Design emails in the builder

The builder is where you design the message of an email campaign. You drag in blocks such as headings, text, images and buttons, style the whole email, check it for problems and send yourself a test.

Before you start

• Create or open an email campaign. See Create an email campaign.
• Use a tablet or a computer. On a phone the builder shows Use a larger screen to edit. You can still click Preview email there to see the email.

Open the builder

1. In the sidebar, click Campaigns.

2. Open a campaign. The builder is in the Message section.

   

The screen has three parts:

• The canvas, on the left, shows your email as it will look.
• The side panel shows the tab you pick on the rail at the far right: Content, Blocks, Body, Images, Uploads or Audit.
• The toolbar floats at the bottom left of the canvas. From left to right it has an undo arrow (Undo (Ctrl+Z)), a redo arrow (Redo (Ctrl+Shift+Z)), an eye icon (Preview), a monitor icon (Desktop view) and a phone icon (Mobile view).

To get more room, click the narrow strip with the double arrow between the canvas and the panel (Hide panel). Click it again (Show panel) to bring the panel back.

Start from a starter

A blank email shows Drag content here or pick a starter. Click one of the starter buttons below it to begin from a ready-made layout, then change anything you like. Or skip the starters and drag blocks in.

Add content

1. On the rail, click Content.
2. Add a block in one of two ways:
   • Drag its tile onto the email. A colored line shows where it will land.
   • Click its tile. The block is added after the block you have selected.
3. Click the block on the canvas to edit it.

The tiles are:

Buttons and images take your campaign's UTM tags by default, which is what "(UTM)" on those tiles means. You set the tags in the campaign's Tracking section.

Choose a column layout

1. In the Content panel, click COLUMNS.
2. Under Pick a layout (or drag one), click a layout to add it, or drag it onto the email.
3. To close the layouts, click the × icon.

Dragging the COLUMNS tile itself drops a two-column row. Each empty column shows Drop content here. Drag any block into it.

Edit a block or section

1. Click a block on the canvas. A blue outline shows it is selected, and its settings replace the tools in the side panel. The panel title starts with Edit and names the block.
2. Change the settings in the panel.
3. For a heading or text block, click it again to type directly on the canvas.
4. To go back to the tools, click the × icon next to the panel title (Close (Esc)).

A selected block has a small toolbar above it with three icons:

• The grip icon (Drag to move) moves the block.
• The copy icon (Duplicate (Ctrl+D)) duplicates it.
• The trash icon (Delete (Del)) deletes it.

To edit a whole section, click a blank part of it. The panel title becomes Edit Section. Its toolbar sits on the right edge of the section:

Hover over a section to see its name. Sections you haven't named are called Section 1, Section 2 and so on.

If a block or section is set to hide on desktop or mobile, it looks faded in that view and shows a small badge saying so.

Save a section as a reusable block

1. Click the section you want to keep.
2. On its toolbar, click the bookmark icon (Save as block).
3. Under Save to Blocks as, type a name. Names can be up to 80 characters.
4. Click Save block. Click Cancel to close the box without saving.
5. On the rail, click Blocks. The panel is titled Saved blocks.

Saved sections are shared by all your emails. Click one to add it after the selected section, or drag it onto the email. To remove one, click the trash icon on its card, then click Delete. Click Keep to cancel. Until you save one, the panel shows No saved sections yet.

To reuse a whole email design instead, see Save and reuse email formats.

Style the whole email

1. On the rail, click Body. You can also click the backdrop outside the email on the canvas.
2. Change any of these settings:
   • Under Colors: Background (around the email in the inbox), Content background (behind every section that doesn't set its own) and Text.
   • Under Layout: Content width. The hint says 600 px suits most inboxes, and phones always show the email full width.
   • Under Typography: Default font, Link color and Underline links.

Add pictures

Pick the image block you want to fill first. Then use either tab:

• Images lists pictures you already have: email uploads plus pictures from your bio page, events and media kit. Click one to put it in the selected image block. With no image block selected, clicking a picture adds a new image to the email. When your pictures come from more than one place, filter buttons appear at the top. The circular arrows icon refreshes the list.
• Uploads is for new pictures. Drop images onto Drop images here or click to choose, or click it to browse. JPG, PNG, GIF and WebP work. Big pictures are resized to 1200 px wide, and GIFs can be up to 5 MB. Finished uploads appear under Your uploads. Click one to use it.

To delete an upload, click the trash icon on it, then Delete under Delete?. Click Keep to cancel. Emails that already use the picture keep showing it.

Check your email with the Audit tab

The Audit tab checks your email as you work. A red number on the tab counts the problems under Must fix and Should fix. Tips aren't counted.

1. On the rail, click Audit.

2. Read the list. Problems are grouped as Must fix (these break the email for readers), Should fix (almost certainly not what you want to send) and Tips.

3. Click a problem that has an arrow. The builder selects the block or section and opens its settings.

   

Typical messages are Add a subject line., a placeholder image to replace, or a button that has no link yet. When nothing is wrong, the tab shows All clear.

Preview the email

1. Click the eye icon (Preview) on the canvas toolbar.
2. Use the monitor and phone icons at the top of the window to switch between desktop and phone width.
3. Check the inbox row above the email. It shows the sender, your subject line and your preview text. With no preview text, inboxes show the email's first words instead.

Merge tags show sample values in the preview. The window also shows the email's size. Gmail cuts off emails after about 102 KB. If you get close, the window warns you, and the fix is to remove a section or trim HTML blocks.

The Desktop view and Mobile view icons on the canvas toolbar switch the canvas itself between a full-width email and a 375 px phone.

Send a test email

1. At the top of the builder, click Send Test Email.
2. Wait while the button reads Sending….
3. Open your inbox and check the email.

Export the HTML

Use Export HTML to take the email to Klaviyo, Mailchimp or any email platform that accepts custom HTML.

1. At the top of the builder, click Export HTML.

2. Under Email platform, choose Klaviyo, Mailchimp or Other platform (neutral tags). This sets the merge-tag style written into the HTML. Pinned remembers your choice.

3. Click Copy full HTML, Download .html or Copy plain text. A line under the buttons shows the file size, the number of sections and whether UTM tags are included.

   

4. To copy one section for an existing template, find it under Sections and click Copy section HTML.

With Klaviyo selected, the preview text isn't in the HTML, because Klaviyo adds it from its own Preview text field. If your email has preview text, click Copy preview text and paste it there.

If the window shows Fix before sending, fix those items first. They are the problems that would change what your readers see. The full list is in the Audit tab.

To send through Klaviyo directly, see Send campaigns with Klaviyo or any email platform.

Work in fullscreen

Click Edit in Fullscreen at the top of the builder to give the canvas the whole screen. The button changes to Exit Fullscreen. Press Esc to leave fullscreen, after any selection is cleared.

Save your work

At the bottom of the builder, click Save. It reads Saving… while it works. Save and Reset stay greyed out until you make a change.

Tips

These shortcuts work while the builder is in focus. On a Mac, use ⌘ instead of Ctrl.

Troubleshooting

The controls are greyed out

When an email can't be edited, the builder shows This email can't be edited right now. You can still look around and open Preview.

An uploaded picture shows only in the builder

If Pinned can't store a picture, the upload shows Use without hosting (preview only). The picture appears in your preview, but it won't show in real inboxes until it's uploaded. Try uploading it again later.

Copying didn't work in the Export HTML window

Your browser may block the clipboard. The window then shows the text in a box. Click in the box, select everything with Ctrl+A (⌘A) and copy it with Ctrl+C (⌘C).

The test email didn't arrive

The builder shows a message if sending fails. Try Send Test Email again. If it keeps failing, contact support@pinned.gg.