Importing into your ESP

Every email platform that accepts custom HTML works with Modular Mail. The steps differ a little between platforms, but the idea is always the same: create an email using the platform’s HTML or code editor rather than its drag-and-drop builder, and paste in your export.

The general steps

Export the campaign and copy the HTML.
In your ESP, create a new email, campaign or template. Choose the option for your own HTML. It’s often called Code your own, Custom HTML, HTML editor or Paste code.
Paste the HTML and save.
Set the subject line and preview text in the ESP, if it asks. Many ESPs use their own fields rather than the <title> and preheader in the HTML.
Preview, send a test from the ESP and send as normal.

If you can’t find the option, search your ESP’s help centre for “custom HTML” or “import HTML”. Menus change often, so check your ESP’s own documentation if the notes below don’t match what you see.

Notes by platform

Create a template using Klaviyo’s HTML editor and paste the export, then use the template in a campaign or flow. Klaviyo’s subject and preview text are set on the campaign or flow email.

Klaviyo uses its own template tags, such as {{ first_name|default:'there' }}, and needs an unsubscribe link in every email. Use {% unsubscribe_url %} as a link’s URL in your footer.

In Mailchimp, create a template with the Code your own option and Paste in code, then build a campaign from that template. Set the subject line and preview text in the campaign.

Mailchimp merge tags look like *|FNAME|*. Every campaign needs an unsubscribe link: use *|UNSUB|* as a link’s URL.

In Braze, create an email template or an email message and choose the HTML editor, then paste the export. Braze’s subject and preheader are set on the message.

Braze personalisation uses Liquid, such as {{${first_name}}}. Your template’s footer usually carries Braze’s unsubscribe Liquid tag; check with whoever set up your Braze account.

In Content Builder, create an email message using the HTML Paste option and paste the export. Set the subject line and preheader on the email.

Marketing Cloud uses personalisation strings such as %%FirstName%% and AMPscript. Use %%unsub_center_url%% or %%profile_center_url%% as link URLs in your footer.

HubSpot has specific requirements for coded emails, including required tokens for the unsubscribe link and your company address. Your developer may need to add these to your template’s footer as HubL, such as {{ unsubscribe_link }}. See HubSpot’s help on coded email templates for the current requirements.

In Marketo, create an email template in Design Studio by pasting the HTML, then create emails from it. Marketo tokens such as {{lead.First Name}} pass through unchanged.

Templates or one-off emails?

Many ESPs let you save HTML as a reusable template, or paste it into a single campaign. With Modular Mail, each export is a finished email, so pasting it into the campaign is usually simplest. If your ESP needs a template for every campaign, save each export as its own template, named after the campaign.

For automated flows, such as welcome or abandoned basket emails, build each email as a campaign in Modular Mail and paste its export into the flow’s email.

Why an email might look different in your ESP

The ESP changed your HTML. Some editors tidy or rewrite pasted code. Use the plain HTML or code editor rather than a visual one, and turn off options to “clean up” or “optimise” HTML if your ESP has them.

CSS was inlined twice. Some ESPs inline CSS automatically. Your template’s styles are usually inline already, so turning off automatic inlining avoids conflicts.

Links were rewritten. ESPs wrap links for click tracking. That’s normal. Send a test and click each link to check where it goes.

Images don’t load. Image URLs must be absolute and public. Images from the Modular Mail media library are. If you use your own hosting, check the image addresses haven’t been changed.

The preheader shows twice or not at all. Some ESPs add their own preheader from a preview text field. Use either the ESP’s field or Modular Mail’s, not both: leave one empty.