Email Templates

Email templates are the building blocks for all Outpost email communication. A template defines the subject line and body of an email, with merge fields for personalization. Templates are used by campaigns, the Advanced Autoresponder, the Basic Autoresponder actions, and the failed payment flow. How you pick a template differs by feature, as the FAQ below explains.

Email Template Menu — Email Templates list showing name, subject, date created, and expandable preview

Template list

Find the Templates page under the Email Settings Menu, where you’ll find all your templates in a searchable table:

Column	Description
ID	The template’s number
Date	When the template was created
Name	Internal name for organizing templates
Subject	The email subject line
Used by	What sends this template. See below.
Actions	Edit or delete the template

Each row starts with an arrow. Click a row to expand it and see an HTML preview of the template body. You can sort the list by ID, Date, Name, or Subject. Above the table, use the Keyword Search box to find a template, New Email Template to create one, and Export to download your template list. The Used by column lists the flows, campaigns and autoresponder emails that send the template, so you can see what an edit will affect. A template that nothing sends shows Not used.

Creating a template

Go to Email Settings → Templates and click New Email Template. The form opens with the title Add Notification Email Template.

Templates you create here are available in Campaigns and the Advanced Autoresponder. To create a template for a Basic Autoresponder action, edit that action’s template on the Autoresponder page instead. See Use your own template in a Basic action.The exception is the New button on a tier’s row inside a Basic action’s Tier Templates drawer. That opens the same form, and the template it creates is attached to that action and that tier.

Field	Description
Template Name	Internal label for organizing templates. Required.
Subject	The email subject line. Merge fields supported. Required.
Offer	Optionally attach an offer. The email also has to link to it: put `%OFFER_URL%` in the URL field of the offer button. A Copy %OFFER_URL% button sits under this field. See Linking a button to your offer.
Email Body Text	The email body content. Use the rich text editor to format text, add images, links, and merge fields.

Images and video

The email body editor has two image blocks. Click the + button in the editor and choose:

Image for a plain image.
Image with Link for an image that opens a URL when a reader clicks it.

Choosing either one opens your file picker, so you can upload an image from your computer. You can upload an image of up to 10 MB. If an upload fails, the editor tells you why. Once it has uploaded, both blocks offer a Caption field, and Image with Link adds a second field below the caption marked Link destination. That field is the address the image points to, not the image file. If you leave it empty, the image is still wrapped in an empty link, so use the plain Image block whenever the image should not be clickable.

If your site uses the Plain Text email design, images are stripped from every email you send. See Plain text mode.

Most email clients will not play video inside an email, and there is no reliable way to make one play everywhere. Instead, paste a YouTube link on its own line in the editor: the sent email shows the video’s preview image, linked to the video, with any caption you add underneath. Readers click the image and watch the video in their browser. If you want to choose the preview image yourself, upload a still frame with a play button drawn over it as an Image with Link, and set the link to the page where the video is hosted. An animated GIF is another option, though some email clients show only its first frame.

The preview image comes from a standard YouTube watch or youtu.be link only. The block menu has no video block, and a link from another video host appears in the sent email as a plain text link, not an image; if you add a caption, the caption becomes the link text. Confirm the result with Send Test Email.

Merge fields

Merge fields let you insert dynamic content into your email templates. Wrap the field name in % characters: for example, %SUBSCRIBER_FIRST_NAME%.

Merge fields work in both the subject line and the email body.

The email body editor also lists the merge fields your site offers, below the body. Click Show email variables for the common ones and Show all variables for the full set. Click any field in that list to copy it to your clipboard, ready to paste into the subject line or the body. A field shown with a fallback attached copies the fallback along with it.

Fallback values

Add ,fallback="dear reader" to a name field and Outpost uses that wording whenever the member’s name is blank:

Hey %SUBSCRIBER_FIRST_NAME%,fallback="dear reader", thanks for subscribing!

If the member’s first name is “Alex”, the email reads “Hey Alex, thanks for subscribing!” If the name is blank, it reads “Hey dear reader, thanks for subscribing!” Names are what fallbacks are for. Ghost stores names in a single optional field, so plenty of members sign up without a first name, and a greeting with no fallback reads Hey ,. Use a fallback on %SUBSCRIBER_FIRST_NAME% or %SUBSCRIBER_FULL_NAME% whenever the name sits inside a sentence. Single or double quotes both work, and a single word with no spaces needs no quotes at all: %SUBSCRIBER_FIRST_NAME%,fallback=there. You can check the result in two places. On screen, expand the template row on Email Settings → Templates. The preview is not built for a particular member, so a name field always shows the fallback, and the example above reads “Hey dear reader, thanks for subscribing!” You can also send a test email to your own address. There the name field shows whatever name Outpost has on file for that address, or the fallback if there is no name on file.

Advanced: fallbacks on fields other than a name. You are unlikely to need one, and a fallback on the wrong field is delivered to the member as plain text. Read this before you try it.%SUBSCRIBER_EMAIL_ADDRESS% reads a fallback in every email Outpost sends, the same way the two name fields do.In a campaign, so do the other member and subscription fields, such as %SUBSCRIBER_TIER_NAME% and %RENEWAL_PRICE_WITH_CURRENCY%. Outpost uses the fallback whenever the value is blank.In every other email, those fields ignore a fallback. That covers Basic Autoresponder actions, Advanced Autoresponder steps, event emails, gift and group subscription emails, the failed payment flow, and a test send. In those emails, %RENEWAL_PRICE_WITH_CURRENCY%,fallback="unavailable" arrives as 123 USD,fallback="unavailable".Site fields like %SITE_NAME% ignore a fallback in every email, so a fallback written on one is delivered as plain text.The on-screen preview cannot warn you about any of this. It removes the ,fallback="..." wording from every field before it draws the page, and then shows the fallback text wherever nothing else filled the field in. So a fallback that does nothing in a real email still looks right on screen. Send a test email before you rely on one.

When to skip the fallback

Use a fallback when the name is part of a sentence (“Hi …, thanks for subscribing”). Skip it when the name is the value itself: for example, an account summary that lists what’s on file. Greeting (use a fallback):

Hello %SUBSCRIBER_FULL_NAME%,fallback="there", thanks for being a member of %SITE_NAME%.

If the member’s full name is “Alex Rivera”, this reads “Hello Alex Rivera, thanks…”. If it’s blank, it reads “Hello there, thanks…”. Account information (skip the fallback):

Name on file: %SUBSCRIBER_FULL_NAME%
Email: %SUBSCRIBER_EMAIL_ADDRESS%

Here the field is the answer: substituting “there” would misrepresent what’s stored. Leaving the value blank lets the line read accurately (“Name on file:”) so the member knows to update their profile.

Outpost watches your templates, autoresponder flows, and campaigns for malformed fallback patterns: common typos like %VAR%,fallback="unclosed (unclosed quote) or %VAR%,fallback= (empty fallback) show up as warnings so you can fix them before sending.

Older templates may use %SUBSCRIBER_FIRST_NAME%|there: a pipe followed by a single word. This format still works wherever you already have it, but it only accepts one word (so |dear reader falls back to just “dear”). When you write something new, use the ,fallback="..." form above.

Member fields

Field	Description
`%SUBSCRIBER_FIRST_NAME%`	Member’s first name. Supports fallback syntax.
`%SUBSCRIBER_FULL_NAME%`	Member’s full name. Supports fallback syntax.
`%SUBSCRIBER_EMAIL_ADDRESS%`	Member’s email address. Supports fallback syntax.
`%SUBSCRIBER_TIER_NAME%`	Name of the member’s current subscription tier
`%UNSUBSCRIBE_URL%`	Member’s email unsubscribe link
`%STOP_FLOW_URL%`	A link that stops only the series this email belongs to, such as an Advanced Autoresponder flow or a campaign. In an email that belongs to no series, it links to the general unsubscribe page. See Email preferences.
`%MEMBER_GHOST_GUID%`	Member’s unique identifier

Site fields

These fields pull from your publication’s settings. Use the SITE_ versions. Older templates may still contain %BLOG_NAME%, %BLOG_URL%, and similar; these keep working, but the editor only offers the SITE_ versions when you insert a field.

Field	Description
`%SITE_NAME%`	Your publication name
`%SITE_URL%`	Your publication URL
`%SITE_LOGIN_URL%`	Your member sign-in page URL. Set in Publication Details: defaults to your Ghost Portal sign-in, but changes if you point it at a custom URL there.
`%ACCOUNT_LINK%`	Member account management page URL
`%EMAIL_FROM_NAME%`	The sender name configured in your email settings
`%CURRENT_DATE%`	Today’s date, formatted like “March 05, 2026” and written in your site’s language. See Reader languages.

Subscription and billing fields

Field	Description
`%RENEWAL_PRICE%`	The member’s next renewal price (number only)
`%RENEWAL_PRICE_WITH_CURRENCY%`	The member’s next renewal price with currency symbol
`%CURRENCY%`	The member’s subscription currency code (e.g. USD)
`%BILLING_PERIOD%`	The billing interval: “monthly”, “yearly”, etc.
`%BILLING_PERIOD_CAPITALIZED_FIRST_LETTER%`	Billing interval with first letter capitalized: “Monthly”, “Yearly”
`%BILLING_CADENCE%`	Billing cadence text: “month”, “year”, etc.
`%BILLING_CADENCE_CAPITALIZED_FIRST_LETTER%`	Billing cadence with first letter capitalized: “Month”, “Year”
`%SUBSCRIPTION_EXPIRATION_DATE%`	When the current subscription period ends
`%SUBSCRIPTION_EXPIRATION_PLUS_1YEAR_DATE%`	One year after the current expiration date
`%TRIAL_END_DATE%`	When the member’s trial period ends (only available for trialing members)
`%END_TRIAL_PRICE%`	The price the member will be charged when their trial ends

Offer and action links

Linking a button to your offer

For an offer on a template to work, the email has to link to it. Put %OFFER_URL% in the URL field of the offer button, and in any other link in the body that points at the offer, rather than a link you type yourself. Outpost then works out the right destination for each reader as the email goes out. If you type in a Ghost offer link by hand, a subscriber who is signed in is told they already have a subscription, and one who isn’t signed in can end up paying for a second one. The template editors show a Copy %OFFER_URL% button under the Offer field, so you can paste the shortcode straight into the button’s URL field. If an email has an offer attached and no %OFFER_URL% anywhere in its body, no reader can see or use that offer. Outpost tells you: the Basic Autoresponder page shows a warning under the affected action, and the Autoresponder problems need attention alert names the emails involved. It arrives with the subject “Some of your autoresponder emails need attention”. See Notifications.

Field	Description
`%OFFER_URL%`	A personalized checkout link. On most templates it uses the offer attached to the template or to the action, so an offer has to be linked. The three reminders telling a gift recipient their subscription ends soon are the exception: they use the Recipient conversion price from Subscriptions → Gift Subscriptions, or your Gift offer price if you’ve left it empty, and need no offer linked.
`%UPDATE_PAYMENT_METHOD_URL%`	Link for the member to update their payment method on file

Complimentary subscription fields

These fields are only available in templates used by complimentary subscription actions (for example, renewal reminders for complimentary members).

Field	Description
`%RENEW_COMPLIMENTARY_SUBSCRIBER_URL%`	Link for a complimentary member to confirm they want to renew
`%DO_NOT_RENEW_COMPLIMENTARY_SUBSCRIBER_URL%`	Link for a complimentary member to decline renewal

Gift subscription fields

These fields are only available in templates used by gift subscription actions. They are populated from the gift subscription record.In the three reminders that ask a gift giver to give again, use %RENEW_GIFT_URL% for the renewal button and %DO_NOT_RENEW_GIFT_URL% for the opt-out link. Do not use %OFFER_URL% in those emails: it does not produce a gift renewal link. See Gift email templates.

Field	Description
`%GIFT_GIVER_NAME%`	Name of the person who purchased the gift
`%GIFT_GETTER_NAME%`	Name of the gift recipient
`%GIFT_SUB_MESSAGE%`	The personal message the giver included with the gift
`%RENEW_GIFT_URL%`	Link for the gift giver to extend the gift subscription
`%DO_NOT_RENEW_GIFT_URL%`	Link for the gift giver to let the gift expire

Group subscription fields

These fields are only available in templates used by group subscription invite actions.

Field	Description
`%GROUP_SUBSCRIPTION_BUYER_EMAIL%`	Email of the group subscription owner
`%GROUP_SUBSCRIPTION_BUYER_NAME%`	Name of the group subscription owner
`%GROUP_SUBSCRIPTION_INVITE_URL%`	Invite link for the recipient to accept the group seat
`%GROUP_SUBSCRIPTION_RECEIVER_EMAIL%`	Email of the invited group member

Gated PDF fields

These fields are only available in CTA gated PDF delivery emails.

Field	Description
`%PDF_URL%`	Download link for the gated PDF file

Event fields

These fields work in event email templates (registration confirmation, reminders, cancellation, and update notifications). Some of them also work in a campaign email that has an event linked.

Event email templates have their own set of merge tags: %EVENT_NAME%, %EVENT_DATE%, calendar links, and more. See Event emails for the full list and how to edit each template. A campaign email that announces an event uses %EVENT_REGISTER_LINK% for its Register for Event button, which gives each reader their own one-click registration link. See One-click registration from a campaign email for how to set it up and which event fields a campaign email can use. The first time you use Send Campaign or Use the event announcement email, Outpost adds an Event Announcement - Default email to your templates. Each announcement campaign gets its own copy of it, so you can edit the default to change the starting point for future announcements without touching campaigns you have already set up. See The announcement email.

Conditional content blocks

Show or hide sections of your email based on whether the member is on a free or paid plan:

%RECIPIENT.PAID_BLOCK_START%
This content is only visible to paid members.
%RECIPIENT.PAID_BLOCK_END%

%RECIPIENT.FREE_BLOCK_START%
This content is only visible to free members.
%RECIPIENT.FREE_BLOCK_END%

Use these blocks to include upgrade CTAs for free members while showing thank-you messages or exclusive content links for paid members, all within a single template.

The block tags must be on their own lines. Do not nest paid blocks inside free blocks or vice versa.

Offer templates

If a template is linked to an offer, the %OFFER_URL% merge field generates a personalized URL that takes the member directly to checkout with the offer pre-applied. This is used for:

Win-back campaigns to bring cancelled members back at a discount
Renewal reminder emails with a one-click resubscribe link
Upgrade offers for free members

The offer dropdown shows both regular offers and subscription plans.

Gift email templates

Gift pricing lives on your gift settings page, not on the email template. In the Email Settings → Templates editor, the six gift emails that include a price show that price where the Offer field would be, and the price is read-only. The three reminders asking a gift giver to give again show your Gift renewal price. The three reminders telling a recipient their subscription ends soon show your Recipient conversion price. The panel names the price in use, or tells you that none is set and what is offered instead, and it says so when the price you picked is no longer available in Stripe. It also links to the settings page where you change it, under Subscriptions → Gift Subscriptions. See Gift pricing. The other five gift emails, the notifications and the thank-you notes, have no price of their own.

The six gift emails with a price have no Offer field, whether you open them from Email Settings → Templates, an Advanced Autoresponder step, or a campaign. Only the Basic Autoresponder uses the prices on Subscriptions → Gift Subscriptions. A campaign doesn’t use them, so if you send one of these emails in a campaign, choose an offer for it in the campaign’s Offer column, or its offer link won’t work.

Preview and test

Expanding a row on Email Settings → Templates and clicking the eye icon on an autoresponder action both render the template on screen. A preview is not built for a particular member, so it fills in your site details and a small set of sample values, including a tier name, a renewal price, and event details. Any other field stays on screen as the field name: write Hey %SUBSCRIBER_FIRST_NAME%, with no fallback and the preview reads Hey %SUBSCRIBER_FIRST_NAME%,. Fallbacks work on the name fields in every email, which is what almost everyone needs. The preview reads them, so Hey %SUBSCRIBER_FIRST_NAME%,fallback="there" previews as “Hey there”. For a fallback on any other field, read Fallback values first and send yourself a test email before you rely on it. Before using a template in a flow or campaign:

Click Send Test Email to send a real email to your own address with actual merge field values.

If the template has unsaved changes, the button label switches to Send Test Email before saving changes as a reminder to save first.
Check the email in both desktop and mobile email clients before activating.

The on-site donation thank-you message is the one template without a Send Test Email button. It is shown in the donor’s browser after a donation and is never emailed, so it has no header image or footer either.

Special action templates

Some templates belong to a specific built-in autoresponder action rather than to your general library. Two of those actions use special buttons: Card Expiration Reminder and Nudge someone who clicked an offer but did not buy. Opening either action’s template shows a note above the body saying that those buttons only work for people with failed payments, that they will not work in a preview, and asking you to leave the button links alone.

Email Design Settings

Customize colors, fonts, header image, and custom HTML for all email templates.

Autoresponder

Use templates in automated email sequences.

Campaigns

Send templates as one-time campaigns to targeted segments.

Offers & Discounts

Link offers to templates for personalized checkout links.

FAQ

Can I use HTML in templates?

Yes. The email body editor supports rich text and HTML. For full control over the email layout, you can also set a custom HTML template in Email Design Settings.

Can I put a video in an email?

Not as a playable video. Most email clients will not play video inside an email. Paste a YouTube link in the editor and the sent email shows the video’s preview image, linked to the video, so readers click through to watch. For a video hosted anywhere else, or to choose the image yourself, use a still frame linked to the video’s page. See Images and video for how to set it up.

How do I personalize the subject line?

Use merge fields in the subject field: for example, We miss you, %SUBSCRIBER_FIRST_NAME%,fallback="friend"! will insert the member’s first name, or “friend” if they didn’t share one when they signed up. Ghost stores names in a single optional field, so many members register without a first name: always include ,fallback="..." so your subject reads naturally either way. See Fallback values for the full syntax.

What happens if a merge field has no value?

It renders as an empty string, which can leave awkward gaps like “Hey , thanks for subscribing!” Wrap the field in a fallback so the email reads naturally when the value is blank: Hey %SUBSCRIBER_FIRST_NAME%,fallback="dear reader", thanks for subscribing! See Fallback values for the full syntax.

Should I always add a fallback to a name field?

Not always. Use ,fallback="there" (or similar) whenever the name is part of a sentence: greetings, sign-offs, subject lines. Skip the fallback when the name is the value itself, like an account-summary line (“Name on file: %SUBSCRIBER_FULL_NAME%”). Substituting a generic word there would misrepresent what’s actually on file. See Fallback values for examples.

Can I reuse a template across multiple flows?

It depends on where you want to use it. Campaigns and the Advanced Autoresponder let you pick any template from your library, but each one starts from a copy. The copy belongs to that campaign or flow step, so editing it never changes the original or any other campaign. The Used by column on the template list shows where each template is in use.The Basic Autoresponder works differently. Each built-in action only lists templates that were created for that specific action, so a template you build from Email Settings → Templates → New Email Template will not appear in a Basic action’s dropdown. To use your own wording in a Basic action, open that action’s current template on the Basic Autoresponder page, edit it, and save. The first time you edit an action’s built-in template, Outpost keeps the default and saves your version as a new template attached to that action. See Use your own template in a Basic action.

Why can't I edit the offer button link in cancellation or retention emails?

In emails aimed at existing subscribers (cancellation and retention actions), the offer button is locked to the %OFFER_URL% merge field. This keeps it pointed at the right personalized checkout: an Outpost Promotion that can switch or prorate an existing subscriber’s plan. A hardcoded Ghost offer link would show those subscribers nothing, since Ghost Offers only render for free or unknown visitors. To change the destination, change the offer attached in the action’s Offer dropdown rather than the link. See Upgrading Existing Subscribers.

Getting Started

Autoresponder

Email Campaigns

Signup & Conversion

Members

Subscriptions & Pricing

Analytics & Reporting

Integrations

Advertising & Sponsorship

Events & Engagement

Settings

Developers

Template list

Creating a template

Images and video

Merge fields

Fallback values

When to skip the fallback

Member fields

Site fields

Subscription and billing fields

Offer and action links

Linking a button to your offer

Complimentary subscription fields

Gift subscription fields

Group subscription fields

Gated PDF fields

Event fields

Conditional content blocks

Offer templates

Gift email templates

Preview and test

Special action templates

Email Design Settings

Autoresponder

Campaigns

Offers & Discounts

FAQ

​Template list

​Creating a template

​Images and video

​Merge fields

​Fallback values

​When to skip the fallback

​Member fields

​Site fields

​Subscription and billing fields

​Offer and action links

​Linking a button to your offer

​Complimentary subscription fields

​Gift subscription fields

​Group subscription fields

​Gated PDF fields

​Event fields

​Conditional content blocks

​Offer templates

​Gift email templates

​Preview and test

​Special action templates

​Related features

Email Design Settings

Autoresponder

Campaigns

Offers & Discounts

​FAQ

Template list

Creating a template

Images and video

Merge fields

Fallback values

When to skip the fallback

Member fields

Site fields

Subscription and billing fields

Offer and action links

Linking a button to your offer

Complimentary subscription fields

Gift subscription fields

Group subscription fields

Gated PDF fields

Event fields

Conditional content blocks

Offer templates

Gift email templates

Preview and test

Special action templates

Related features

FAQ