Today I want to talk about something simple that can totally transform your creative business: email templates that are purposeful, efficient, and sound like you!

As a business coach and outsourced COO for creatives, I’ve seen way too many entrepreneurs struggle with this balancing act – wanting to save time with templates but worried about sounding like a robot. 

Good news? 

You can absolutely have both!

4 Ways Templates Help You Show Up Better for Your Clients (And Yourself!)

Let’s talk about how templates can be a total game-changer – both for your clients and for your own sanity. Here’s why you need them in your life:

Save Your Creative Energy for Actually Creating

First up, they save your mental energy (hello, work-life balance!). Instead of staring at a blank screen every time you need to send an important client email, you’ve got a solid foundation ready to go. This means more brain space for the creative work you actually love doing.

Deliver More Effective Client Communication

Next, they help you deliver a better client experience. Templates let you refine your communication over time, making it clear and more impactful based on what works best with your clients and customers. You’re essentially taking your best emails and making them repeatable – how smart is that?

Maintain Quality Without the Stress

One of my favorite benefits? They seriously cut down on errors (which is good for everyone!). No more forgetting important details, mistyping information, or accidentally sharing something you didn’t mean to. When you’re juggling multiple clients and projects (and let’s be honest, who isn’t?), this quality assurance is gold for your peace of mind AND your client’s confidence in you.

Build Trust Through Consistent Client Experience

Plus – and this is huge – standardized, consistent communications help build trust with your clients while protecting your time. They get the reliability they crave, knowing exactly what to expect from you, and you get to deliver that excellence without reinventing the wheel every time. Win-win!

Creating Templates That Actually Sound Like You

Here’s the key to making email templates work without losing your personality:

1. Start with your actual voice. Base your templates on emails you’ve actually written when you were in the flow. These are YOUR words, YOUR tone of voice. Just because it’s a template doesn’t mean it needs to sound all stiff and formal.
   
   
2. Make them plug and play – but make it obvious for yourself. I literally use brackets, all caps, yellow highlighting, and bold formatting for spots I need to fill in, like [CLIENT NAME] or [PROJECT NAME]. It’s impossible to miss, which means I never accidentally send an email with “Insert name here” still in it (we’ve all been there!).
   
   
3. Personalization is non-negotiable. Generic greetings like “Hey friend!” or “Hey there!” are an immediate red flag that screams “mass email.” Always use their actual name. Go further by referencing their specific project – instead of “your website,” say “the [ACTUAL BRAND NAME’S] E-commerce Site” or “your custom jewelry collection landing page.” These details show you’re treating them as an individual, not just another template fill.
   
   
4. Add that personal touch every single time. Here’s what I mean: even with a template, take 30 seconds to add a personal opening. Something like: “Following up from our meeting last week – still laughing about that wild commute story!” or “So excited to see the new website refresh ahead of your product launch!”

When to Keep It Professional

For best success, most of your emails should feel personally crafted – like you’re writing directly to that specific client about their unique project.  But, let’s be real – sometimes you need to be more transactional, and that’s totally okay! When you have detailed instructions or specific process steps that require careful attention, a clearer, more structured approach works best.

Take my design approval template (from my freelance graphic design days), for example:

“Hi [NAME],

Please review this production release carefully for accuracy of both content and design.

Once approved, please e-sign and the production files will be released to you.

If you have any questions or need any revisions to this file before release, please let me know.

Thanks, 

[YOUR NAME]”

See how it’s specific and straight to the point but still sounds like a human wrote it? That’s what we’re going for.

Making AI Work For You (Without Losing Your Voice)

Quick bonus tip because we can’t ignore the elephant in the room: AI is everywhere these days, helping us write everything from emails to entire reports. 

And you know what? That’s fantastic! 

But here’s the deal – use it as a tool, not a complete solution.

Always review what AI gives you, adjust it to match your tone of voice, and make sure it fits the specific situation you’re reaching out about. Let it get you most of the way there, then polish it up yourself.

Ready to Template Your Business Communications?

Start by identifying the messages you send over and over. 

These could be:

• Onboarding and offboarding
• Meeting confirmations
• Project updates
• Status reports
• Follow-up emails
• Approval requests

Not sure where to start? I’ve got you covered.

Your Quick Template Assessment 

Before you dive into creating templates, take 5 minutes to audit your sent emails (or messages in Slack, ClickUp, Circle, Google Chat etc.). Look for patterns in your client communications – which messages do you write over and over? Which responses do you constantly postpone because they feel overwhelming to write from scratch?

This quick assessment will spotlight exactly where templates can save you the most time and mental energy. Trust me – when you see your client communication patterns laid out clearly, you’ll know exactly which templates to create first. No more guessing or creating templates you’ll never use!

Remember, you don’t need to template everything at once. Focus on your highest-impact communications first – the ones that will give you back real time in your day. Even one or two strategic templates can transform how you show up for your clients (and yourself).

COO Tip: Once you create your template, save it in one easy to locate spot. Maybe this is as a template in Gmail, a list in ClickUp, or a doc on your computer. Whatever you decide, make this your single point of truth so you’re not fumbling to find your email template (defeating the purpose).

Quick Template Checklist: Your Next Steps

Instead of overwhelming you with ALL the emails you could possibly templatize, here are the next ones I recommend tackling:

For Service Pros:

• Initial client inquiries
• Project milestone celebrations (make these fun!)
• “Here’s what I need from you” requests (keep these clear)
• Meeting recaps (add personality to the bullet points)

For Product Creators:

• Order celebrations (more than just “thanks for your order”)
• Care instructions (make these genuinely helpful)
• “You might also love” recommendations (personalize these!)

3 Plug-and-Play Templates (Plus AI Tips to Make Them Yours!)

Let’s start with three essential templates you can use right away, plus how to use AI to refine them for your voice. Remember: these are starting points – your unique processes and personality should shine through!

#1 The Welcome Email

Hi [NAME]! 

Thank you for [choosing to work with me/purchasing from my shop]! I’m thrilled to [start this journey together/have you as a customer]. 

What’s next: 

1. [Next step] 

2. [Timeline/expectation] 

3. [How to reach you] 

Quick tip: [Relevant tip for your service/product] 

Can’t wait to [project-specific excitement/product-specific excitement]! 

[YOUR SIGNATURE]

#2 The Check-in Email

Hi [NAME]! 

Just checking in about [project milestone/recent purchase]! 

[For services: We’re currently at the [phase] stage, and I wanted to make sure you’re happy with how everything’s progressing.] 

[For products: How are you enjoying your [product name]? I’d love to share some of my favorite ways to use it!] 

Questions? Ideas? A big win?  I’m all ears! 

[YOUR SIGNATURE]

#3 The Follow Up Email

Hi [NAME]! 

[Service: Now that we’ve wrapped up (project), I’d love to hear how everything’s working for you!] 

[Product: It’s been a few weeks with your (product), and I’d love to hear how it’s fitting into your life!] I especially hope [specific benefit] has been helpful. 

Any questions? I’m here to help! 

[YOUR SIGNATURE]

AI Tip: Feed these templates into ChatGPT along with: “Please rewrite this email in a way that matches my brand voice. My brand voice is [share a sample of copy in your brand voice or describe your voice, e.g., ‘warm and friendly with a dash of humor’].” Try a few variations until it feels right! This can actually make your emails read cohesive, consistent, and on-brand!

Your Client Communications Journey 

Templates are just the beginning of creating a business that runs like a well-oiled machine while feeling totally authentic to you. They’re your first step toward building systems that serve both you and your clients beautifully. 

The real magic happens when you start seeing these templates evolve with your business, capturing your best ideas and most effective communication strategies.

Want weekly business tips specifically for creatives delivered straight to your inbox? 

Click here to join my email list! It’s like having a business coach in your back pocket every single week – helping you streamline your creative business while keeping that personal touch that makes you unique. I share templates, systems, and strategies that work specifically for creative entrepreneurs like you.