How to Create a Custom HTML Email Template in GetResponse

In this tutorial, we’ll be creating a custom HTML email template in GetResponse using a Postcards template.

We’ll prepare the email first, add the tags you need, and then upload the HTML into GetResponse. GetResponse supports importing custom HTML templates through its HTML editor, either by pasting the code or uploading a ZIP file, so the goal of this first step is to make sure your template is ready before that upload.

We’ll also set up two things here before export: a personalization merge tag and an unsubscribe link. For personalization, we’ll use [[firstname]] as the example. For unsubscribe, we’ll use [[remove]] so you can place an unsubscribe link exactly where you want in the email content. GetResponse also adds its required footer automatically, including the unsubscribe and update-details links, so the manual unsubscribe link does not replace that footer; it simply gives you more control over placement inside your design.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have:

A Designmodo account
A GetResponse account
A text editor that can open HTML files (optional)

If you want to review GetResponse’s personalization options in advance, their merge word and personalization guides are here:

https://www.getresponse.com/help/how-can-i-personalize-my-emails.html

https://www.getresponse.com/help/merge-word.html

GetResponse uses merge words in double square brackets inside message content.

Step 1. Add the unsubscribe tag and personalization tags (optional) in Postcards

Open your template in Postcards and prepare the content before exporting it.

For the unsubscribe link, go to the footer area of your email. You can add [[remove]] as plain text in a Text element, or you can use it as the link value inside a word or phrase. In my example, I will place the word Unsubscribe inside the footer text and link that word to [[remove]] .

If your footer does not already include an unsubscribe text, add a Text element to the canvas and type Unsubscribe. Then highlight the word Unsubscribe and click the link icon that appears above the selected text.

Now simply paste the merge tag [[remove]] into the link field and save the link.

When the email is sent through GetResponse, that tag will be turned into the proper unsubscribe link. This is the better option when you want the unsubscribe link to appear in a specific place inside your email instead of relying only on the automatic footer.

If you do not add [[remove]] inside Postcards, GetResponse will still append its required footer automatically when the message is sent. That footer includes the unsubscribe link and the update-details link, and those required footer elements cannot be removed. Because of that, adding [[remove]] manually is useful when you want more control over placement and a better subscriber experience, especially in emails where you want the unsubscribe option to be easier to find.

For personalization, simply paste the merge tag directly into the text element wherever you want it to appear. For example, you can write:

Hi [[firstname]],

By default, if GetResponse can’t retrieve the first name, the fallback is “Friend”. You can see how to set up your own fallbacks and other personalization in this guide.

You can also add the personalization tags later inside GetResponse after uploading the HTML and opening the template in their editor.

Step 2. Export your email from Postcards

Once your template is ready, export it from Postcards. You can do this in two ways.

The quickest option is to click Export → Copy Email Code. This copies the HTML code to your clipboard, so you can paste it directly into GetResponse later.

You can also use Export → Download as ZIP if you prefer to download the HTML file.

Before downloading, make sure Host images online is toggled on.

Postcards will download a ZIP file that contains an index.html file inside. Extract the ZIP file to a folder on your computer, so you can import the HTML file into GetResponse in the next step.

Step 3. Import your template into GetResponse

To import your custom HTML template into GetResponse, open the Tools menu in the top navigation, then go to Email marketing under Communicate.

Once you are there, open My templates and click Create template.

Enter a name for your template and continue to the next step. In the template gallery, switch to the HTML editor tab.

GetResponse currently supports two import methods here: Paste in code and Upload from ZIP. If you choose ZIP, you can drag the ZIP file into the upload window or select it from your computer. ZIP files up to 10 MB are supported.

In this example, we’ll use Paste in code. Click it, then paste the HTML code you exported from Postcards into the editor. Your template will load inside GetResponse.

Here you can make small edits if needed. For larger design changes, it is usually better to go back to Postcards, update the template there, and export it again.

You can also add personalization tags in this editor if needed. Simply click where you want to insert your personalization tag in the template, then click the Personalization icon at the top of the editor and choose the tag you want.

GetResponse will automatically insert it into your email:

When you’re done, click Save and exit in the top-right corner. Your template will then appear in your My templates list.

From there, open the three-dot actions menu next to the template and click Create newsletter to start a campaign from that saved template.

What we covered

Built a custom HTML email in Postcards and prepared it for upload
Added key personalization tags
Imported the template into GetResponse using the HTML editor (paste or upload)
Finalized edits, saved the template, and used it to launch an email campaign