Flodesk gives you two block options to add text elements to your email: Text blocks and Layout blocks. Let's take a deeper look into the difference between these blocks and how to use them.
The first block is called the Text block, highlighted here:
Text blocks are optimized for searchability and deliverability in the inbox. Within your email, a text block renders as an HTML element, much like text on a website. We recommend using the text block for your email's main content.
Text blocks are advantageous for the following reasons:
You can copy and paste the text within a text block
A subscriber can search their inbox for anything written in a text block
Plain HTML text can be read by Gmail and help you land in the inbox instead of Promotions
The drawback of text blocks is that they display at the mercy of the fonts installed on your subscribers' computer or mobile device.
This means that if you use a specialty font for your brand and try to send out an email with a text block in that custom font, chances are your subscribers will not be able to view it and the text block will default to whatever is installed on their computer (and nine times out of ten, it won't be what you intended!).
For this reason, we only offer web-safe fonts in our text block and encourage you to use it for the main body of your email. You still have lots of styling options, including color, letter-spacing and line-height, to make your text look legible and elegant.
The second block type is called the Layout block, highlighted here:
Layout blocks are Flodesk's proprietary technology that allow you to use custom fonts and match your emails to your brand. Once you send your email, a Layout block will render as an image element. We recommend using Layout blocks as exciting artistic accents in your email.
Layout blocks are advantageous for the following reasons:
You can use a huge variety of specialty fonts to match your emails to your brand
You can add a cursive signature to your email for a personal touch
You don't have to use a 3rd party app to create gorgeous email graphics
You can upload your own brand fonts into Flodesk and use them in layout blocks
If you'd like to add a headline with your custom font or you want to add a signature in a script font, you can select the text-only layout, which looks like this. Then simply change the text and pick a nice font style.
We recommend using both types of blocks (text and layout) in your emails to keep things both branded and functional.
Summary
While you’ll find only web-safe fonts in text blocks, you can work with a variety of custom fonts in layout blocks.
Also, if you uploaded your brand fonts to Flodesk, you can access them in your email layout blocks but also when building your opt-in forms or designing your sales pages and delivery pages in Flodesk Checkout.
More to learn:
If you need technical assistance, please submit a support ticket via email at support[at]flodesk.com mentioning your Flodesk account login email with a detailed description of your problem.