Creating and using newsletter templates

Newsletter templates help streamline your workflow and keep your branding consistent across every send. beehiiv provides an expanding library of quick start templates, and you can also design your own reusable templates, perfect for publications that use multiple formats, like weekday roundups and weekend deep dives.

This guide covers how to use and preview quick start templates, manage and create your own, set a default audience, and apply best practices for building templates that save you time.

There are several pre-built post templates you can use as a starting point. 

1. From the left panel, click the arrow next to + New (shows as + when the menu has been collapsed) and select Template post.
   
   
2. The Post template library will open, where you’ll have the option to start from a Blank draft, use a Quick start template, or any of your previously saved newsletter templates. 
3. Scroll down to the Quick start templates section to browse available designs. You can also sort the list to only see these. 
   
   
   
   
   Clicking a template selects it and immediately opens it in the Post Builder.
   
   For additional options, open the 3 dots menu on any template and choose from:

• Use template: Opens the Post Builder so you can customize and begin writing. 
• Preview: Displays a full-page preview of the template.
• Edit: Opens the Post Builder to adjust the template’s design.
  
  
  

4. The template preview shows how the full newsletter appears, down to the footer.
   
   At the top of the preview, you can click: 

• Back to all templates: Returns to the Post template library. 
• Edit: Opens the template in the Post Builder, where you can make changes. 
• Use this template: Selects the template and opens the Post Builder. 

5. After selecting to use or edit a template, the Post Builder opens on the Compose page. To exit the builder, click the back arrow in the upper-left corner.
   
   
   

You can revisit your saved templates at any time.

1. From the left panel, click the arrow next to New and select Template post.
   
   
2. Your Post template library opens, showing My Templates first, which are your recently used templates. Click the 3 dots menu on any template to:

• Use template: Open it in the Post Builder to start drafting.
• Edit template: Open the Newsletter template builder to modify it.
• Preview: View the full template design.
• Rename template: Change the template name.
• Set as default post style: Apply its styling automatically to new posts.
• Duplicate: Make a copy of the template.
• Duplicate to publications: Copy the template to another publication in your workspace.
• Delete template: Remove the template permanently.
  
  
  

1. From the left panel, click the arrow next to New and select Template post.
   
   
   
   Or enter under Posts, click the Start writing button, and you will be directed to the Template Library.
   
2. As a new user without templates, the Post template library opens to show + New Template button.
   
   
3. Click + New template to start a new one. If you've saved templates before, they're listed here.
4. The Post template builder opens on the Compose page, the same write-and-style-in-place canvas as a regular post. You can also switch to the Audience page to set a default email and web audience (see below).
   
   
5. Build out your template as desired, then use Preview to check it on desktop and mobile. See How to create and publish a post for general guidance on drafting.
6. Click Save template to save your template.
   
7. New templates are named "New template" by default. To avoid confusion, rename it: click the 3 dots menu and select Rename template.
   
   
8. Enter a name (required) and description (optional), then click Save.
   
   

Click any element in your template, the header, an image, body text, to open its styling options in the right-hand panel, scoped to what you clicked. This works exactly like styling a regular post in the Visual Editor. SeeCustomizing your post's design for the full settings breakdown.

You can pair any template with a default audience so that each time you create a post from it, the audience is already selected for you. This is useful for recurring sends where the recipient list is always the same, for example, a premium digest that always goes to paid subscribers, or a weekly roundup that always goes to your full list.

To set a default audience on a template:

1. Click on Newsletter in the left panel menu.
2. On your Posts page, click the arrow next to Start writing and select Template post. 
   
   
   
3. The Post template library opens. Any previously created templates will be shown at the top in My templates.
   
   
4. Navigate to the template you want to update, click the 3 dots menu, and select Edit template.
   
   
5. At the top of the template editor, click the Audience tab.
   
   
6. For Publish your post to, select whether posts created from this template should go to Email and web, Email only, or Web only.
7. Under Email audience, check the boxes for the tiers you want to include: All free subscribers, All paid subscribers, or individual paid tiers.
8. To target a specific segment, toggle on Include and exclude segments and select the segments you want to include or exclude.
9. Under Web audience, make the same selections for the web version of the post.
10. Click Save template to save your audience changes.
    
    

To remove or change a template's audience, return to the Audience tab and update or uncheck your selections.

• Changes to a template's audience only apply to new posts you create from it going forward. Posts already created from the template keep whatever audience was set at the time.
• The audience pre-populates when you create a post from the template but is not locked. You can change it on any individual post without affecting the template.
• If you delete a segment that was set as a template's audience, the audience will be cleared from the template automatically.

You can turn any post (draft or published) into a reusable template. There are two ways to do this, from your Posts list or directly inside the Post Builder.

Option 1: Create a template from your Posts list

1. From the left panel dashboard, click Newsletter to open your saved posts. 
    
2. Navigate to the post you want to save as a template, then click the 3 dots menu, and select Save post as template.
   
   
   
3. In the popup, enter a template name and click Save template.
   
   
4. Your new template will now appear under My templates in your Post template library.

Option 2: Create a template from the Post Builder

1. From your account dashboard, go to Newsletter.
    
2. Click the three dots menu next to the post you’d like to use as a template, then select Edit post. 
   
   
3. The post will open on the Compose page with the Write panel accessed. From the icons at the top, click the Save as template icon.  
   
   
4. Enter a template name and click Save template.
   
   
5. Your saved template will be available anytime under My templates in your Post template library.

Well-structured templates help you move faster, stay consistent, and reduce repetitive design work. Here are some recommended practices and real-world ways creators use templates to streamline their workflow.

• Keep layout structure simple: Use consistent spacing, header styles, and section formatting so each post feels familiar to your audience.
• Use placeholders thoughtfully: Insert placeholder titles, images, and sections (e.g., ‘Top story here’, ‘CTA goes here’) to speed up drafting.
• Lean on global styling: Set recurring typography, colors, and spacing in the Style panel of a post so you don’t need to update them each time.
• Save reusable components: If you frequently use reuse blocks or elements, like promoting a recommendation or always featuring an ad, then save them (or placeholders) with your template.
• Name templates clearly: Use descriptive names like ‘Weekend Edition’, ‘Premium Only’, or ‘Sponsor-heavy layout’ so your team can instantly find the right one.
• Set a default post style: Choose the template you use most often as your default to avoid styling inconsistencies.
• Review on mobile: Most readers open emails on mobile, so be sure to use the preview toggle for mobile to ensure everything scales well.