Pre-designed Templates vs Templates from Scratch

We already know that email marketing is a very effective tool for maintaining direct communication with customers and promoting products and services. Within this strategy, one of the things you need to consider for sending newsletters is whether to choose a pre-designed template from all the options offered by email marketing platforms to their users (for example, in Acumbamail you have more than 850 pre-designed templates to choose from 😱) or to choose a blank template to do all the design yourself.

Since both options have their advantages and disadvantages, in this post we are going to compare them so you can make the best decision according to your needs and resources.

Pre-designed Email Templates

Advantages of Pre-designed Templates

Pre-designed templates are newsletter models that are already structured and designed, so their biggest advantage is that they save a great deal of time and effort, as all you have to do is replace the default content with your own (texts, images, icons, logo, contact information…).

This makes their implementation very quick as well, and in no time, you have your template fully ready to send.

They also do not require any advanced knowledge of graphic design or code, making them accessible to any type of profile within your company.

Not everyone can afford to hire a designer, whether freelance or within your company. Pre-designed templates, by giving you most of the work done, save you the most complex parts of the design process.

Moreover, on many platforms, you have access to a wide variety for free. At Acumbamail, you can access all the pre-designed templates with our free plan from the moment you sign up.

In the case of Acumbamail, the templates are designed by professionals, ensuring a visually attractive and effective design. This will also prevent you from making major mistakes in your designs.

Pre-designed templates are already properly adapted to all devices (or should be), meaning they are 100% responsive, a necessity in today’s world.

My advice as a designer is that the design you choose should be as similar as possible to your brand’s aesthetic, as aligned as possible with your visual identity, and that you make the fewest design changes possible, because the more changes you make, the more likely you are to worsen the design.

Disadvantages of Pre-designed Templates

Using pre-designed templates will hurt the originality of your designs, as they are equally accessible to other users, there is a possibility that you may use the same design as other businesses or even your competition.

Although you can customize the content, each design will come with certain pre-established limitations that may make it more difficult to fully align the design with your brand.

The same goes for the structure; if you need something very specific in this aspect, it may be difficult to adapt a pre-designed template or you may not find one that fits what you are looking for.

And yes, you can always change the template significantly so that it doesn’t resemble the starting point or to fully adapt it to what you need, but I repeat what I said above: the more you change the original design, the more you risk the result being poor from a design standpoint (especially if you don’t have good design knowledge).

Email Templates Designed from Scratch

On the other end, we have blank templates, which are templates that contain no content, structure, or form and must be created from scratch. For this process, it is ideal to involve a graphic designer, as the result will be infinitely better.

I take this opportunity to remind you that at Acumbamail we offer a custom template design service, here you have all the information.

Advantages of Templates from Scratch

The result will always be a 100% custom design, fully personalized to your brand’s identity and voice. Virtually every element of the design can be chosen to measure and exclusive content can be created to meet your specific marketing objectives.

This will mean that, unlike pre-designed templates, the risk of another business using a design similar to yours is reduced to zero. Since we are talking about your newsletter being unique and totally exclusive.

Starting with a blank page will also make it easier for the designer to experiment with different styles and approaches that are not available in pre-designed templates. Although here, I would also like to clarify a very important point: elaborate and very loaded newsletter designs are totally counterproductive ((╯°□° )╯︵ ┻━┻ it had to be said and it was said). It’s a mistake many make; all template editors have their limitations, and you have to work within these limits to get the best possible result.

If changes need to be made to the design in the future because it no longer fits your needs, it is most likely that fewer changes will be needed in a design created from scratch than in a pre-designed template.

Disadvantages of Templates from Scratch

As we have said, to make a good design, a professional is needed, which may not fit your budget.

Moreover, since it is a design starting from scratch, the entire process requires a greater investment in terms of time. Remember that the marketing team will also need to be involved to provide feedback and make possible corrections, and also, for example, you will need to ensure that the design is responsive, which in some cases may involve creating a completely new version of the template. Since it will take much longer than using a pre-designed template, if you are in a hurry to send your email, you might not have time.

Conclusions: Which Email Templates Are Better for You?

Ultimately, you should consider several key factors to choose the option that best suits your specific case:

– Budget: If you cannot afford a graphic designer, it is better to opt for pre-designed templates. But, if you can afford a professional or already have one on your team, then don’t hesitate, a template designed from scratch will be better in the long run.

– Time: If you need to send it now, then the most practical option is the pre-designed template. On the other hand, if you’re not in a hurry, invest in a custom template.

– Need for personalization: If you want advanced personalization and perfect alignment with your brand, the only option that will allow you to do so is a template from scratch.

By carefully analyzing these points, you will be able to choose what is best for you and your business. Remember that the most important thing for your newsletter to be effective is that it resonates with your audience.