Publish so your template is live.

Next click Send Test Email – this emails a copy to you and lets you preview how your template renders across email clients.

Review carefully on mobile and desktop before sending to users. Refine as needed until pixel perfect!

Troubleshooting Tips

If your customized emails don’t send properly, try installing the free WP Mail SMTP plugin to improve deliverability rates. It helps emails avoid spam folders by sending via SMTP instead of PHP mail().

Also remember that manually sent emails through plugins like Mailchimp or Constant Contact would need their own custom templates designed. Email Templates handles WordPress notifications.

Let Your Brand Shine with Email Templates

We hope this detailed guide covered everything you need to know about creating beautiful email templates within WordPress.

Well-designed email templates make your site communications shine. They strengthen brand recognition, improve engagement metrics, and show users how much you value their experience.

Implement these tips and your WordPress emails will go from plain and forgettable to fabulous branding opportunities with each send!

Let us know if you have any other questions in the comments.