Templates in Gmail: never write the same reply twice

Anything you write for the third time is a candidate for a template — if you're answering similar questions over and over (pricing, availability, clients' frequently asked questions), retyping the same answer again and again is pure wasted time that Gmail can solve in two clicks.

A typical scenario

Freelancer Tereza gets almost the same question every week from potential clients: what her rates are, how long delivery takes, how the collaboration works. Every time, she sits down and writes practically the same answer, just with small tweaks — she spends dozens of minutes a week retyping something she's already written many times before.

Once she saved that answer as a template, all it takes is two clicks to insert the finished text and just tweak the greeting and a few details for the specific client. Ten minutes of writing becomes a minute of editing.

How to do it

1. Open Settings → See all settings → Advanced tab → Templates and choose Enable, and remember to click Save Changes at the end.
2. Write a message the way you'd want it as a template — general, without specific details for a given client. Then click the three dots in the bottom right of the compose window and choose Templates → Save draft as template, where you'll name the template.
3. Next time you want to use the template, click the three dots → Templates in a new compose window and pick the right one from the list — the text inserts, including the subject line, if you had one filled in on the template.
4. Build a set of templates for the most common situations: pricing and terms, a thank-you after finishing a job, a reminder about an unpaid invoice, a reply to an inquiry.
5. Feel free to leave blank spots in square brackets in the template (client's name, a specific date, an invoice number) — they look like obvious spots to fill in, so you're less likely to forget them before sending.
6. Name your templates clearly by situation, not by creation date — you'll find "Reply to inquiry" faster next time than "Template 3."
7. Templates can be edited anytime — open a saved template, edit the text, and save it again through the same menu, this time choosing to overwrite the existing template.

The best tools

• Gmail's built-in templates — free, just turn them on once in settings, no extension needed.
• Snippets in TextExpander or a similar tool — for shorter phrases and replies you want to insert outside Gmail too, say in chat or documents.
• Quick Parts in Outlook — a similar feature for Microsoft 365 users.
• A CRM tool with custom reply templates — useful when an entire team needs to share and use templates, not just one person.
• A shared document with a reply library (Google Docs) — a simple option where a team keeps one central place with all the tried-and-tested phrasing, from which text gets copied manually.

What you get out of it

• Time: an estimated 15 minutes a day if you answer similar questions more than once a week.
• Consistent communication: clients get an equally well-worded answer every time, not a rushed version thrown together when you're short on time.
• Lower risk of mistakes: a well-thought-out template makes it easier to avoid forgetting an important piece of information you might otherwise leave out in a hurry.
• A faster response to inquiries: the faster you respond to a new client, the better — a template cuts the time between an incoming inquiry and your reply down to a minimum.
• Less mental strain from repetition: typing the same answer for the sixth time in a week is more tiring than it sounds — a template removes that tedious part of the job entirely.

Pro tip

A template is a starting line, not the finish — always personalize two or three sentences for the specific client, like the greeting or a mention of their particular request. You get the speed of a template, but the feel of a hand-written email that doesn't come across as an automated reply.