A guided tour of the Kit email editor
Powerful enough to support advanced customizations, yet simple enough for the beginner to start from scratch, the Kit email editor can handle it all.
Let's go.
First things first
When creating a brand new email, the email editor will look something like this:
Why "something" like that?
Our email editor includes a live preview of your email template, plus the email content itself. So, its look differs depending on your email's template and content.
For example, the editor will display a logo if your template contains one.
As a result, you can see how your email will look with your template's styling applied while you write it.
Accessing the content block menu
The content block menu is how you insert different types of content, or content blocks, into your email. It is accessible via the plus (+) sign that appears on the left side of the editor when you click within it.
NOTE: While you're typing, the plus sign will disappear to help you focus. Just click anywhere within your email when you're not typing to bring it back.
Alternatively, type "/" into the email editor:
Formatting your text
You can use the toolbar at the top of the email editor to format your text and add links and personalization shortcodes to your email. We cover these topics in more detail in our dedicated text formatting and media guides.
Navigating the sidebar
The email editor's sidebar displays customization settings for your email's components. Most of these customization settings are available for starting point templates only.
NOTE: If you're writing a Sequence email, you'll need to click the sidebar's Styles tab for the customization settings to appear.
The top of the sidebar shows your email's component hierarchy. It works like this:
Email: Customization settings that affect the whole email, e.g., its template and background color
Section: Customization settings that affect the email section you've clicked. A section is a portion of your email containing one or more content blocks. Customization settings for sections include background color, background image, spacing, border, and mobile device adaptation.
Content block within the selected email section: Customization settings that affect the content block you've clicked.
Components within the selected content block: Certain content blocks may contain additional components within them. If so, these components' customization settings will be reflected in the hierarchy.
For example, if you click a text paragraph in your email, the sidebar may show this component hierarchy: Email > Section > Text.
Content with additional internal components (e.g., layout blocks, which contain columns of content) may have a more complex hierarchy. For example: Email > Section > Layout > Column > Heading 2.
When you click a part of your email, the sidebar will show customization settings for the last component in the hierarchy.
For instance, clicking a text paragraph will display customization settings for the text (e.g., Email > Section > Text) instead of customization settings for the section the text is in.
To access the customization settings for a different component in the hierarchy (e.g., the section), click the component's name. Use the ... icon to access components higher up or further down the hierarchy as needed.
Previewing your email
Click the Preview option at the right of the toolbar to preview your email.
You can:
Preview your email as a certain subscriber
Send a test email to an email address of your choice
Preview the email in email or webpage format
Preview the email on desktop and mobile
Activating Focus Mode
Use the email editor in Focus Mode to write your emails in a distraction-free environment.
To activate Focus Mode, click the "expand" icon at the right of the toolbar:
The "expand" icon will be replaced by a "shrink" icon. Click it to turn Focus Mode off.
FAQs
Is there a word counter?
Yes, there is a word counter at the lower right of the email editor. It updates your word count as you type.
NOTE: The word counter will also count the number of words in buttons, image captions, and block quotes. It won't count the number of words in image alt text.
Is there an undo button?
Yes, there are undo and redo buttons in the email editor toolbar:
You can also use these keyboard shortcuts:
Undo: Control + Z (Windows) or Command + Z (Mac)
Redo: Control + Y (Windows) or Command + Shift + Z (Mac)
Can I use emojis?
Yes, you can use emojis. Learn how here. 😃
Can I access my email's raw HTML?
No, you can't view your email's raw HTML, but you can add HTML code to your emails. We cover that in our email editor media guide.
Can I edit my email template in the email editor?
Yes, if you're using a starting point template. Just click anywhere within the template to edit it.
For example, here's how you'd update the footer of the "Coach" starting point template:
If you're using a classic template for your email, you'll have to edit it using our separate visual email template editor. Your email's look will automatically update once you've saved the changes to your classic template in the visual email template editor. (You may need to refresh the email editor page to view the changes to your email template.)
Does the email editor auto-save?
Yes, the email editor will auto-save changes for both Broadcasts and Sequences.
Ready to dive a little deeper?
As a next step, we'd recommend our dedicated text formatting guide below. 👇