Build with the Email Builder
The Email Builder is a drag-and-drop alternative to the Rich Text editor, for a more polished, newsletter-style layout. It’s built from stackable blocks: text, images, buttons, and more.
Create an Email Builder template
Section titled “Create an Email Builder template”- Go to Messages and open the Templates tab.
- Click New, and give it a Name.
- Next to Message, switch from Rich Text to Email Builder.
- Enter a Subject (subjects always use plain rich text, even for an Email Builder template).
- Build your layout using blocks (see below).
- Click Create.
Add and arrange blocks
Section titled “Add and arrange blocks”Click Add block and choose from:
| Block | What it’s for |
|---|---|
| Text | A paragraph or heading, with the same formatting as the Rich Text editor |
| Image | A single image, with alt text, alignment, crop, and max height |
| Image + Text | An image next to a block of text, with its own crop and max height |
| Columns | Two side-by-side columns of text |
| Button | A call-to-action link styled as a button |
| Divider | A thin horizontal line to separate sections |
| Spacer | Blank vertical space |
| Social Links | A row of small circular icons linking to your school’s social media profiles |
Drag a block to reorder it. Click a block to open its settings, for example an image’s alt text and alignment, or a button’s label and link.
Crop and size an image
Section titled “Crop and size an image”Select an Image or Image + Text block to edit its crop. Drag inside the crop frame to move it; drag any edge or corner handle to resize it to the shape you want. Making the frame smaller zooms in. The preview updates as you work, and you can crop to portrait, landscape, or square shapes.
Set Max height (px) to control how tall the image can appear. New images start at 300px. Width follows the crop shape automatically, so there is no width setting. Standalone images fit within the email width; Image + Text images also fit within their column.
Cropping changes only the image used in the email. Kanri keeps the original upload so you can adjust the crop later or replace it.
Social Links block
Section titled “Social Links block”Add up to 8 links to your school’s profiles — Facebook, Instagram, X, LinkedIn, YouTube, TikTok, or a general website. Choose the platform and paste the profile URL for each one, and set the row’s alignment (left, center, or right).
Reuse layouts with saved sections
Section titled “Reuse layouts with saved sections”If you build a layout you’ll want again, for example a header with your logo and a button, select Save canvas as section, name it, and it’s saved for reuse in any future Email Builder template. Saved sections appear under Custom sections in the same panel where you add blocks. Kanri also ships with a set of built-in Preset sections (an intro paragraph, a call-to-action button, a two-column layout, and others) you can insert as a starting point.
Email-wide settings
Section titled “Email-wide settings”Under Email Settings, you can set:
- Font — the font used across the whole email
- Email preview text — the short snippet shown next to the subject line in most email apps, before the email is opened. Kanri fills this in automatically from your content, but you can type your own to override it, and reset back to automatic any time.