Email Templates

How do I customize email templates?

Open Email Templates in the sidebar and select a template. Edit the subject and body. Placeholders fill in when the email is sent. Common ones are {{bookTitle}}, {{authorName}}, {{recipientName}}, and {{recipientEmail}}. ARC Tracker, File Watermarker, and Email Sequences all send from these templates.

Getting started with Email Templates

Email Templates lets you write an email once and reuse it for every reader. Placeholders such as {{recipientName}} and {{bookTitle}} are filled in each time you use the template. Create a template 1. Open Email Templates from the sidebar. 2. Click + New Template. 3. Give it a Name and pick a Category. Choose + New category… to make a new one. 4. Write the Subject Template and the Body Template. To insert a placeholder, click {{ }} Variables in the toolbar and pick one from the list. 5. Optional: fill in Default To Email if this template always goes to the same address. 6. Click Create Template. Before you save, you can check how the email looks. With an email account connected, click Send me a preview to get a copy in your own inbox. The subject starts with [Preview], the details come from your first book, and the reader is called Alex Reader. Without an email account, click Copy email instead. Use a template 1. Find the template. You can type in Search templates… to narrow the list. 2. Click Use Template on its card. 3. Fill in Recipient Name and Recipient Email. 4. Pick a Book if the template uses a release date or sales links, and a Download file if it uses a download link. 5. Fill in any other details the window asks for under This template also needs:. 6. Click Send. You'll see a message saying who it was sent to. If you haven't connected an email account, the button reads Copy to clipboard instead. The finished email is copied so you can paste it into your own email app. You can also choose Copy instead at any time. Connect an email account To send straight from the app, connect Gmail or a custom SMTP account in Settings under Email. If both are connected, choose which one to use in Send emails using.

Which placeholders can I use in an email template?

Placeholders are words inside double curly braces, like {{recipientName}}. When you use a template, each one is replaced with the real value. The easiest way to add one is the {{ }} Variables button in the editor toolbar. About you - {{userName}} is your author name. {{authorName}}, {{user.name}} and {{author.name}} work too. If you send as a pen name, the pen name is used. Otherwise it's the name in your profile in Settings. - {{authorEmail}} is your account email address. {{user.email}} works too. About the reader - {{recipientName}} is the reader's name. {{recipient.name}} works too. - {{recipientEmail}} is the reader's email address. About the book - {{bookTitle}} is the book title. {{arcBook}} and {{book.title}} work too. - {{releaseDate}} is the release date saved for the book in Book Library. - Sales links come from the book's links in Book Library. For example: {{amazonLink}}, {{amazonKindleLink}}, {{appleBooksLink}}, {{barnesNobleLink}}, {{koboLink}}, {{goodreadsLink}}, {{googlePlayLink}}, {{bookshopLink}}, {{walmartLink}}, {{scribdLink}}, {{smashwordsLink}}, {{overdriveLink}}, {{hooplaLink}}, {{draft2digitalLink}} and {{ingramSparkLink}}. - Shorter versions also work: {{nookLink}}, {{appleLink}}, {{googleLink}}, {{d2dLink}} and {{ingramLink}}. - {{otherLinks}} lists any custom sales channels you've added to the book. If a book doesn't have a link you used, that placeholder is left blank. Dates and files - {{date}} is today's date. - {{downloadLink}} is a link to a watermarked file. Pick the file in Download file when you use the template. - {{reviewFormLink}} is the reader's personal review link. It only fills in for emails sent by a sequence, and only once the book has a review page. See the ARC Tracker articles on review links. Legal notices - {{isbn}} and {{infringingURL}} (or {{url}}) are asked for when you send. They're used in the built-in DMCA templates. Your own placeholders You can make up your own, such as {{giftCode}}. When you use the template, the window asks you to fill it in under This template also needs:. Placeholders in Default To Email You can put {{recipientEmail}} in Default To Email. If you put any other placeholder there, the To field starts out blank and you type the address yourself.

How do I add buttons, links and formatted dates to an email?

Link placeholders and date placeholders accept a few extra settings inside the braces. Buttons and link text On its own, a link placeholder such as {{amazonLink}} becomes the plain web address. To show a button, add type=button and the button text: {{amazonLink type=button text=Buy on Amazon}} To show a normal text link with your own wording, use type=text: {{amazonLink type=text text=Get it on Amazon}} This works for every sales link, for {{downloadLink}} and for {{reviewFormLink}}. For example: {{downloadLink type=button text=Download your copy}} Formatting dates {{date}} and {{releaseDate}} show dates like January 20, 2026 by default. Add format= to change that: - {{releaseDate format=MM/DD/YYYY}} gives 01/20/2026 - {{releaseDate format=DD/MM/YYYY}} gives 20/01/2026 - {{releaseDate format=YYYY-MM-DD}} gives 2026-01-20 - {{releaseDate format=Weekday, Month Do}} gives Tuesday, January 20th - {{date format=Mon D, YYYY}} gives Jan 20, 2026 You can mix these pieces: - Year: YYYY or Year (2026), YY (26) - Month: MMMM or Month (January), MMM or Mon (Jan), MM (01), M (1) - Day: DD (05), D or Day (5), Do (5th) - Weekday: dddd or Weekday (Tuesday), ddd (Tue) Formatting the email itself The body editor has buttons for bold, italic, underline, strikethrough, headings, bullet and numbered lists, quotes, divider lines and links. If you prefer typing Markdown, click Edit as Markdown. Click Back to formatted view to return.

How do built-in templates and categories work?

Built-in templates These templates are ready to use and marked Built-in: - DMCA Takedown Notice and DMCA Follow-Up (category Legal) - ARC Request and ARC Application Declined (category ARC) - Beta Reader Application Declined You can't change a built-in template directly. To customize one: 1. Find it in Email Templates. 2. Click Duplicate. 3. Edit the copy and click Save Changes. The ARC Delivery template The first time you use File Watermarker, an editable template called ARC Delivery (Default) is added to the ARC category. It has a Watermarker Default badge. File Watermarker uses it as the starting email when you send a copy, so editing it changes that default message. Categories To add, rename or delete categories: 1. Click Manage categories. 2. Type a name and click Add to make a new category. You can add one before any template uses it. 3. Rename or delete a category from the list. The Legal and ARC categories are built in and can't be renamed or deleted. If you delete one of your own categories, its templates move to Custom. Other tips - Each card shows how many times you've used the template, for example Used 3×. - Click a card to preview it. - If you delete a template by mistake, click undo in the message that appears.

Why is a placeholder blank or my template email not sending?

Send with details missing? If the email would go out with something blank, a Send with details missing? window lists what's missing. Click Go back to fix it, or Send anyway to send it as it is. Common causes: - The book has no release date or sales link saved. Add it to the book in Book Library, then try again. - Your author name is not set. Add your name in Settings. If you have two or more pen names, you can also choose one in Send as. - No file is attached, so the download link will be blank. Pick a file in Download file. The Send button is greyed out The button stays disabled until the required fields are filled: - Recipient Email (when sending, not copying) - Book, when the template uses a release date or sales links - Download file, when the template uses {{downloadLink}} - Every field listed under This template also needs: No files to choose for a download link The Download file list only shows files made in File Watermarker. If you see a message saying you have no watermarked files yet, make one there first. Download links last 30 days. Files older than that are marked EXPIRED, so make a fresh copy. Error messages when sending - Your Gmail connection has expired. Reconnect Gmail in Settings and try again. Go to Settings, then Email, and connect Gmail again. - SMTP is not connected for this account. Connect your SMTP account in Settings. - The account owner needs to re-save their SMTP connection in Settings before team members can send through it. Ask the account owner to save their SMTP details again. - Rate limit exceeded. You can send up to 30 emails a minute. Wait a minute and try again. - Email send failed: followed by a reason. This comes from your email provider. Check the reason and your provider settings. Copying doesn't work If you see Could not copy. Your browser blocked clipboard access., allow clipboard access for the site in your browser settings and try again.