How to Create Email Newsletter Template for Outlook with Stripo

With Stripo allowing pushing emails to the Outlook app (both on macOS, and Windows) and to Outlook web, sending elegant HTML emails through your favorite email client is now easy! No add-ons required.

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

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

Intro

Until recently, it was difficult, almost impossible to send HTML email newsletters through Outlook that would display correctly. And Stripo found a way out. From now on you can create an email template for Outlook and seamlessly export it to the featured email client.

Why we decided to add direct export to Outlook

Why would you need to use Outlook when you can send emails with Mailchimp, eSputnik, or any other ESP?

According to Litmus, 6.5% of people currently use Outlook. Mostly, they are corporate clients who need to send out internal newsletters, be it an annual report or company’s news and updates. Definitely, this requires an HTML email template to make email/report orderly-structured, responsive, and maybe even interactive with tables, video instructions, or video greetings embedded.

All emails of this kind, especially annual reports, should be kept confidential. Thus, you are unlikely to send them via a third-party service. Even though all ESPs guarantee the safety of information.

This is why many of our users reached out to us to ask about the way they can export templates to this email client.

So, our developers started working on this project. And we have released this option.

The way direct export to Outlook works

We are proud to announce that Stripo is one of the few email editors that allow you to create email templates for Outlook and seamlessly push them to this email client.

Step 1. Building email templates for Outlook

In our blog post "Manual A to Z", we in detail show how to build newsletter templates.

You design an email template for Outlook just the same way.

But there are some things we'd love to highlight here due to Outlook's special rendering rules:

• CTA buttons in Outlook

It is a well-known fact that buttons in the featured email client may look somewhat different from the way they look in other email clients. For instance, rounded buttons in Outlook get "square angles". Hence, your email may lose its beauty and consistency. No worries — Stripo's on it.

To help you save buttons' design across all Outlook versions, you need to activate the "Support of Outlook" option.

• go to the "Appearance" tab in the settings panel;
• head to the "Button" tab;
• enable the "Support of Outlook" option.

• Backgrounds in Outlook

Backgrounds render in Outlook only if they have been set for entire emails. If you set a background for a row/stripe, or any other email element, it will not be displayed.

We found a way out.

Here's what you can do to set backgrounds for email elements/rows/stripes:

• activate the settings of a certain email element you want to add a background to by clicking the label of this content element. It can be "Container", "Stripe", "Row", and "Structure";
• then open the HTML code editor;

• paste this code sample above the line in the code 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]-->

• now paste this code sample below the line in the code that start with "Table width", i.e. below the same line;

<!--[if gte mso 9]>

   </v:textbox>

 </v:rect>

 <![endif]-->

• replace the link that we've underlined with the link to your background image — you'll have to do it twice;

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

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

In our "Common rendering issues in Outlook" blog post, we show alternatives to background images in emails:

• GIFs in Outlook email templates

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

Which versions of Outlook handle GIFs:

• Outlook for Office 365, desktop app;
• Outlook for Office 365, mobile app;
• Outlook 2003, desktop app;
• Outlook for Mac, app;
• Outlook web version both mobile and desktop devices.

How do you upload GIFs in emails with Stripo

Just the way you do with regular images:

• drag the "Image block into your Outlook newsletter template;

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

• your email is ready to go.

Remember to add a link to the web version of your email for those recipients who use Outlook versions as follows: Outlook 2007, Outlook 2010, Outlook 2013, Outlook 2016 and even Outlook 2019. So that they can also see your GIFs.

How to get the Web Version link with Stripo

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

• insert this link at the top of your email template for Outlook.

Step 2. Previewing

When you create an HTML email template for Outlook or any other email client, you need to preview it prior to sending it out to valued recipients to make sure your emails look just as you wanted it to.

There are three ways to check your emails with Stripo:

• Way 1. By entering the Preview Mode

Once you enter this mode, you will see the desktop and mobile versions of your email. 

• Way 2. Testing email templates for Outlook with our built-in email testing tool

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

• Way 3. Sending test emails

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

To do so, just click the "Test" icon, above the template, enter a number of email addresses — separate them with commas if there's a bunch of them, click "Send".

Step 3. Pushing email templates to Outlook

We want to emphasize that you can export emails from Stripo to Outlook Apps and Outlook Web.

Exporting emails to Outlook Apps

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

When your newsletter template for Outlook is ready, you need to:

• click the “Export” button;

• select Outlook from a number of ESPs suggested;

• now please choose the type of file that you need — OFT for Windows or EMLTPL macOS;

your template will be downloaded to your computer as a file. By clicking this file, you get an Outlook window with your ready-to-send email template opened;

• edit your email if necessary;
• now enter your recipients' email addresses and a subject line. Done!

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

When your template is ready:

• click the "Export" button;
• pick Outlook Web as your destination;

• in a pop-up window, click the "Export" button. The "Make it public" option is already activated;

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

Important: 

You only allow us to access your drafts folder (for delivery purposes). We will not have access to your contacts, sent and incoming messages.

• head to the "Drafts" folder in Outlook;
• edit email if necessary;
• enter subject line (by default it inherits the Title of your template);
• your email is ready to go!

Important to note:

Outlook does not allow using several accounts in one browser. So, in order to connect a new account, you need to disconnect the previous one. Then you may want to make sure you are fully logged out of your Outlook account. And only then you can start connecting a new Outlook account to Stripo.

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

Important:

Outlook removes the styles that make email design responsive. Thus, those users who see your emails on mobile devices will see the desktop version of it. No, there will no be a horizontal scroll. But all the containers from one row that are normally moved to the second row on mobiles, will all remain in one row.

(email sent via ESP)

(email sent via Outlook)

We want to emphasize once again that there won't be any horizontal scroll.

Final thoughts

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.