Salesforce Marketing Cloud Email Studio: Complete Guide to Email Templates

Email templates in Salesforce Marketing Cloud Email Studio offer a quick and scalable way to build beautiful, responsive, and branded emails. Templates save time, ensure design consistency, and allow teams to collaborate more efficiently.

In this blog, we’ll explore all four types of templates available in SFMC:

• Basic Templates
• Empty Templates
• Themed Templates
• Saved Templates

We’ll also provide AMPscript, HTML/CSS, SQL, and API examples wherever relevant.

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🔹 Basic Templates

Basic templates are pre-designed layouts with a balance of content and design. They’re ideal for marketers who want a ready-to-use format.

Examples:

• 1-3-1 Column Image
• Hero 1-2-3 Column
• Hero 1-3 Column
• Hero 1-3-2 Column

✅ Use Cases:

• Newsletters (e.g., 1-3-1 Column Image for multi-topic updates)
• Promotional Emails with CTAs (Hero 1 Column + Buttons)
• Event Announcements

🧩 How to Use:

• Drag and drop content blocks into sections
• Modify button links, images, and texts
• Personalize with AMPscript:

%%[SET @name = FirstName]%%
<p>Hello %%=v(@name)=%%, welcome to our weekly deals!</p>

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🔹 Empty Templates

Empty templates are layout frameworks without any design or branding. They are perfect for designers and developers who want full control.

Examples:

• Blank Page
• Left Sidebar 3 Row
• Basic 2 Column

✅ Use Cases:

• Custom Branded Emails
• Transactional Emails using REST API
• Template Prototyping

🧩 How to Use:

• Add HTML blocks with your code
• Apply custom CSS for styling

<table width="100%" style="font-family: Arial;">
<tr><td><h1>Welcome to Our Store!</h1></td></tr>
</table>

🛠 Integration with AMPscript

You can inject personalized data like this:

%%[SET @product = AttributeValue("LastProductViewed")]%%
<p>You may also like: %%=v(@product)=%%</p>

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🔹 Themed Templates

These templates are styled with color schemes and industry-specific layouts.

Examples:

• Business 1, 2, 3
• Featured Newsletter 1, 2, 3
• Financial Services 1, 2

✅ Use Cases:

• Financial Updates for banking, insurance
• Corporate Communication
• Product Launches with banners + CTAs

💡 Bonus: Built-in responsive design

These templates are mobile-friendly out of the box. You can edit them using the visual editor without touching code.

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🔹 Saved Templates

Saved templates are custom layouts you or your team have saved after design.

✅ Use Cases:

• Reusable Campaign Templates
• Seasonal Designs (e.g., Black Friday, Summer Sale)
• Brand Guidelines Compliance

🧩 Advanced Use Case – Use in API

Using the Email REST API:

POST /messaging/v1/email/messages
{
  "definitionKey": "my-saved-template",
  "recipients": [
    {
      "contactKey": "12345",
      "to": "user@example.com",
      "attributes": {
        "FirstName": "Suhas",
        "CouponCode": "SAVE20"
      }
    }
  ]
}

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📊 SQL Query Use Case

Identify top-performing Email Templates by EmailID:

SELECT EmailID, COUNT(*) AS TotalSends
FROM _Job
GROUP BY EmailID
ORDER BY TotalSends DESC

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🎨 Styling with CSS

In Blank or Empty templates, add inline or embedded CSS:

<style>
  h1 { color: #333; font-size: 28px; }
  .btn { background-color: #007bff; color: #fff; padding: 10px; }
</style>

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✅ Best Practices

• Use Themed templates if you want quick, professional layouts.
• Use Empty templates if you have in-house designers or strict branding.
• Use Saved templates for efficiency and consistency.
• Always test with Preview & Test tab to ensure mobile responsiveness.

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