Creating an email using Email Builder

Topics in this article

• Introduction
  • What is Email Builder
  • Requirements
  • Costs
• Before getting started
  • Where you can use Email Builder
  • HTML code
  • Templates
  • Content widgets
• Step-by-step
  • Using Email Builder
  • Inserting links
  • Adding videos
  • Undoing modifications
  • Creating widget templates
  • Creating content with automatic variations
  • Embedding products from my store in the email
  • Customizing the footer
  • Adding image map links
• Frequently asked questions
  • Email Builder is not available
  • Image sizes
  • Email size
  • Email compatibility
  • Mobile version
  • Emojis
  • Postal address in the footer
  • Removing the E-goi seal
  • Outlook compatibility
  • Email has no images or links

 

Our Email Builder editor makes it a breeze for you to design great-looking newsletters.

 

 

What is Email Builder?

Email Builder is E-goi's zippy, ultra-effortless email editor designed to quickly create professional, bullet-proof newsletters rendering properly in Gmail, AppleMail, Outlook (and many others) with full mobile responsiveness!

The editor helps quickly create content in a completely visual manner (drag-and-drop), as you only need to drag the elements (text, image, etc.) and drop them into the desired location in the email.

Each content element can be fully customized, including links, style, and appearance.

Emails generated by the Builder are compatible with Gmail, AppleMail, Outlook, and many others, as well as fully adaptable to smartphones and tablets automatically.

 

 

 

Requirements to use Email Builder

• Any E-goi account.
• Permission from your user to create and edit email campaigns.

 

 

Costs

Email Builder is available in any E-goi account.

There are no costs for using it, but depending on the features of your E-goi plan, some Builder functionalities may not be available (they will be labeled "upgrade").

Sending email messages created with the Builder will also have its own associated costs, which will depend on the features of your E-goi plan.

 

 

Before getting started

 

Where you can use Email Builder in E-goi

Builder is the main email editor in E-goi.

As it operates fully visually, it will not be possible to use it when you need access to the entire HTML code of the email.

Therefore, the Builder will not be available if:

• Import a newsletter created outside E-goi (via ZIP file)
• Import an email from the content of a web page
• Create the email from scratch using the Advanced Editor

In these cases, the Advanced Editor will always be used, allowing you to modify the HTML of the entire email.

 

 

HTML Code in the Email Builder

The HTML code for all Builder-generated emails is locked for anti-spam compliance and proper display across major email clients (eg. Gmail, AppleMail, and Outlook).

This means although it is possible to embed additional HTML in your content, you can't edit the email's full HTML or use your custom source.

 

 

Templates

To help you quickly create your email with the Email Builder, we have dozens of templates with pre-prepared content, organized by business area, that you can customize to your liking.

 

 

Content widgets

To facilitate the design of your email, Email Builder has various content elements (which we call "widgets") that you can directly insert into the email. Just drag a widget and drop it where you want.

The widgets are as follows:

• Simple:
  • Text: Free text area with formatting and links.
  • Title: Text area for titles or subtitles, with formatting and links.
  • Image: Displays the image of your choice (uploaded from your computer, a URL, or selected from the gallery). See size limitations.
  • Button: Button with a link, ideal for a call-to-action (ex. "Buy now").
  • Video: Embeds a video using a link, for example, from YouTube.
  • Divider: Horizontal line to help separate email sections.
  • Countdown: Shows a countdown starting from the date you choose. Great for encouraging sign-ups for events, webinars, or time-limited offers.
  • HTML: If you need to insert custom HTML (e.g., specific formatting) in the email, you can use this widget.
• Advanced
  • Header: Displays a header area, which can contain links for the contact to unsubscribe, edit their subscription, or view the email in web version.
  • Footer: Displays a footer area with the E-goi seal and links for the contact to unsubscribe, edit their subscription, or view the email in web version. In this area, you can also include your company's postal address and logo.
  • Columns: Creates a structure of up to 3 columns with an image, title, description, and button. You can arrange these elements and the columns themselves.
  • Image with Caption: Displays an image with a caption.
  • Video with Caption: Displays a video with a caption.
  • Content Block: Displays a block with an image, title, description, and button.
  • Barcode: Displays a barcode generated from the text of your choice.
  • QR Code: Displays a QR code with a link or text that contacts can read with their smartphone's QR code scanner.
  • RSS: Automatically inserts the content from an RSS feed into the email.
  • Social Media: If your company is on social media, you can use this widget to include links to your social media profiles in the email.
  • Share: Inserts buttons in the email for recipients to directly share it on Facebook, X, LinkedIn, and WhatsApp. Useful for boosting the viral effect.
  • Event: Shows an image, title, description, and a button with a link to the event. The link can be a normal link or directly create the event in the contact's calendar.
• Ecommerce
  • Products: Shows the products from your online store that you choose from a catalog that you have already imported into E-goi.
  • Abandoned cart: Shows the products that the contact has added to their shopping cart but hasn't purchased.
  • Dynamic products: Automatically shows products from your store that meet certain conditions (e.g. yellow glasses for children).
  • Similar or alternative products: Shows products similar to those in the contact's shopping cart.
  • Related products: Shows products related to those in the contact's shopping cart.
  • Viewed products: Shows the products that the contact has recently viewed in your online store.
    Important! To use the ecommerce widgets, it's necessary to integrate your online store with E-goi using our Track & Engage.
• Templates
  • A number of widgets with content prepared by us (e.g. headers, banners, buttons, etc.) that you can freely customize.

 

 

Step-by-step

 

 

Creating an email with Email Builder

1) Create an email campaign and proceed to the email editing step.

2) Email Builder will appear. Simply drag and drop items from the left-hand panel. Say you fancy adding a title. Click "Title" on the left panel and drag it onto where you want it in your email. Once you've dropped it, click on it to edit its text, size and how it looks. You can also add links and customise plenty other bits and pieces.

 

3) Just drag-and-drop any other items you need (text, pics, videos, buttons, columns, etc.). They'll auto-snap together vertically, LEGO-like

 

Move, duplicate, and delete widgets

1) Hover your mouse over it and click the three little dots coming up right alongside it. You'll see a row of icons allowing you to slide the item upwards or downwards, clone it and delete it.

 

 

View and modify widget options

1) Click the item and then the "Options" or "Style" tabs on the right-hand panel to customise it.

 

Change the order of columns in the "Columns" widget

1) Click the item and go to "Options" on the right-hand panel. You'll see an options box for each column. Hit the small arrow on the upper right corner of each box to switch the column's positions. You can also click the cross-shaped icon to actually drag the box up or down.

 

Edit the social networks in the Social Networks or Share widget

1) Click the item and go to "Options" on the right-hand panel. You'll see an options box for each social network. Hit the small arrow on the upper right corner of each box to switch their positions. To delete a social network, simply hit the garbage can icon. To add extra networks, click the "+" sign at the bottom of the panel.

 

 

 

Insert links

1)  Edit the text block you want to add your link to (if you've got no text block on your layout yet, just drag the Text widget from the left-hand panel to where you'd like it to appear).

2) Use the mouse to highlight the word or text you want to turn into a link, head over to the left-hand panel and hit the Add link icon.

3) A window will come up. Under Link type, choose File and select the file from your computer. Hit OK when the upload is done.

To test your link live, just preview your email or do a send test.

 

 

Adding videos

1) Drag the Video widget (left-hand panel) and drop it where in your email where you want the video to show up.

If this is a web video

E-goi supports:

• YouTube
• Vimeo

1) Click the video block you added to the email. Under Video link (right-hand panel), paste the YouTube or Vimeo link. The video's thumbnail will automatically pop up inside the block.

2) To see the video live, preview the email or do a test send.

 

If this is a video from your computer or hosted in your site

1) Click the video block you added to your email and hit Gallery (right-hand panel).

2) In the Gallery, click Upload (or Upload from a URL if you have a direct link to the video).

3) Once the video has been uploaded to the Gallery, hover your mouse over it and click the "i" symbol.

4) An info window will show up. Copy the video URL and close the Gallery window by hitting "X" in the top right corner.

5) You will go back to the editor. Click the video block and paste your video URL into Video link in the right-hand panel. Use the Upload or Gallery options to assign your video an image.

7) To see the video live, preview the email or do a test send.

 

 

Undo changes

E-goi automatically saves your email as you make changes. At any time, you can also access the latest saved versions. For example, if you have made some changes to the email in the last hour but then decide that the version without changes would be better, you can retrieve it:

1) While editing the email in E-goi, click the Versions button and choose the date and time to which you want to go back.

2) A preview window of that version will appear. Just click on Go to this version to replace the email being edited with that older version.

This way, not only it is easy to "go back in time" (a kind of "undo"), but you can also recover your work in case of an accident.

 

 

Create widget templates

Any widget you have inserted and customized in your email can be saved as a widget template at any time.

This way you can reuse blocks of content that you frequently use in other emails, saving time:

Saving content as a widget template

1) Mouse over the widget options button.

2) Click the save icon that you'll find on the top right of that bar.

3) Provide it with a name and confirm it.

Using the widget template you saved

1) Locate your widget template on the left bar. Drag and drop it into the editing area.

 

.

Adding conditional content to your email

Builder allows you to create an email that shows different content depending on who receives it.

1) Start by creating a segment in your contact list containing only those people who will be sent different content (in our case, you'd create a segment for cat owners only).

2) Put your email together using Email Builder and add a header picture (in this example, a cute doggo).

3) Go to the "+" sign to the left of the pic and click "Add variation".

4) Create the content for this variation. In this case, let's add a kitty pic as a variation.

5) Since we'd like to have this pic displayed to cat owners, go to the right-hand side panel. Under "Only display this variation to...", choose the segment you've created in step 1.

6) Save your campaign and you're all set! When sending it out to your contacts, those in the cat owners segment will see a lovely kitty in your email.

While everyone else will get a wonderful doggo instead.

Creating conditional content for anything in my email instead of a single picture

Just click the "+" sign on each widget you've added to your email and follow the same steps above.

 

 

Embed products from my store in emails

If you have an online store, E-goi can automatically plug items from your online store straight into your email campaign! Perfect to engage customers with related products or items left in their cart. Simply drag-and-drop our ecommerce widgets while using Email Builder.

Items you can embed into your email

Manually-added: Pick and choose items from your store.

Abandoned cart: Auto-inserts items the customer left in their cart.

Dynamic if-based items: Automatically adds items based on specific conditions (eg. yellow kids glasses).

Alternative or similar: Showcases "you-might-also-like" variants to items already in the cart. E-goi will fetch them from the same category or subcategory (eg. similar keyboard models from the same brand)

Related: Cross-selling bonanza! Displays items related to the ones in the cart. E-goi will fetch other items which go together (eg. keyboard + mouse + mouse pad + HDMI cable).

Last seen: Displays items the customer saw while browsing your site.

Embedding products manually

1) Import your product catalogue into E-goi.

2) While creating your email using Email Builder, drag the Products widget to where you want and choose the product to display.

Automatically embedding the customer's abandoned cart items

1) Import your product catalogue into E-goi.

2) Enable E-goi's Track & Engage across your site so we can track what's in your customers' abandoned carts.

3) While creating your email using Email Builder, drag the Abandoned cart widget to where you want it and choose your settings on the right-hand panel. The email preview won't display any items (just a series of codes), as we can't see what items the customer will have in their cart at this time. Actual items will be shown in the live email only. 4) Choose the Buyers with items in their cart segment when sending out your email.

Dynamically embedding conditional products

Perfect to quickly showcase items matching specific conditions (eg. yellow kids glasses).

1) Import your product catalogue into E-goi.

2) While designing your email using Email Builder, drag the Dynamic products widget to where you want it and create your Product segment using the right-hand panel.

Embedding alternative or similar products

Displays variants to items in the cart, to items purchased (pretty handy for "you-might-also-like" sections in your email) or displays a specific similar item. E-goi will fetch them from the same category or subcategory (eg. similar keyboard models from the same brand).

1) Import your product catalogue into E-goi.

2) Enable E-goi's Track & Engage across your site so we can track what your customers purchase or add to their cart.

3) While creating your email using Email Builder, drag the Alternative products widget to where you want it and choose your settings on the right-hand panel. The similar items can be based on:

• The customer's abandoned cart
• The customer's previously purchased items
• A specific item from the product catalogue you imported into E-goi.

Email Builder's preview won't display any items (just a series of codes), as we can't see what items the customer will have in their cart at this time. Actual items will be shown in the live email only.

4) Choose the proper segment when sending out your email.

Embedding related products

Perfect for cross-selling! Displays items related to items in the customer's cart, items the customer bought or a specific item. E-goi will fetch other items which go together (eg. keyboard + mouse + mousepad + HDMI cable).

1) Import your product catalogue into E-goi. Ensure that your CSV file includes a related_product column with the products related to each product. Check out our CSV example.

2) Enable E-goi's Track & Engage across your site so we can track your customers' items.

3) While creating your email using Email Builder, drag the Related products widget to where you want it and choose your settings on the right-hand panel. The items can be related to:

• The customer's abandoned cart
• The customer's previously purchased items
• A specific item from the product catalogue you imported into E-goi.

Email Builder's preview won't display any items (just a series of codes), as we can't see what items the customer will have in their cart at this time. Actual items will be shown in the live email only.

4) Choose the proper segment when sending out your email.

Embedding last seen products

Displays items the customer browsed in your site.

1) Import your product catalogue into E-goi.

2) Enable E-goi's Track & Engage across your site so we can track what's in your customers' abandoned carts.

3) While creating your email using Email Builder, drag the Viewed products widget to where you want it and choose your settings on the right-hand panel. The email preview won't display any items (just a series of codes), as we can't see what items the customer will have in their cart at this time. Actual items will be shown in the live email only.

4) Choose the Last seen products segment when sending out your email.

 

 

Customising the email footer

Builder automatically adds a footer to your email message, ensuring it abides by email marketing standards and best practices.

To customise it:

1) In Email Builder, just click the footer itself while editing your email. You can then change its content as you would with any content block in the editor.

2) The postal address shown is the one set for the contact list you'll be sending this email to. If you'd like to change it, you may either:

• Click the address and modify it right there and then. Your change will apply to this email only.
• Go to the contact list settings (under the Contacts menu and then Options). In the postal address section, enable Show a different address and type in the address you'd rather use. Your change will apply to all emails sent out to this list.

3) If you'd like to hide a specific item in the footer (eg. your logo, the web version link, etc.), simply disable its setting on the right-hand panel.

4) Under "Appearance", you can also change the entire visual style of the footer.

The unsubscribe link is essential for your email and required by law, as it lets people opt out from your mailings. The E-goi seal is also mandatory, as it allows you to handle GDPR-related requests from your contacts (eg. right to be forgotten).

However, Under certain conditions, and as long as your footer abides by email marketing standards, it's possible to use your own footer. Drop us a line using your account's Help widget, so we can look into it.

 

 

Adding image map links

Pics you add to your email using Builder can include image maps (ie. links in different areas of the same image).

To create an image map link:

1) In Email Builder, drag the image widget to where in the email you want the image to show up. Upload your pic or select it from the Gallery.

2) Click the image block you just created, choose Image link (right-hand panel) and select Image map.

3) Under Image map, hit Create.

4) Choose the shape you'll be using to draw the image's clickable areas.

5) Draw the clickable areas over your image.

6) Once the clickable areas have been set, enter the link for each area (on the right-hand panel). They will be numbered for each area you drew.

7) When you're done, click Save (top of the window).

 

 

 

Frequently asked questions

 

I can't choose the Email Builder editor when creating my email

You're probably creating your email using a method which provides access to the emails's full HTML code, which, for compliance reasons, Builder can't display.

 

What format and size should images have in the Email Builder?

You can upload JPEG, GIF or PNG pics up to about 2 MB each. If they're larger, E-goi will try to bring them down in size.

In addition, to be properly displayed across multiple devices and screen sizes (eg. desktop and mobile), your images should have a maximum width of 600 pixels and a maximum height of 1200 pixels.

Any images you upload will be stored in E-goi's file manager, where you can rename them and sort them into folders.

 

How large should my email be?

An email marketing message shouldn't exceed about 100 KB in size, as most ISPs (such as Gmail, Outlook.com and Yahoo) tend to flag large emails as spam or even outright reject them

 

Which email services is Email Builder compatible with?

In addition to following email marketing standards, Builder renders emails for proper display across Gmail, AppleMail, Outlook and many others, with full mobile responsiveness.

 

Are emails from Email Builder compatible with smartphones and tablets?

Yes, automatically. You can use Builder's preview to see how your email will look on any mobile device.

 

Can I use emojis in my email?

Yes, you can add any symbol or emoji to the message body and to the subject line of your email in E-goi:

• If you work with macOS operating system, use this key combination: ctrl + cmd ⌘ + space bar and choose the emoji.
• If you work with Windows operating system, use this key combination: win ⊞ + . (period) and choose the emoji.

How symbols look like (or whether they show up at all) will depend on the software or email provider that your contacts are using (for example, the full-colour, super eye-catching emoji versions usually come up on iOS and Android). Some emojis won't even display unless you install specific fonts! So, always go for symbols which render fine across all devices and email clients.

 

How do I change the postal address that appears in the email footer?

The postal address is defined in the contact list which you will send the email to.

 

Can I remove the E-goi seal from the footer?

Usually you can't, as it's required by law and email marketing best practices.

It works like a postage stamp and complaints handler all rolled into one, ensuring that your message is consent-based and not a forgery. This increases trust among your contacts - and the more they trust you, the higher your deliverability.

The seal also allows your contacts to request their right to be forgotten (as per GDPR) or file a spam complaint.

Still, if you've already got your own unsubscription method in place (not E-goi-based) which also handles GDPR requests, give us a shout using your account's Help widget so we can look into it.

 

How to ensure my email is properly displayed in Outlook?

Email Builder was designed to generate Outlook-ready emails, but for older versions of Outlook, you may need to do some changes to ensure proper display.

 

Margins

Drop Email Builder's Separator widget into your email content as a way to create margins, since older Outlook versions don't support standard margins.

You can also add vertical and horizontal padding to any Builder block to do the same.

 

Wrong image sizes

Always try to use images that are not larger than the recommended width for an email (about 600 pixels wide), as older versions of Outlook may display them at their actual size, ruining your layout.

 

AnimgGIFs

If you add GIF anims, be sure the GIF's first frame conveys what you want to say or actually includes a CTA, as older Outlook versions don't play AnimGIFs and will only display the first frame.

 

Background images

Try going for plain colors for the backgrounds in your email instead of using background pics, as pictures both make any text hard to read and may not be shown in older versions of Outlook.

 

My email has no images and the links don't work. What happened?

There are usually two reasons for this:

• CNAME misconfiguration

If you've added E-goi's CNAME to your domain for improved deliverability, E-goi will only be allowed to display images and links in your emails as long as that CNAME exists (the CNAME acts like a permit between your domain and us). This means that if something happens to your domain which renders the CNAME invalid, E-goi is no longer authorised to show your images and process links.

How to fix it

1) Go to the upper right corner menu in your E-goi account and select "Senders".

2) Is the "CNAME" section empty (probably saying "No CNAME to display")? Then something happened recently to your domain which disabled our CNAME. Please contact your domain hosting staff and ask them to add E-goi's CNAME again.

3) Once this is done, you should have your email pictures and links back

• Bad internal network settings

In case you can only view your email pics and links using a different internet connection (eg. outside your workplace), there may be something in your company network affecting E-goi.

How to fix it

Tell your systems administrators about this and ask them to run these tests. They should then be able to configure the network so as not to modify E-goi's emails, links and domains.