Composing an email in the new emailer

Using Froala in the New Emailer

Overview

The new Brick River Emailer now uses the Froala Editor, a modern, responsive, and feature-rich editing tool that makes it easier than ever to design beautiful emails.
This guide walks you through the toolbar features and how to use each one — from inserting templates and images to styling text and managing dynamic content.

This editor will coexist with the legacy email editor. You can continue using the legacy emailer until you fully transition to the new emailer.

Prerequisites

Before getting started:

  • You must have access to the Email module in the New Brick River system.
  • You should already have at least one email template and a few public content records (such as blog posts or articles).
  • Optional: define brand colors and email snippets in your email template settings to make them available in the editor.

Steps

1. Open the New Emailer

Go to Email > New Email and select the Design tab.
You’ll see a clean workspace with toolbar options across the top and buttons to Save or Review and Send in the top-right corner.

2. Explore the Toolbar (Left to Right)

Template
Select from your existing templates. You can search or scroll through a list of your saved templates and apply one instantly. You can switch templates at any time. 

Code View
Switch to HTML mode to edit or review your email’s underlying code.

Insert Link (⌘ + K)
Highlight text, click the link icon, and enter a URL and link text.
You can also choose whether the link opens in a new window.

Insert Image (⌘ + P)
Upload an image in one of three ways:

  • Drag and drop directly into the editor
  • Click to browse your local files
  • Paste or type an image URL

File Manager
Access all files stored in Brick River Files through a modal window.
Use this for quick insertion of previously uploaded images or documents.

Drop in Content
Automatically add articles or posts into your email layout.

  1. Choose article style — options include:
    • Top Image
    • Left Image
    • Right Image
    • Float Left Image
    • Float Right Image
    • Bulleted List
  2. Choose image aspect ratio (if applicable):
    • Original
    • Square (1:1)
    • Landscape (4:3)
    • Widescreen (16:9)
    • Portrait (3:4)
  3. Select content source:
    • Add blank articles (choose how many, 1–5), or
    • Pull existing records from designated public content (like blog posts).
      You can filter, sort, or search to handpick the pieces to drop in.

All dropped-in content is mobile-optimized and email-client compatible. You are able to edit the content or swap out images after you drop in the content.

Add Button
Insert a customizable button.

  1. Choose type: Regular or Registration
  2. Choose size: Small, Medium, or Large
  3. Enter button text and click Drop in Button

The button’s background and text color follow your email template’s brand settings.

Insert Table
Visually choose the number of rows and columns.
The table appears with dotted borders in edit mode and offers styling options via Froala’s quick editor:

  • Cell / Row / Column controls
  • Remove Table
  • Cell Background & Cell Style
  • Table Style (borders or dashed rows)
  • Vertical Align (Top / Middle / Bottom)
  • Horizontal Align (Left / Center / Right / Justify)

Paragraph Format
Select heading levels H1–H4, or use Preformatted (code) style.

Font Size
Quickly choose between preset sizes: 14, 16, 18, 24, or 32px.

B Bold (⌘ + B)
Make text bold.

I Italic (⌘ + I)
Italicize selected text.

U Underline (⌘ + U)
Underline text.

Clear Formatting
Remove all applied formatting from selected text.

Text Color
Use the color picker or enter a hex code.
If your template defines custom brand colors, they’ll appear here as additional options.

Background Color
Same controls as text color, but applies to background highlighting.

Mail Merge
Personalize your emails with dynamic fields such as:

  • Org/full name, preferred, or first name
  • Preferred or fist name  -PreferredFirstName- 
  • "Hi" preferred or first name
  • Last Name
  • Email
  • User Name
  • Phone1
  • Contact Id
  • Donate manage link

Add Email Snippet
Insert predefined email bodies (signatures, newsletters, donation messages, etc.).
Define and manage snippets in Content > Canned Email Bodies.

Alignment
Align text Left, Center, or Right.

Lists
Choose between:

  • Ordered List (numbers)
  • Unordered List (bullets)

↩️ Undo / ↪️ Redo

  • Undo: ⌘ + Z
  • Redo: ⌘ + Shift + Z

Saving Your Work

Click Save in the upper-right corner to save your progress.
If you try to navigate away or change tabs, Brick River will prompt you to save your changes first.

Tips

  • Use keyboard shortcuts (⌘ + B, ⌘ + I, ⌘ + K, etc.) to speed up editing.
  • Preview your email with See/Test before sending.
  • For brand consistency, define colors and buttons in your email template rather than in individual emails.
  • Use Email Snippets for frequently reused messages to save time.

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