Email Templates Guide

Learn how to create beautiful, personalized emails that automatically send to your customers. Think of email templates as pre-written letters that get filled in with each customer's information automatically!

What Are Email Templates?

Email templates are like fill-in-the-blank letters that you write once, and our system automatically sends to your customers at the right time.

Instead of writing a new email every time someone signs up or earns a reward, you create one template with special placeholders (like {{customer_name}}), and our system fills in each customer's actual information when sending the email.

Example:

You write: "Hi {{customer_name}}, your referral code is {{referral_code}}"

Customer receives: "Hi Sarah, your referral code is ABC12345"

All emails are sent from: noreply@account.mouthfully.com on behalf of your company.

The Three Types of Email Templates

You can create three different types of emails, each sent at different times for different reasons. Think of them as three different letters for three different situations:

1. Invitation Templates

When it's sent: Automatically when a customer signs up for your referral program through your widget.

What it does: Welcomes new customers and gives them their referral code and link so they can start sharing right away!

Available Information You Can Use:

•{{customer_name}} - The customer's name
•{{referral_code}} - Their unique referral code (like "ABC12345")
•{{referral_link}} - The full link they can share
•{{company_name}} - Your company name

2. Reward Templates

When it's sent: Automatically when someone your customer referred makes a purchase or completes a conversion.

What it does: Celebrates with your customer and tells them about their reward (like a discount code or voucher)!

Available Information You Can Use:

•{{customer_name}} - The referrer's name (the person who shared)
•{{referral_code}} - Their referral code
•{{company_name}} - Your company name
•{{voucher_code}} - The voucher code they earned (if you use vouchers)
•{{discount_value}} - The discount amount (like "10" or "5.00")
•{{discount_type}} - Either "percentage" or "fixed"

3. Conversion Invitation Templates

When it's sent: Automatically when a customer makes a purchase but hasn't signed up for your referral program yet. This only works if you have "Auto-invite on purchase" turned on in your settings.

What it does: Invites customers who just bought something to join your referral program, so they can start sharing too!

Available Information You Can Use:

•{{customer_name}} - The customer's name
•{{referral_code}} - Their newly created referral code
•{{referral_link}} - The full referral link they can share
•{{company_name}} - Your company name

How to Create an Email Template

Creating an email template is like filling out a form. Here's what each field means and why it matters:

Template Name

What it is: A friendly name to help you remember what this template is for (like "Welcome Email" or "Reward Notification").

Rules:

Maximum 100 characters
Can only contain letters, numbers, spaces, hyphens (-), and underscores (_)
This name is only for you - customers won't see it

Template Type

What it is: Choose which type of email this is - Invitation, Reward, or Conversion Invitation.

Why it matters: Each type has different information available (like reward templates can show voucher codes). The system uses this to know when to send the email and what information to fill in.

Email Subject

What it is: The subject line that appears in the customer's inbox (like "Welcome to Our Referral Program!").

Rules:

Maximum 200 characters (this is an email standard)
You can use template variables here too! (like {{customer_name}})
Make it clear and exciting so customers want to open it

Example: "Welcome {{customer_name}}! Your referral code is ready"

Email Body (The Main Content)

What it is: The actual email content that customers will read. This is where you write your message!

Character Limit:

Maximum 2,000 characters. You'll see a counter showing how many characters you've used (like "1,234 / 2,000").

Why the limit? Shorter emails are more likely to be read and work better across all email programs.

Two Ways to Edit:

Visual Editor (Recommended for Beginners)

Works like a word processor! You can:

Type and format text (bold, italic, underline)
Change text colors and background colors
Add headings (big titles)
Create lists (bulleted or numbered)
Add links
Align text (left, center, right)
Add blockquotes (for special emphasis)

Best for: People who want to see how the email looks while they're writing it, without needing to know code.

HTML Editor (For Advanced Users)

Write the email using HTML code. You have full control over the formatting.

Best for: People who know HTML and want precise control over every detail.

Example: <h1>Welcome {{customer_name}}!</h1>

💡 Tip: You can switch between Visual and HTML editors anytime! The system keeps your content in sync.

Template Variables (The Magic Fill-Ins)

What they are: Special placeholders that get replaced with real information when the email is sent. They always use double curly braces like {{variable_name}}.

How to Use Variables:

Click the variable button (like {{customer_name}}) in the "Quick Insert Variables" section
Or type them manually: {{variable_name}}
The system automatically replaces them with real data when sending

Common Variables (Available in All Templates):

{{customer_name}}- The customer's name (or email prefix if name isn't available)

{{referral_code}}- Their unique referral code (like "ABC12345")

{{referral_link}}- The full clickable link (like "https://yoursite.com?mthf=ABC12345")

{{company_name}}- Your company name

Reward-Only Variables:

{{voucher_code}}- The voucher code the customer earned

{{discount_value}}- The discount amount (like "10" or "5.00")

{{discount_type}}- Either "percentage" or "fixed"

⚠️ Important: Variable names are case-sensitive! Make sure to spell them exactly right, including the double curly braces.

Plain Text Preview

What it is: A simple text-only version of your email that's automatically created from your HTML content.

Why it matters: Some email programs (especially older ones) can't display fancy HTML emails. They'll show the plain text version instead.

Note: You can't edit the plain text version directly - it's automatically generated from your HTML. Click "Preview Plain Text" to see how it looks!

Active/Inactive Toggle

What it does: A switch that turns your template "on" or "off".

Active (ON): This template can be used and will be sent to customers
Inactive (OFF): This template is saved but won't be sent (useful for drafts or old templates you want to keep)

💡 Tip: You can toggle templates on/off anytime without editing them. This is great for testing or temporarily disabling a template.

Previewing and Testing Your Emails

Before sending emails to real customers, you should preview and test them to make sure everything looks perfect!

Email Preview

What it shows: A popup window that shows exactly how your email will look to customers, with all template variables filled in with sample data.

What You'll See:

•From: Your company name - Referral Program <noreply@account.mouthfully.com>
•Reply-To: Your custom reply-to email (if you've set one up)
•Subject: Your subject line with variables replaced
•Body: Your email content with all variables filled in
•Compliance Footer: Automatically added at the bottom (unsubscribe link, privacy policy, etc.)

Desktop vs Mobile View:

Desktop View

See how your email looks on computers and tablets

Mobile View

See how your email looks on phones (important - many people read emails on mobile!)

Send Test Email

What it does: Sends a real email to an address you specify, so you can see exactly how it looks in your actual inbox!

How to Send a Test:

Click the "Preview" button (eye icon) on any template
In the preview popup, find the "Send Test Email" section
Enter your email address (or multiple addresses separated by commas)
Click "Send Test"
Check your inbox! You'll receive the email exactly as customers will see it

💡 Pro Tip: Send test emails to yourself and your team to make sure everything looks good before going live!

Linking Templates to Your Program

Creating a template is only half the work - you also need to tell the system which template to use for each type of email!

How to Link Templates:

1Go to Dashboard → Settings (or click the Settings tab in your dashboard)
2Scroll down to the "Referral Program Settings" section
3
Find the dropdown menus for email templates:
- Invitation Email Template: Choose which template to send when customers sign up
- Reward Email Template: Choose which template to send when someone earns a reward
- Conversion Invitation Template: Choose which template to send after purchases (only shown if "Auto-invite on purchase" is enabled)
4Select your template from each dropdown and save your settings

⚠️ Important: Templates must be Active to appear in these dropdown menus. If you don't see your template, make sure it's turned on!

The Compliance Footer (Automatic Safety Features)

Every email you send automatically includes a compliance footer at the bottom. This is required by law and helps protect both you and your customers.

What's Included:

Sender Identification

Shows "This email was sent by Mouthfully on behalf of [Your Company Name]" so customers know who sent it.

Unsubscribe Link

A link that lets customers opt-out of future emails. This is required by email laws (CAN-SPAM Act).

Links to Mouthfully's privacy policy so customers understand how their data is used.

Physical Address (Optional)

If you provide your company's physical address in settings, it will be included here (required for CAN-SPAM compliance in some cases).

Context Message

Explains why the customer is receiving the email (e.g., "You are receiving this email because you are enrolled in [Company Name]'s referral program").

💡 Good to Know: You don't need to add this footer yourself - it's automatically added to every email! You'll see it in the preview, but you can't edit it.

Security and Safety Features

We automatically protect your emails and your customers from security risks. Here's what happens behind the scenes:

HTML Sanitization (Automatic Cleaning)

What it does: Automatically removes dangerous code from your email templates to prevent security attacks (like XSS - Cross-Site Scripting).

What's Allowed:

• Text formatting: paragraphs, bold, italic, underline
• Headings (H1-H6)
• Links (with safe URLs only)
• Lists (bulleted and numbered)
• Images (with safe sources)
• Tables
• Basic layout elements

What's Blocked: Dangerous scripts, iframes, and other code that could harm customers or steal information.

Variable Escaping (Safe Data Display)

What it does: Automatically makes sure that any data in template variables is displayed safely, even if it contains special characters or code.

Why it matters: If a customer's name somehow contained HTML code, this prevents it from being executed. The code would just be displayed as text instead.

Example: If someone's name was "John<script>", it would display as "John<script>" (safe text) instead of running dangerous code.

Size Limits (Keeping Emails Fast)

Why limits exist: To keep emails loading fast and working well across all email programs. Here are the limits:

•Template Name: 100 characters max
•Email Subject: 200 characters max (email standard)
•HTML Body: 2,000 characters max

💡 Tip: You'll see a character counter while you type, so you always know how much space you have left!

Best Practices (Tips for Great Emails)

Follow these tips to create emails that customers actually want to read and act on:

1. Keep It Simple

Use simple HTML that works across all email programs (Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail, etc.). Fancy designs might break in some email clients.

2. Test Before Going Live

Always use the preview and test email features before activating a template. Send test emails to yourself and check them on both desktop and mobile!

3. Mobile-Friendly Design

Most people read emails on their phones! Always check the mobile preview to make sure your email is easy to read on small screens.

4. Clear Call-to-Action

Make your referral link prominent and easy to click. Use bold text, buttons, or large links so customers know exactly what to do.

5. Personalize It

Use {{customer_name}} to make emails feel personal. "Hi Sarah" is much better than "Hi there"!

6. Keep It Short

People are busy! Get to the point quickly. Short, clear emails are more likely to be read and acted upon.

Troubleshooting (Common Issues and Fixes)

Having trouble? Here are solutions to common problems:

Email Not Sending

If emails aren't being sent, check these things:

Make sure the template is Active (the toggle switch should be ON/green)
Verify the template is linked in Settings → Referral Program Settings
Check that the customer hasn't unsubscribed (unsubscribed customers won't receive emails)
Review server logs for error messages (contact support if needed)

Template Variables Not Replacing

If variables show up as {{variable_name}} instead of actual data:

Make sure you're using double curly braces: {{variable_name}} (not single braces)
Check the spelling - variable names are case-sensitive! {{customer_name}} is different from {{customer_name}}
Verify the variable is available for your template type (reward templates have extra variables)

Preview Not Working

If the preview doesn't show up or looks broken:

Make sure your HTML is valid (check for unclosed tags like missing </p>)
Verify template variables are properly formatted with double curly braces
Try refreshing the page
Switch between Visual and HTML editors to see if that helps

Template Not Showing in Settings Dropdown

If you can't find your template when trying to link it:

Make sure the template is Active (only active templates appear in dropdowns)
Check that the template type matches (invitation templates only show in invitation dropdown, etc.)
Try refreshing the settings page

Additional Features

Reply-To Email (Pro Plus & Enterprise)

What it is: A custom email address where replies to your referral emails will go (instead of going to the no-reply address).

How to set it up: Go to Dashboard → Settings → Referral Program Settings and enter your reply-to email address.

Note: This feature is only available for Pro Plus and Enterprise plans.

Physical Address (Optional, for CAN-SPAM)

What it is: Your company's physical mailing address that gets added to the compliance footer.

Why it matters: Required by CAN-SPAM Act for certain types of commercial emails. Including it helps with legal compliance.

How to set it up: Go to Dashboard → Settings → Company Settings and enter your physical address.

Unsubscribe Handling

How it works: Every email automatically includes an unsubscribe link in the compliance footer. When customers click it, they're removed from future emails.

Important: Unsubscribed customers won't receive any referral program emails until they re-enroll in your program. This is permanent until they sign up again.

Quick Summary

Email templates let you create personalized, automatic emails for your referral program. Here's the simple process:

Create a template with your message and template variables
Preview and test it to make sure it looks good
Link it in Settings so the system knows when to use it
Turn it on (Active) and let it run automatically!

Need more help? Contact support or check out the main documentation for advanced features.