How to Use Birthday Email Templates
Why This Matters
Sending professional, visually appealing birthday emails strengthens client relationships and shows you care about more than just business transactions. Birthday templates eliminate the design work and give you ready-to-use layouts with birthday-themed graphics, allowing you to focus on personalizing the message rather than building emails from scratch.
Pre-designed birthday templates ensure every birthday greeting looks polished and on-brand. Whether you prefer colorful cupcakes, elegant balloons, or playful gift designs, having a library of templates means you can match your message to your business style and client relationships. Once customized, these templates integrate seamlessly with the Birthday Assistant for fully automated birthday recognition.
What Birthday Email Templates Are
Birthday email templates are pre-designed email layouts featuring birthday-themed graphics like cakes, presents, balloons, and celebration imagery. These templates provide complete email designs including headers, body content, call-to-action buttons, and footers, all formatted and ready for customization.
The system provides multiple birthday templates covering different visual styles and messaging approaches. Each template includes placeholder text you can customize, merge codes for personalization, and professional layouts that display correctly across email clients and devices. Templates work with both the Basic Editor and Advanced Editor, giving you flexibility in how you customize content.
Once you select and customize a birthday template, it becomes part of your Email Template Library where you can use it with the Birthday Assistant, send it manually to individual contacts, or include it in email campaigns.
Accessing Birthday Templates
Navigate to Settings in your main menu and select Email Templates. Click the "Add Email Template" button in the upper right corner. The template library opens showing all available sample templates organized by category.
Click the "Filter" dropdown at the top of the page and select "Birthday" from the list. The screen updates to show only birthday templates. Each template displays a preview image showing the design, graphics, and general layout so you can see what the template looks like before selecting it.
Browse the available templates by scrolling through the preview gallery. Take time to review the different design options and visual styles to find one that matches your brand personality and the tone you want for birthday messages.
Choosing the Right Template for Your Needs
Different templates serve different messaging purposes and brand styles. Review the template previews and look for designs that match your business personality and the relationships you have with clients.
Templates with colorful cupcakes and bright designs work well for casual, friendly businesses. Dark background templates with elegant graphics suit professional service firms. Simple layouts with minimal graphics provide versatility across industries. Some templates emphasize visual impact with bold graphics, while others take a subtler approach with softer designs.
Consider the impression you want to create. Playful, celebration-focused designs work well for retail, hospitality, and consumer-facing businesses. More refined designs with understated graphics are appropriate for upscale brands or professional service firms. Templates featuring gift imagery naturally complement messages that include birthday discounts or special promotions.
Choose templates based on your brand personality and the relationship you have with clients. You can create multiple birthday templates and use different ones for different client segments by configuring separate workflows or manually selecting templates when needed.
Selecting and Naming Your Template
Click on any template preview to select it. A prompt appears asking you to name your new email template. Enter a descriptive name that helps you identify this template later, such as "Happy Birthday - VIP Clients" or "Birthday Greeting 2026." You can also choose to organize the template into a folder using the "Put In Folder" dropdown, or leave it set to "(Not in a Folder)" if you prefer.
Choose template names that make sense for your workflow. If you plan to create multiple birthday templates for different client segments, include identifiers in the name like "Birthday - Realtors" or "Birthday - Past Clients." This makes selecting the right template in the Birthday Assistant dropdown easier later.
Click "Create & Start Editing" to add the template to your Email Template Library and open it in the editor.
Customizing Your Birthday Template
The template opens in the email editor with all design elements in place. The template includes placeholder text, birthday graphics, and pre-formatted sections. Customize any element by clicking on it and editing the content, images, colors, or layout.
Replace placeholder text: Click on any text block and type your custom message. Most templates include generic birthday greetings you'll want to personalize for your business and audience.
Add merge codes: Insert personalization like {First Name}, {Last Name}, {Company}, or any custom field to make each email feel individually crafted. Merge codes automatically populate with each recipient's information when the Birthday Assistant sends the email.
Modify images: Click on graphics to replace them with your own images if desired, though the included birthday imagery works well for most situations. Some templates include logo placeholders while others may not, but you can add, remove, or reposition logos anywhere in the template using the email editor.
Adjust colors: Change background colors, text colors, or button colors to match your brand. The templates use professional color schemes but you can customize them to align with your company colors.
Edit call-to-action buttons: Many templates include buttons with text like "Unbox Your Gift" or "Claim Your Offer." Edit the button text and link URL to direct recipients to special birthday offers, discount pages, or personalized landing pages.
Modify social media icons: Update or remove social media icons in the footer to match your business profiles.
Restructure layout: The email editor gives you complete control over the template. Add new sections, remove elements you don't need, or rearrange the order of content blocks to create exactly the design you want.
Use the Preview function to see how your customized template looks in an actual inbox before saving. Preview on both desktop and mobile views to ensure the design displays correctly on all devices.
Saving and Using Your Template
Once you've finished customizing, click Save to add the template to your Email Template Library. The template appears in your template list with the name you assigned. You can edit it again anytime by opening it from your Email Templates page.
To use your birthday template with the Birthday Assistant, navigate to Automation and select Birthday Assistant. In the "What should the Birthday Assistant do?" section, check the box for "Send Email Template" and select your customized birthday template from the dropdown list. The Birthday Assistant will now send this template to contacts when their birthday matches your configured timing.
You can also use birthday templates outside the Birthday Assistant. Send them manually to individual contacts from the Contact Card, include them in email blasts to groups, or trigger them through workflows for specific automation sequences.
Creating Multiple Birthday Templates for Different Audiences
You're not limited to one birthday template. Create multiple customized versions for different client types, relationship levels, or business segments. For example, maintain a professional template for B2B clients, a warm and colorful template for individual consumers, and a special VIP template with exclusive offers for top clients.
To create additional templates, return to the template library, select a different birthday template design, name it distinctively, and customize it for the specific audience. Store each version in your Email Template Library with clear naming so you can easily identify which template serves which purpose.
Use workflows to send different birthday templates to different tagged groups, or manually select which template the Birthday Assistant uses by updating the configuration when you want to change your approach.
Best Practices for Birthday Email Content
Regardless of which template you choose, focus your customization on creating authentic, personal messaging. Keep subject lines simple and genuine like "Happy Birthday, {First Name}!" rather than overly promotional. Write body content that acknowledges the person's special day before mentioning any business offers.
If including a birthday promotion, frame it as a gift rather than a sales pitch. "Here's a special birthday gift from us" feels more appropriate than "Birthday Sale - 20% Off Today Only." Position any discount or offer as something you're giving to celebrate them, not as an opportunity to generate revenue.
Include the recipient's first name using merge codes to add personalization. Thank them for being a client or part of your community. Keep the message brief and focused on celebration rather than lengthy business updates.
Test your template by sending it to yourself before activating it in the Birthday Assistant. Review it on both desktop and mobile devices to ensure images load properly, text is readable, and links work correctly.
Template Availability and Updates
The birthday template library includes multiple designs and may expand over time with additional options. Check the template library periodically to see if new birthday templates have been added that better suit your needs or provide fresh alternatives.
Templates are available to all users and don't require special access or premium features. You can use as many templates as you want and create unlimited customized versions for different purposes.
Questions and Answers
Q: Can I edit a birthday template after I've already saved and used it?
A: Yes. Open your Email Templates page, find the saved birthday template, and click to edit it. Any changes you make apply to future sends, but emails already sent won't be affected. If the Birthday Assistant is configured to use this template, the updated version will be used for all future birthday emails.
Q: What happens if I delete a birthday template that the Birthday Assistant is configured to use?
A: If you delete a template that's selected in your Birthday Assistant configuration, the Birthday Assistant won't be able to send emails until you select a different template. Before deleting templates, check your Birthday Assistant settings and update the template selection if needed.
Q: Can I use the same birthday template for the Birthday Assistant and for manual sends?
A: Yes. Once a birthday template is saved in your Email Template Library, you can use it anywhere templates are available including the Birthday Assistant, manual sends to individual contacts, email blasts to groups, and workflow automation.
Q: Do birthday templates include merge codes already, or do I need to add them?
A: Birthday templates include placeholder text but you'll need to add merge codes yourself during customization. Click where you want personalization and insert merge codes like {First Name} or {Company} using the merge code tool in the email editor.
Q: Can I create my own birthday template from scratch instead of using the pre-designed ones?
A: Yes. Instead of selecting a birthday template from the library, choose "Advanced Editor (Blank)" or "Basic Editor (Blank)" to build a completely custom birthday email. However, the pre-designed templates save significant time and provide professional layouts as starting points.
Q: How do I know which template will look best for my brand?
A: Preview each template and consider which graphics and color schemes align with your brand personality. You can also create multiple versions and test them with small groups before committing to one design. Choose designs that feel authentic to your business style and the relationships you maintain with clients.
Q: Can I save multiple versions of the same template with different customizations?
A: Yes. Select the same base template from the library multiple times and customize each version differently. Name them distinctively so you can tell them apart in your Email Template Library and Birthday Assistant configuration.
Q: Will my logo appear automatically in birthday templates?
A: Some templates include logo placeholders while others may not. You can add, remove, or reposition your logo anywhere in the template using the email editor. Click on any section and use the editor tools to upload and place your logo exactly where you want it.
Q: Do birthday templates work on mobile devices?
A: Yes. All birthday templates are designed to display correctly on mobile devices and desktop email clients. Always preview your customized template on both desktop and mobile views before saving to ensure everything looks correct.
Q: Can I preview what the email will look like with merge codes populated before sending?
A: The email editor preview shows placeholder text for merge codes. To see exactly what recipients will receive, send an email to yourself from your contact record. The test email will populate merge codes with your own contact information so you can verify personalization works correctly.
Guide Type: How-To Guide
Estimated Time: 10 minutes
Next Guides: Setup: Birthday Assistant, Birthday Assistant Overview, How to Create Email Templates