How to Create and Send Message Templates in the CRM

Description: This training walks you through what message templates are, how they differ from drip sequences, and how you can create them manually, use AI, edit, and send them to your clients inside your CRM. By the end, you’ll know how to use templates for birthdays, holidays, seasonal updates, newsletters, or one-time announcements, and how to personalize them for maximum impact.

Related articles:

• Assigning Drip Tags

1. What Are Message Templates?

• Message Template = A one-time send (email, text, or both).

• Drip Sequence = A scheduled series of emails/texts over time.

• Use templates for:

  • Birthdays and anniversaries

  • Seasonal greetings or holidays

  • Monthly updates or newsletters

  • Quick one-time communications

2. Viewing Existing Templates

• CloseHack includes ~14 default templates.

• Each template may include both email + SMS versions.

• To preview:

  • Select a template → preview shows on the right (with example data).

  • Left panel shows content details.

• Important: Default templates cannot be edited directly. Use Copy to make your own editable version.

3. Sending Templates

Bulk Send

1. Go to Flex CRM → Client List.

2. Filter or select multiple clients (use Shift + Click or Select All).

3. Choose Bulk Action → Send Message Template.

Smaller Group or One Page

• Select clients on a single page.

• Use the Message button at the top.

• This lets you:

  • Choose a template

  • Edit subject/content live before sending

  • Send without overwriting the original template

4. Creating Your Own Template

1. Go to Messaging → Message Templates → Create New.

2. Fill in:

   • Name, Type, Status (must be Published)

   • Choose Email, SMS, or both

   • Add your subject line and body content

   • Optional: Include your signature (set in Account Settings)

3. Use Substitutions (merge fields) for personalization:

   • Example: {first_name} inserts the client’s name.

   • {url_homepage}, {url_contact}, {url_dashboard} for login links.

5. Choosing Email Format

• Plain Text Email

  • Best for cold outreach

  • More likely to land in inbox (less likely to trigger spam filters)

• Branded Email

  • Includes logo, buttons, and styling

  • Great for sphere of influence, warm leads, or newsletters

  • Track opens, clicks, and bounces under Messaging → Email Logs

6. Using AI to Create Templates

• Enter a topic and content prompts.

• AI generates a draft email you can edit.

• Always review & clean up:

  • Replace placeholders with correct substitutions

  • Shorten or re-format if needed

• You can also pull useful paragraphs into other templates.

7. Best Practices

• Copy default templates to make your own variations.

• Use substitutions for personalization (first name, custom URLs).

• Keep plain text versions for cold emails.

• Use branded templates for tracking engagement.

• Regularly review templates to refresh seasonal/holiday messaging.