Skip to main content

How can we help you?

Search

Beta: Create and Edit Emails with CoAuthor

⚠️ Beta feature: Availability and functionality may vary. To request access, email product@contactmonkey.com or contact your Customer Success Manager.

CoAuthor is ContactMonkey's AI email builder. Describe the email you want in plain language and CoAuthor generates a professional, mobile-friendly layout directly in the Email Builder — no drag-and-drop required.

Requirements

  • Email Collaboration must be turned off for your organization.
  • CoAuthor will be available on Grow and Enterprise plans.
  • CoAuthor is enabled organization-wide. It cannot be turned on or off for individual users.

How It Works (At a High Level)

When you submit a prompt, CoAuthor:

  1. Interprets your request, including any counts, constraints, or specific instructions you include
  2. Builds or edits the layout directly in the Email Builder
  3. Applies safety rules to avoid designs that break when emails are forwarded
  4. Applies responsive layout best practices — see Accessibility and Mobile Standards below for more information
  5. Enforces accessibility standards, including descriptive alt text and touch-friendly button sizes
  6. Summarizes what changed so you can review and adjust before sending.

How to Create an Email with CoAuthor

  1. Open an existing email draft or create a new email in the ContactMonkey Email Builder
  2. Click the sparkle icon (✨) on the left side to open CoAuthor
  3. Type a description of the email you want (see prompt examples below)
  4. Click Send, OR
    • Shift + Enter (Windows)
    • Shift + Return (Mac)
  5. Review the generated layout. Replace any placeholder images and verify all links
  6. Type follow-up prompts to refine the email until it's ready

How to Write Effective Prompts

Include these details for the best results:

  • Audience — who will receive the email (e.g., all employees, managers, a specific region)
  • Purpose — what the email is for (announcement, newsletter, invitation)
  • Sections — what content blocks you need
  • Counts — exact numbers where relevant (e.g., "3 employee spotlights")
  • Dates — any deadlines or effective dates

Examples

  • "Create a company announcement about our new remote work policy effective March 1. Include a summary, 3 key changes, and a button linking to the full policy."
  • "Draft a monthly employee newsletter with: CEO note, 3 team highlights, upcoming events, and a 3-column footer with contact info."
  • "Add an image and a button below it, encouraging employees to complete the annual security training."

How to Edit a Specific Part of Your Email

You can make general edits or target a specific element.

General edits (no selection needed):

  • "Add a hero section at the top."
  • "Add a benefits reminder section."

Targeted edits:

  1. Select a section, block, image, or button in the editor
  2. Type your edit request
    1. "Change this background color to #0B1F3B."
    2. "Make this heading shorter."
    3. "Replace this button text with 'Review the policy'."

Save Time with Bulk Edits

CoAuthor can apply changes across your entire email in a single prompt, so you don't have to edit each element one at a time. Use it to:

  • Add padding to the whole email
  • Add alt text to every image
  • Change URLs for multiple menu items at once
  • Update spacing or separators between menu items
  • Make all buttons consistent in size and border radius (e.g., round every button's corners)
  • Adjust spacing uniformly across content blocks
  • Resize all headings or body text consistently
  • Create a table based on the data you provide

Example prompts:

  • "Add 20px padding to the entire email."
  • "Adjust the border radius on every button to 8 and make them all the same width."
  • "Generate a 3-column table from this data: [paste data]."

Tips and Best Practices

  • Start broad, then iterate. Ask for the overall structure first, then follow up to refine wording and visuals. 
  • Paste must-keep copy exactly as written. When accuracy matters — legal language, policy text, executive quotes — include it verbatim in your prompt so the AI preserves it. 
  • Call out constraints explicitly. State dates, section counts, and required links upfront rather than adding them in follow-up prompts. 
  • Specify multi-column layouts directly. For spotlights, stats, or footers, describe the layout you want (e.g., "a 3-column section with headshots, names, and a one-line bio each").

Accessibility and Mobile Standards

CoAuthor automatically applies the following best practices:

  • Descriptive alt text on all images 
  • Buttons sized at minimum 44×44px for touch targets
  • Heading structure (H1 → H2 → H3)
  • Forwarding-safe design patterns to prevent broken layouts across email clients

Applying Your Brand

Full brand automation may not be available during the beta period. In the meantime:

  • Include brand requirements in your prompt (hex color codes, font names, button styles)
  • Ask the AI to apply a specific palette: "Use our primary color #0052CC for all buttons."
  • Review final styles before sending

Troubleshooting

The output is close but not quite right
Ask for a targeted change: "Keep the structure, but rewrite the intro to be more concise."

I need content inserted in a specific place
Reference the location in your prompt: "Add this section below the 'Upcoming Events' heading."

The email doesn't match our brand
Provide explicit styles in your prompt (hex codes, font names), then ask: "Apply these styles consistently throughout."

Frequently Asked Questions

Does CoAuthor replace the drag-and-drop features?
No. It works alongside the existing Email Builder. You can generate, then fine-tune manually.

Can I use it for external marketing emails?
CoAuthor is optimized for internal employee communications.

What AI model powers this feature?
The current beta uses Claude Haiku.

See Also