Templates and design

Layouts control how your newsletter looks — the structure, the header, the footer, where articles and images appear. This article covers how to work with them.

Where layouts live

Layouts are stored in one place: Content → Layouts. From there you can:

• See all your available layouts
• Preview them
• Edit them
• Build new ones
• Upload custom HTML templates

Assigning a layout to a newsletter

Layouts are stored centrally, but they're assigned per newsletter. To assign or change the layout for a specific newsletter:

1. Go to Messaging → [Your Newsletter] → Email tab
2. In the Template card, click Change
3. Pick the layout you want — the currently published layout has a badge

The change takes effect on the next send.

Layout types

You have three layout types to choose from in rasa.io:

1. Standard templates

Drag-and-drop modules with four pre-built options:

• Classic
• Newspaper
• Insights
• Big and Bold

Recommended for most customers. Optimized for all email clients and easy to maintain — pick one, drop in your branding, and you're set.

2. Drag-and-drop builder

Build your own custom template using a visual editor. For clients who want more flexibility than the standard templates offer and are willing to spend more time building and maintaining the design.

3. Custom HTML templates

Fully custom layouts you (or your developer) build in HTML, using rasa.io's special tags to insert dynamic content. For clients with very specific brand design requirements and access to HTML expertise. See Custom HTML templates for details.

Layouts are message-type-locked

Each layout is built for a specific message type — newsletters, sequences, or blasts. A layout designed for a newsletter can't be used on a blast and vice versa.

Editing a layout

Click Edit on any layout to open it. You can:

• Add or rearrange modules (Article, Banner, Square, Text/HTML, etc.)
• Hide modules you don't want by clicking the eye icon
• Update header logos and footer text
• Adjust colors and styles

When you save, you have two options:

• Save as the same copy — updates the existing layout
• Save as a new copy — creates a new version with a different name

Layout modules

A layout is built from modules. Common ones:

• Article — populates with articles from your Content Pool
• Banner image — wide image (recommended 600 × 150)
• Square image — appears side-by-side (recommended 250 × 250)
• Text/HTML — for static text or HTML you want everyone to see
• Header and Footer — your branding and required compliance info

Modules with no content will collapse and won't display in the sent email.

Custom HTML templates

If you want a fully custom design, you can upload HTML directly via Content → Layouts.

Custom HTML templates use special rasa.io tags (like ) to insert dynamic content. The available tag modules are listed in Settings → Custom Email Templates for reference and easy copying.

⚠️ Don't remove data-rasa-* attributes from your custom HTML unless you know exactly what they do — they're how rasa.io inserts personalized content at send time.

If you need help building a custom template, we partner with MailBakery. You can also reach out to support@rasa.io for guidance.

Image guidelines (standard templates)

• Banner images — 600 × 150 pixels recommended
• Square images — 250 × 250 pixels recommended
• File formats: PNG, JPG, GIF (animated GIFs work but increase email size)

Best practices

• Preview every send before going live (use the Email Preview)
• Keep emails under 102KB when possible — Gmail clips at that point
• Test on multiple devices — what looks great on desktop may not on mobile
• Don't strip rasa attributes in custom HTML

What's next

• Adding your own text, images, or advertisements — how to use scheduled content
• Custom HTML Templates — deeper guide for the developer audience
• Sending test emails and previewing — review before you send