> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.retainful.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Email editor

> Design emails with drag-and-drop blocks, rich text, or raw HTML — plus product blocks, coupons, and reusable templates.

Retainful gives you three ways to build an email. All three are available for campaigns, automation emails, and saved templates.

## Choose your editor

| Editor            | Best for                                                                        |
| ----------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Drag-and-drop** | Most people, most of the time. Visual building with blocks — no code.           |
| **Rich text**     | Simple, personal-feeling emails that look like they were written in a mail app. |
| **HTML**          | Developers and designers who want pixel-level control with their own code.      |

## The drag-and-drop editor

Drag blocks from the sidebar onto the canvas, then click any block to edit its content and style.

### Available blocks

* **Text** — headings and paragraphs with full formatting.
* **Image** — upload images or pick from your media library.
* **Button** — your call to action; link it to any URL.
* **Divider** — visual separation between sections.
* **Coupon** — displays a discount code, including unique codes generated by [automations](/automations/coupons).
* **Product** — pulls real products from your connected store, with image, name, and price. Choose products manually or use a dynamic feed (best sellers, newest, recently viewed).
* **Custom HTML** — embed your own HTML inside an otherwise visual email.

### Working faster

* **Auto-save** — the editor saves as you work; if your browser crashes, you can restore your progress.
* **Universal blocks** — save a block (like your header or footer) once and reuse it across emails.
* **Personalization** — insert merge tags from the toolbar; see [Personalization](/campaigns/personalization).
* **Preview** — check the desktop and mobile rendering before sending, and use **web view** to see the email as a standalone page.

## The rich text editor

A focused writing surface with text formatting, links, images, and merge tags. Emails built here tend to feel more personal — great for founder notes and plain-text style announcements, which often get *better* engagement than heavily designed emails.

## The HTML editor

Paste or write complete HTML email markup. You're responsible for email-client compatibility (tables, inline styles — the usual email quirks). Merge tags work in HTML too.

<Tip>
  Email clients are far stricter than web browsers. If you hand-code, test in multiple clients — what works in Chrome may break in Outlook.
</Tip>

## Save and reuse templates

Any design can be saved as a template under **Templates**:

* Build a branded base template once — logo, colors, footer — and start every campaign from it.
* Templates are shared across campaigns and automations, so your branding stays consistent everywhere.
* Duplicate a template to iterate on a new version without touching the original.