How to create email templates in Gmail

Copper customers have even more streamlined email template functionality, with the ability to apply a template directly from a record within the platform (when certain settings are enabled). But perhaps best of all, with our Google Chrome extension, Copper users can apply an email template built in Copper directly from their Gmail inbox. This offers individuals and teams increased efficiency and productivity in their daily work processes.

Don't worry, we have all the details on Gmail email templates you'll ever need to know — just keep reading.

If you’re wondering, “Why should I create a template email in Gmail?” here’s the thing: you’re wasting over 3 hours every day on work email. We’re willing to bet that you’ve got more important things to do with your time, so email templates are a must.

Gmail templates will also help you:

• Cut down on response times: Did you know that 70% of your customers expect a response within 4 hours? That’s fine if email is all you do, but you’re bouncing between meetings and calls and other work priorities. Gmail templates help you make the most of your inbox. This cuts down the time required to compose a message and gives you the capacity to answer more emails.
• Send consistent messaging: Is your team sending out completely different messages to your clients or customers? Streamline everything with Gmail templates shared across your team. This saves everyone tons of time and ensures you’re consistently branding your messages.
• Send bulk emails from Gmail: That’s right. You don’t need a separate email service provider (ESP) to send bulk emails. With the right tools, you can send big campaigns right from your Gmail with mail merge.

Oh, and guess what? Gmail templates are part of your Google Workspace, formerly G-suite, service. You’re already paying for this feature, so why not use a few templates to simplify your workday?

Businesses send over 300 billion emails every day. Save your fingers the trouble of typing your messages manually with Gmail templates. Follow these tips to see how to set up a Gmail template and make the most of this awesome feature.

1. Go to your Gmail account and click on Settings (it’s the gear icon in the top right-hand corner). Go to “See all settings.”

2. Go to the Advanced tab.

3. Go to “Templates” and click “Enable.”

4. Click on the “Save Changes” button.

5. Next, go back to your inbox to write your first template. Click the Compose button to open the compose window.

6. Click on the three dots at the bottom right hand corner of the email draft.

7. Once you’ve written the email, click on those three dots to go to Templates > Save draft as template > Save as new template > click the “Save” button.

8. Enter a name for your template and save it.

9. Now you’re ready to rock and roll!

10. To use a saved template, act like you’re going to write a new email or reply to a message. Click on the three dots in the corner of the Compose window.

11. Click Templates > Insert template and choose your desired template. Gmail will populate your email with your template, but you still have the freedom to edit it as needed before sending.

You’ve set up your awesome Gmail template, but maybe you found a typo or you need to add a few bullets. To adjust your existing Gmail template:

1. Open the compose window. Click on the three dots in the corner to pull up your existing template.

2. Adjust the email content to your liking.

3. When you’re done, go to Templates > Save draft as template > Overwrite template. Choose the name of the template you want to overwrite.

4. Click the “Save” button to update the template.

Don’t need a template anymore? That’s fine; just follow these quick steps to delete it forever:

1. Open the compose window and click on the three dots.
2. Click Templates > Delete template. Click on the name of the template you need to remove.

3. Click Delete to remove the template.

Out of the box, a Gmail template still requires you to manually drop the template into each email. This is great if you want some kind of starting point with your emails or if your emails require a little personalization.

But sometimes you just need to automate replies, and Gmail has a solution for that, too. You can set up automatic template replies using the Filter feature:

1. Go to your Gmail account. Go to Gmail Settings > “See more settings” > Filters and Blocked Addresses > Create a new filter.

2. Set up rules for your filter. This gives you the freedom to send a template response from particular email addresses, subject lines or phrases. Once you’ve added your requirements, click “Create filter.”

3. From here, check “Send template.” Be sure to choose the right template from the dropdown.

4. And that’s it! If you need to change templates or remove a filter, just visit your Settings to edit or delete a filter.

Gmail lets you send one-off emails as needed to save you tons of time. But we know that its standard features don’t always match your needs for lead nurturing.

Copper’s Email Sequences feature solves this problem so you can personalize and automate your emails at scale. Together with Copper's Email Templates and segmentation capabilities, you have all the tools you need to nurture relationships with less manual effort. Everything works right inside the CRM, so there’s no need to open Gmail if you don’t want to stare at your inbox for hours (no judgment here). You can also use Copper to capture contact information, automate nurturing touchpoints, and even track lead engagement.

Get a quick demo to see Email Sequences in action.

Gmail templates are perfect for soothing a crammed inbox and busy schedule. If you aren’t sure how to apply a Gmail template to your workflow, here are a few examples to inspire you.

1 - New client onboarding

Congrats on your new client! Instead of sweating over their onboarding email for 30 minutes, you can create a quick template that will save you time and give each client a consistent experience. Try a template option like:

Thanks so much for partnering with us! My name is Jane and I’ll be your onboarding contact. To get the project started, we’ll need a few things from you:

• The new client onboarding questionnaire (attached)
• A signed contract (attached)
• A billing contact

Once I receive these documents, we can schedule a kickoff call for the project. I’m here to support you, so please let me know if you need any help!

2 - Customer anniversary

This is a smart way to combine Copper CRM with your Gmail account. You can write a template celebrating a customer’s anniversary with your business and send it automatically through Copper. Here’s a good example:

Hey Jim! It’s your one-year anniversary with My Vitamins and we’d like to thank you for your loyalty. Use the discount code ANNIVERSIYEAH on your next order for 50% off.

HTML emails are usually best for ecommerce or B2C customer outreach emails, so keep that in mind.

3 - Weekly client report

Do you send the same report to your client every week? Whip out your Gmail template instead of copy-pasting last week’s email. Use the template as a starting point and drop in the new reports or data every week. In practice, that might look like:

Good morning, Frieda! It’s Todd with ABC Marketing. I’ve attached this week’s performance report, but I’ve also pulled a few highlights and wins for you to review.

• Social media performance: A 15% increase in clicks from our Facebook Ads campaign.
• Website performance: The increase in clicks led to 10% more traffic with a 2% conversion rate.
• ROI: Collectively, our Q2 campaigns led to a 200% increase in product sales.

We’ll discuss the report more in-depth during this week’s status meeting. Please let me know if you have any questions. Talk soon!

4 - Common customer questions

Are you going to pull your hair out if you get another, “What time do you open?” email from your customers? We get it.

Fortunately, Gmail templates give you the option to automate your responses. Create a filter for any email that includes a common customer question and automatically send a canned response. In practice, this looks like:

Thanks for your question about our hours! Cooper Realty is open from 8 am to 5 pm on weekdays. Please reach out to your individual real estate agent to schedule after-hours showings.

Want to make the most of your Gmail templates? Follow these quick tips to save even more time while nurturing better relationships with your leads:

• Delete your Gmail signature: Gmail automatically adds your signature to your template. That means that, if you add your signature to the template, your recipients will see your signature twice. That’s kind of annoying, so remember to omit your signature in your templates.
• Double-check your filters: Filters are a great option for controlling your inbox, but left unchecked, they can cause a lot of headaches for your customers. Double-check your filters every few weeks to make sure they aren’t sending irrelevant emails to the wrong people.
• Personalize as needed: The great thing about templates is that they give you the power to adjust the content before sending. Feel free to add a few personal touches to your templates to give recipients the warm, personal experience they expect.

Check your engagement data: A CRM like Copper gives you the option to see how effective your Gmail templates really are. That data will tell you if no one is opening your emails or there’s confusing language, so always track your email performance.

Nobody has 10 minutes to write an email. Trust Gmail’s templates to simplify your workday. Make a few small tweaks to your settings to get yourself one step closer to Inbox Zero and a happy roster of clients.

Isn’t it time to focus on the things that actually matter? Get more mileage out of your Gmail account with Copper. Try Copper free for 14 days.