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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

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Template list

Find the Templates page under the Email Settings Menu, where you’ll find all your templates in a searchable table: Click a row to expand it and see an HTML preview of the template body. Use the Export button to download your template list.

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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.
New Email Template Button

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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. Once it has uploaded, both blocks offer a Caption field, and Image with Link adds a second field below the caption marked Image URL. 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. To promote a video, 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. Readers click the image and watch the video in their browser. An animated GIF is another option, though some email clients show only its first frame.
The block menu has no video block, and pasting a video URL is not a substitute. A pasted URL can turn into a player inside the editor, but that player is dropped when the email is built: the video disappears from the email with nothing in its place. Delete the block, use Image with Link instead, and confirm with Send Test Email.

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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.

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Fallback values

Ghost stores names in a single optional field, so many members register without a first name at all. If your template says Hey %SUBSCRIBER_FIRST_NAME%, and the name is blank, your email reads Hey ,. That’s awkward. Add a fallback any time a blank value would read awkwardly, most often in greetings. Use the ,fallback="..." format. Quotes let you use any phrase, including multiple words and punctuation:
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!” Single or double quotes both work. For a single word with no spaces you can skip the quotes: %SUBSCRIBER_FIRST_NAME%,fallback=there. Fallback values work with %SUBSCRIBER_FIRST_NAME%, %SUBSCRIBER_FULL_NAME%, and %SUBSCRIBER_EMAIL_ADDRESS%.

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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):
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):
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.

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Member fields

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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.

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Subscription and billing fields

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Complimentary subscription fields

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

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Gift subscription fields

These fields are only available in templates used by gift subscription actions. They are populated from the gift subscription record.

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Group subscription fields

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

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Gated PDF fields

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

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Event fields

These fields are only available in event email templates (registration confirmation, reminders, cancellation, and update notifications).
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.

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Conditional content blocks

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

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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.
Offer Entry And Variables

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Preview and test

Before using a template in a flow or campaign:
  1. Click Send Test Email to send a real email to your own address with actual merge field values.
Send Test Email And Send Buttons
  1. If the template has unsaved changes, the button label switches to Send Test Email before saving changes as a reminder to save first.
  2. Check the email in both desktop and mobile email clients before activating.

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Special action templates

Some templates are linked to specific built-in autoresponder actions (such as card expiration reminders or offer click reminders). These templates show a warning in the editor indicating they are connected to built-in automations.

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.

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FAQ

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.
Not as a playable video. Most email clients will not play video inside an email, and the editor has no video block. Use a still frame with a play button drawn over it, linked to the page where the video is hosted, so readers click through to watch. See Images and video for how to set it up.
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.
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.
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.
It depends on where you want to use it. Campaigns and the Advanced Autoresponder let you pick any template from your library, so you can reuse one template across as many campaigns and advanced flows as you like.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.