Templates vs. Campaigns

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In email marketing, you may hear people talk about layouts, designs, campaigns, messages, code, and templates. An important distinction we make at Mailchimp is the difference between our templates, which are reusable layouts, and our campaigns, which are your individual email messages.

Mailchimp makes it possible to reuse campaign designs or replicate existing campaigns, but in general, you should put reusable content in templates and message-specific content in campaigns.

In this article, you'll learn about templates compared to campaigns.

Templates

A template is a preset layout that you build your campaign on. There are many template options available in Mailchimp, but you can also create your own template to match your brand. You can even insert regularly used images, logos, or recurring content into your template, and reuse it for future campaigns.

Depending on your plan, you may not have access to all of the template options. To find out what features are included in each plan, check out our pricing page.

templates-example-blankwithlogo

Campaigns

A campaign is the email message you design and send to your contacts. After you select a template, you'll design your campaign on top of the template layout. In email builder, you can duplicate, delete, and rearrange different types of content blocks quickly.

An example of an email designed in the new builder with a discount code for 25 percent off

Types of Email Templates

Whether you're an expert or just starting, Mailchimp has an email template for you. Learn about different types of templates and how to pick one.

Save and Use an Email Template

Save and use email templates in Mailchimp so you don't have to design your campaign from scratch.

Import a Custom HTML Template

With Mailchimp, you can import, reuse, and share your custom HTML templates. Learn how to import ZIP or HTML files.