The modular architecture of emails, which we explored in detail in our dedicated post on modular email templates, truly reaches its full potential when paired with dynamic modules.
During fast-paced, high-pressure campaigns, you don’t have the luxury of building a dynamic email from the ground up each time. For example, imagine a Black Friday sale where your pricing or inventory changes by the hour—there’s no time to code each variation from scratch.
Instead, you need customizable email modules and live content in modular emails you can quickly lift from your email template modular structure and drop into any campaign.
So in today’s expert guide, we walk you through how to create flexible email module design that works seamlessly across all types of campaigns, helping you save time, maintain consistency, and deliver personalization at scale. Let’s dig in!
What Are Dynamic Modular Email Templates?
Dynamic modular email templates are a powerful approach to email marketing that combines two concepts: modular design and dynamic content.
As you must know, modular design means that an email is built from a library of reusable, pre-designed modular email content blocks such as:
- Headers and footers
- Image blocks
- Text blocks
- Call-to-action (CTA) buttons
- Product showcases
Now dynamic content takes this a step further by allowing the content within these modular email content blocks to change automatically based on recipient data or predefined rules.
This means a single dynamic email template module can be dynamically personalized for each individual on your mailing list with real-time modular content updates.
How to Create Dynamic Modules?
Dynamic modules are the backbone of real-time modular email design, enabling marketers to serve personalized, relevant, and adaptable content at scale.
Unlike static blocks, these modules can automatically adapt their content based on recipient data, behavior, or predefined rules. This makes them invaluable for high-pressure campaigns where speed, personalization, and brand consistency must work together.
Below is a step-by-step approach to designing, building, and deploying customizable email modules.
1. Define the use cases for dynamic modules
Determine where and why you’ll need dynamic modules.
Are you targeting location-based offers, personalized product recommendations, or behavioral triggers?
This ensures your flexible email module design is built for clear outcomes. Here is a list to start with:
- Transactional Emails: Order confirmations, shipping notifications, password resets, and account alerts that need to display specific, user-centric data.
- Promotional Emails: Recommendations, lifecycle campaigns, and behavior-driven content for targeted campaigns.
- Newsletter and Content Digest Emails: Personalized content based on subscriber interests or past engagement, such as highlighting specific articles or blog posts.
- Welcome Series and Onboarding: Delivering different content to new subscribers based on how they signed up or their initial interests.
Source: Nifty Images
You’ll need to create dynamic modules for seasonal campaigns as well, especially around the holiday season.
2. Break down your modular architecture
List reusable modular email content blocks—headers, footers, hero banners, product showcases, CTAs, and text blocks. Identify which of these can benefit from dynamic functionality, so you’re enhancing only the elements that add value.
For example: a “Next Appointment Reminder” module in a healthcare newsletter that dynamically updates the date, time, and location for each patient, ensuring personalized and timely information without manual updates.
This is the essence of the modular email template architecture.
3. Plan the dynamic content logic
Once you know which modules will be dynamic, define the rules that govern how content changes for different recipients. Start by asking: Who should see what, and under which conditions? This could include geographic location, purchase history, browsing behavior, subscription status, engagement with previous emails, etc.
Use your ESP’s segmentation, conditional logic, and scripting capabilities for real-time email template customization.
4. Prepare the data sources
Accurate, up-to-date data is key for dynamic content.
Ensure your CRM or ESP holds the necessary information such as customer names, preferences, purchase history, and so on. And if needed, integrate with APIs or feeds for live updates.
Source: Nifty Images
Also consider fallback content to maintain any live content in modular emails when data is incomplete.
For instance, if a customer’s location is unknown, the module should gracefully default to generic content or a fallback message. This prevents broken experiences and maintains the integrity of the email campaign.
5. Create the HTML/MJML structure
Build a self-contained, clean HTML or MJML block that fits your email template modular structure. Inline CSS for maximum compatibility, and design it so swapping assets or text won’t break the layout.
Each module should be flexible enough to handle variations in content length, image dimensions, and dynamic data. For instance, a product recommendation module should adjust gracefully if only one item is available instead of four.
6. Design for accessibility & responsiveness
Ensure dynamic email template modules meet accessible interactive email design standards. Include alt text in interactive emails, maintain color contrast, avoid hover-only interactions, and make sure layouts adapt across devices.
Source: Email on Acid
Responsive design is important. Modules should adapt fluidly to different screen sizes and orientations without breaking the layout or hiding critical information.
7. Test in different scenarios
Preview for multiple segments, devices, and clients. Test cases with missing data, overly long content, and broken assets. Use tools like Litmus or Email on Acid to ensure rendering and validate your real-time modular email design.
8. Store in your module library
Archive all newly-created modular email content blocks with documentation on purpose, data requirements, and styling rules. This speeds up future deployments while maintaining modular email template architecture.
Contemporary email production principles emphasize:
– Prioritizing module libraries over template libraries.
– Dissociating design elements from data in modules.
– Synchronizing modules for efficient bulk editing.
– Automating ways to pull data into modules.
Dymtro Kudrenko, in an article (Only Influencers)
Inserting dynamic modules into your workflow allows teams to deliver personalized, on-brand content at scale, without reinventing the wheel for each campaign. By carefully planning, coding, testing, and refining these modules, you ensure your email strategy remains agile, relevant, and effective.
Reviewing and Updating the Modular Architecture
A dynamic modular email system is not a “set it and forget it” solution. To remain effective, your email template modular structure must be reviewed and updated regularly. Campaign goals evolve, audience behavior shifts, and design trends change, so real-time modular content updates keep emails relevant.
Start by auditing your existing modules periodically.
Identify which modules are performing well, which variations consistently drive engagement, and which components are underused or outdated. For example, a hero banner promoting a seasonal product last year may no longer be relevant this year, or a text block may need adjustments to match updated brand messaging.
Next, incorporate feedback from both performance metrics and your internal team. Developers, designers, and marketers who use the modules daily often spot friction points or opportunities for optimization that analytics alone may miss.
Finally, maintain version control and clear documentation for all dynamic email template modules. This makes it easier to deploy updates safely, track changes over time, and train new team members.
Dynamic Modular Emails for 1:1 Personalization at Scale
From careful planning and clean HTML/MJML structures to thorough testing and ongoing updates, each step ensures your emails remain relevant, responsive, and effective. When you combine real-time modular email design, live content in modular emails, and flexible email module design your team gains agility, efficiency, and the ability to deliver truly personalized communication, without reinventing the wheel each time.
If you want to create dynamic modules for your campaigns, get in touch with us, and let’s get started.