How to Create an Email Template for Outlook with Stripo

Sending elegant HTML emails through your favorite email client is now easy! Stripo allows users to push emails to the Outlook app (on both macOS and Windows) or to Outlook on the web. No add-ons are required.

In this post, we'll show you how to export HTML email templates to Outlook with just two clicks, so keep reading.

For a brief tutorial, please watch this short how-to video.

Why we decided to add direct export to Outlook

Why should you use Outlook when you can send emails with Mailchimp, eSputnik, or another ESP?

According to Litmus, 6.5% of people currently use Outlook. Most are corporate clients who regularly send internal emails, such as annual reports or company news and updates. Making such emails orderly, structured, responsive, and interactive (e.g., with embedded tables, video instructions, or greetings) requires an HTML email template.

Though ESPs guarantee privacy, because internal corporate communications, especially annual reports, must be kept confidential, it is best to avoid sending them via a third-party service. This is why many of our users have requested a way to export templates to Outlook.

In response, our developers started working on this project, and we have now released such an option.

How to build an email template with Stripo and send it through Outlook

We are proud to announce that Stripo is now among the few email editors that allow you to create email templates that can be seamlessly exported to Outlook.

Step 1. Building email templates for Outlook

In our blog post "Manual A to Z," we explain how to build email templates.

You design an email template for Outlook in just the same way. Due to Outlook's special rendering rules, however, we must highlight a few things we'd love to highlight here due to Outlook's special rendering rules:

• Outlook CTA buttons 

It is well known that Outlook buttons look somewhat different from those of other email clients. For instance, Outlook's rounded buttons have square angles, which can alter an email's aesthetic presentation and consistency. No worries—Stripo's on it!

To save your buttons' design across all Outlook versions, you simply activate the "support of Outlook" option.

• go to the "Appearance" tab in the settings panel;

• choose the "Button" tab;

• enable the "Support of Outlook" option.

• Outlook backgrounds

Backgrounds render in Microsoft Outlook only if they have been set for the entire email. It will not be displayed if you set a background for just a row/stripe or other email elements.

We have found a solution.

Here's how to set backgrounds for email elements/rows/stripes:

• activate the settings for the specific element you want to add a background to by clicking the element's label, which may be "Container," "Stripe," "Row," or "Structure";

• open the HTML code editor;

• paste the following code above the line that starts with "table width";

<!--[if gte mso 9]>

 <v:rect xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" fill="true" stroke="false" style="width:327px;height:100%;">

   <v:fill type="frame" src="https://iiqf.stripocdn.email/content/guids/CABINET_b696bac619e2a6fd60a2c756b8b7c9c5/images/26661559905688877.png" color="#7bceeb" ></v:fill>

   <v:textbox inset="0,0,0,0">

 <![endif]-->

• paste this code below the same line (the one that starts with "table width");

<!--[if gte mso 9]>

   </v:textbox>

 </v:rect>

 <![endif]-->

• replace the two links underlined below with the link to your background image;

• be sure to edit the image width before uploading so that it matches the container's—you can see this in the top line after the "width" tag, which in our example, is 600 px.

Please be advised that you cannot simultaneously use this code for backgrounds and activate the "Support of Outlook" option (for buttons), as Outlook renders only one element written in VML, at a time.

In our "Common rendering issues in Outlook" blog post, we offer alternatives to email background images.

• Outlook email template GIFs

We all know that as of February 2019, Outlook supports GIFs. 

Which versions of Outlook handle GIFs?

• Outlook within a Microsoft 365 subscription or Office 2021;

• MS Outlook app for mobile devices;

• Outlook 2003 desktop app;

• Outlook for Mac app;

• Outlook web version on both mobile and desktop devices.

How do you upload GIFs into emails with Stripo?

Just as you would with regular images:

• drag the "Image” block into your Outlook email template;

• add the GIF file by uploading the photo or inserting a link to external file storage;

• your email is ready to go!

To ensure that GIFs are visible to all recipients, remember to include a link to the web version of your email for those who use the following Outlook versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, and 2019.

How do you get a link to the web version with Stripo?

• enter "Preview" mode;

• above your template, click the “Copy” or the "Open in a new tab" button;

• insert the copied link at the top of the template.

Step 2. Previewing

When you create an HTML email template for Outlook or any other email client, you must preview it before sending to valued recipients to ensure it looks just as you intended. There are three ways to check your emails with Stripo.:

• Way 1. By entering the preview mode

When you enter preview mode, you will see your email's desktop and mobile versions.

• Way 2. Using Stripo’s built-in email testing tool

Stripo is integrated with Email on Acid, one of the best email testing tools, allowing you to see your emails across all versions of Outlook and other email clients.

• Way 3. Sending test emails

For "live" tests, you may want to send emails to Outlook accounts that belong to your friends and colleagues. To send a test email, simply click the "Test" icon above the template, enter the email addresses you wish to send to (separated by commas), and click "Send." If you want to make your messages even more responsive, you can use our 600+ Outlook-compatible email templates.

You might want to send test emails to multiple accounts in Outlook that belong to your friends and colleagues to see "live" tests.

Step 3. Exporting email templates to Outlook

We would like to emphasize that you can export emails from Stripo to both the Outlook app and Outlook on the web.

Exporting emails to the Outlook app

This option works on both Windows and macOS (for Microsoft Office 365 and Outlook 2019 and higher).

Once your Outlook email template is ready, do the following:

• click the “Export” button;

• select the Outlook app from the suggested ESPs;

• pick the type of file you need—OFT for Windows or EMLTPL for macOS;

• click the file downloaded to your computer, which will open an Outlook window with your ready-to-send email template;

• edit the email as necessary, which is just like editing documents in Microsoft Word;

• enter your recipients' email addresses and a subject line—done!

Exporting emails to Outlook.com (Outlook on the web)

When your template is ready, do the following:

• click the "Export" button;

• choose "Outlook web" as your destination;

• in the pop-up window, click the "Export" button and ensure that the "Make it public" option is activated;

• enter your Outlook credentials;
• give Stripo access to your Outlook account;

Important to note: 

Stripo will only receive access to your drafts folder for delivery purposes. It will not access your contacts or your sent and incoming messages.

• head to your Outlook "Drafts" folder;

• edit the email if necessary;

• add a subject line if desired (by default, it is the template title);

• your email is ready to go!

Using Stripo’s bulk export option to export many emails to Outlook

• click on “Email messages” in your dashboard;

• choose the emails you want to export;

• choose the “Export” option from the pop-up menu above your messages;

• complete the steps listed in the section “Exporting email templates to Outlook.”

If you export several emails to the Outlook app, they will be downloaded to your computer as an archive. For Outlook on the web, they will be found in the “Drafts” folder, where they will appear exactly as your readers will see them. You can edit the templates in this window if needed.

Important to note:

Because Outlook does not allow the simultaneous use of multiple accounts in one browser, connecting a new account requires disconnecting an open one. So, please make sure you are logged out of one Outlook account before trying to connect another to Stripo.

You will see the email in the drafts folder exactly as your readers will. In this window, you can edit the template if needed.   

Important to note:

Outlook removes the styles that make email design responsive, so users who view your emails on mobile devices will see the desktop version. No, there will not be a horizontal scroll, but the containers normally moved from one row to the next on mobile devices will remain in the same row.

(Email sent via ESP)

(Email sent via Outlook)

We want to emphasize again that there will be no horizontal scroll.

Wrapping up

As you can see, building and sending emails through Outlook is now a walk in the park.

If you have any questions, please leave a comment below. We will be happy to assist.