Email Template
A preformatted email layout in Salesforce that can include merge fields, letterheads, and formatting to standardize outgoing communications sent through workflows, approval processes, or manual actions.
Definition
A preformatted email layout in Salesforce that can include merge fields, letterheads, and formatting to standardize outgoing communications sent through workflows, approval processes, or manual actions.
In plain English
“An Email Template is a preformatted email layout you create in Salesforce. It can include merge fields, letterheads, and formatting, so you don't have to type the same email over and over. Templates are used by automation, approval emails, and manual sends.”
Worked example
An admin at Glenmoor Insurance creates an Email Template called "Claim Confirmation" with the customer's name, claim number, claim type, and next steps as merge fields, all inside the company's Letterhead. When a Workflow Rule fires on Case creation, an Email Alert uses the Email Template to send a personalized but consistently-branded email to the customer. The same Email Template is used for manual sends from agents and for automated batch communications. Without Email Templates, the same emails would either be hand-typed (with typos and inconsistency) or hardcoded into Apex (rigid).
Why Email Template matters
An Email Template in Salesforce is a preformatted email layout that includes merge fields (which insert record data into the email), letterheads (branded headers and footers), and formatting (HTML or plain text). Templates standardize outgoing communications and let users send personalized emails quickly without retyping content. They're used by Email Alerts in automation, approval request emails, manual emails sent from records, and other email-sending features.
Email Templates come in several types: Classic Email Templates (the older format, supporting text, HTML, custom HTML, and Visualforce variants), Lightning Email Templates (the modern format, with a richer editor and better mobile support), and Marketing Cloud email templates (a separate concept with their own structure). For most modern Salesforce work, Lightning Email Templates are the right choice. Good templates significantly improve outgoing communication quality and consistency, especially for high-volume scenarios like sales follow-ups and customer service responses.
How to set up Email Template
Email Templates are the reusable email bodies that sales, service, and Apex can drop into outbound messages. Lightning Email Templates and Classic Email Templates are different objects with different setup paths — pick the one that matches your email composer.
- Decide: Lightning or Classic?
Lightning Email Templates work in the Lightning Email Composer (Sales/Service Console). Classic Email Templates work in Apex SingleEmailMessage and Workflow email alerts. Most orgs need both.
- For Lightning: open the Email Templates tab
App Launcher → Email Templates → New Email Template. (Lightning templates are stored as records, not Setup metadata.)
- For Classic: open Setup → Email Templates
Setup → Email Templates → New Template. Pick Text, HTML (with Letterhead), Custom HTML, or Visualforce.
- Enter Name and Description
Name shows up in template pickers. Description helps fellow admins understand when to use which template.
- Pick Related Entity Type
Constrains which merge fields are available — Contact, Lead, Opportunity, etc. Pick the object whose data the template needs.
- Compose Subject and Body
Use the merge-field picker to insert dynamic data. Test with the Send Test and Verify Merge Fields button (Classic) or the Preview pane (Lightning).
- Save
Save and (Classic only) tick "Available For Use" to make it selectable in the composer.
Different objects, different storage, different composers. Lightning templates are records (sharable like any record). Classic templates are Setup metadata (deployable via change set).
Drives the available merge fields. Pick the object the email is *about* — if it's a Case email, pick Case so you can merge {!Case.CaseNumber}.
Both kinds use folders. Lightning templates also follow regular sharing rules; Classic templates are governed by folder access.
The Classic checkbox that controls whether the template appears in pickers. Off by default — easy to miss.
- Lightning Email Templates can't be sent from Classic email composers, and vice versa. If you're migrating, you'll likely maintain both for a while.
- Merge field syntax differs: Lightning uses `{{{Recipient.Name}}}` (triple-brace, Handlebars-style); Classic uses `{!Contact.Name}`. Don't copy-paste between them.
- HTML templates with Letterheads only work in Classic. Lightning HTML templates use a built-in editor with limited inline-style support — test render in Outlook, Gmail, and Apple Mail before launch.
How organizations use Email Template
Built a library of Lightning Email Templates for their sales team covering common scenarios (intro, follow-up, proposal, closing). Reps personalize and send in seconds instead of writing from scratch.
Uses Email Templates with merge fields throughout their automation workflows so notifications include relevant record context automatically.
Standardized on Lightning Email Templates after migrating from Classic. The richer editor and mobile support produced better-looking emails.
Trust & references
Straight from the source - Salesforce's reference material on Email Template.
- Use the Salesforce Merge Language in Lightning Email TemplatesSalesforce Help
- Use Merge Fields in Email Templates and LetterheadsSalesforce Help
Test your knowledge
Q1. What is an Email Template?
Q2. What's the modern email template format?
Q3. What do merge fields do in templates?
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