> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.pinkfish.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Customizing Email Branding

> Create fully branded email automation experiences with custom inbound and outbound email configurations

## Why Use This?

Many businesses want their email automation to feel seamless and professional, appearing to come directly from their own branded email addresses rather than third-party services. This guide shows you how to set up a complete branded email experience where customers interact exclusively with your company's email address, while Pinkfish handles all the automation behind the scenes.

## Understanding Inbound vs Outbound Email

Before setting up your branded email system, it's important to understand how inbound and outbound emails work in Pinkfish—they are **separate systems** with different purposes and capabilities.

### Inbound Email (Receiving)

**Inbound emails** trigger your workflows. They are always connected to a workflow trigger and use Pinkfish's email infrastructure to receive messages.

* **Purpose**: Receive emails that start workflow automations
* **How it works**: Pinkfish provides a unique trigger email address (e.g., `d35c7152at5c7123f18g@pinkfish.email`)
* **Key feature**: Email forwarding allows you to hide the Pinkfish address and use your own branded address
* **Data captured**: Subject, body, attachments, sender info, threading headers, etc.
* **Access control**: Can be restricted to approved senders or domains

### Outbound Email (Sending)

**Outbound emails** are sent from your workflows as responses or notifications. You have complete flexibility in choosing which email service to use.

* **Purpose**: Send emails as part of workflow automation
* **How it works**: Your workflow steps call email services via API or connectors
* **Service options**:
  * **Pinkfish Email Outbound Service** - Built-in service for quick setup
  * **Your Gmail Account** - Send through your own Gmail via API
  * **Your Outlook/Office 365 Account** - Send through Microsoft's service
  * **Custom Email Services** - SendGrid, Mailgun, AWS SES, or any other service
* **Branding**: Can be fully customized depending on the service you choose

## Email Service Options

### Option 1: Pinkfish Email Outbound Service

**Best for**: Quick setup, prototyping, internal tools

The Pinkfish Email Outbound Service is our built-in email service that requires no setup or external accounts and is limited to a small number of emails per day (intended for prototyping)

**Characteristics**:

* **From Address**: `Pinkfish Email <mail@pinkfish-email.com>` (cannot be changed)
* **Reply-To**: Can be customized to your own email address
* **Branding**: Includes "Sent via Pinkfish Email Service" footer
* **Setup**: Zero configuration required
* **Rate Limits**: 50 emails per day, 10 per minute
* **Best Use**: Internal notifications, prototyping, simple automations

**How to Use**:

```
/email-outbound
to: customer@example.com
subject: Your Request Has Been Processed
body: Thank you for contacting us. We've processed your request.
reply to: support@yourcompany.com
```

**What Recipients See**:

* **From**: Pinkfish Email ([mail@pinkfish-email.com](mailto:mail@pinkfish-email.com))
* **Reply-To**: [support@yourcompany.com](mailto:support@yourcompany.com)
* **Footer**: "Sent via Pinkfish Email Service"

When customers hit "Reply," their response goes to your `reply to` address, not to Pinkfish.

### Option 2: Your Own Email Service (Gmail or Outlook)

**Best for**: Fully branded professional communications

Send emails directly from your own Gmail or Outlook account, giving you complete control over branding and appearance.

#### Gmail Integration

Connect your Gmail account to send emails that appear to come directly from you:

**Setup**:

1. Create a Gmail connection in Pinkfish
2. Authorize your Gmail account
3. Use the Gmail slash command in your workflows

**How to Use**:

```
/your-Gmail-connection
action: send-email
to: customer@example.com
subject: Your Request Has Been Processed
body: Thank you for contacting us. We've processed your request.
from: support@yourcompany.com
```

**Characteristics**:

* **From Address**: Your actual Gmail address
* **Branding**: No Pinkfish branding or footers
* **Rate Limits**: Subject to Gmail's sending limits
* **Threading**: Maintains proper email conversation threads
* **Professional**: Customers see your real email address

[See the complete Gmail Guide →](/slash-commands/gmail)

#### Microsoft Outlook Integration

Send through your Outlook or Office 365 account with full Microsoft Graph API access:

**How to Use**:

```
/your-Microsoft-Outlook-connection
action: send-email
to: customer@example.com
subject: Your Request Has Been Processed
body: Thank you for contacting us. We've processed your request.
cc: manager@yourcompany.com
importance: high
```

**Characteristics**:

* **From Address**: Your Outlook/Office 365 address
* **Branding**: No Pinkfish branding or footers
* **Additional Features**: Calendar integration, tasks, contacts
* **Professional**: Customers see your business email address

[See the complete Microsoft Outlook Guide →](/slash-commands/microsoft-outlook)

### Option 3: Third-Party Email APIs

**Best for**: High-volume sending, custom email infrastructure

You can also integrate with any email service that provides an API:

* **SendGrid**: Transactional email service with advanced analytics
* **Mailgun**: Developer-focused email API
* **AWS SES**: Amazon's scalable email service
* **Postmark**: Email service specializing in deliverability
* **Custom SMTP**: Any SMTP server

These require API key configuration and custom integration setup in your workflows.

## Creating Professional HTML Email Templates

For any outbound email service (Pinkfish, Gmail, or Outlook), you can create beautiful, professional HTML email templates using the `/formatted-email` slash command.

### What is Formatted Email?

The formatted email skill generates email-compatible HTML snippets that work across all email clients. It creates clean, inline-styled HTML using tables for layout to ensure maximum compatibility.

**Key Features**:

* Email client compatible (Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail, etc.)
* Inline CSS styles for reliable rendering
* Table-based layout for consistency
* No unsupported features (JavaScript, external CSS, etc.)
* Optimized for standard 600px email width

### How to Use Formatted Email

**Basic Example**:

```
/formatted-email
content: Thank you for contacting support. Your ticket #12345 has been created.
style: professional blue header with company branding
```

**Advanced Example with Multiple Sections**:

```
/formatted-email
content: Order confirmation with product details and shipping information
sections: header with logo, order summary table, shipping details, footer with contact info
call-to-action: "Track Your Order" button
branding: use brand colors #209cee
```

### Using Formatted Email with Outbound Services

Once you've generated your HTML template, use it in the `htmlBody` parameter of your email service:

**With Pinkfish Email Outbound**:

```
First, generate your template:
/formatted-email
content: Your request has been processed
style: clean, modern design with success message

Then use the generated HTML:
/email-outbound
to: {{from}}
subject: Re: {{subject}}
body: [paste the generated HTML here]
```

**With Gmail or Outlook**:

```
Generate template with /formatted-email, then:

/your-Gmail-connection
action: send-email
to: customer@example.com
subject: Order Confirmation
body: [paste your formatted HTML template]
```

[See the complete Formatted Email Guide →](/slash-commands/formatted-email)

## Creating a Fully Branded Email Experience

The most professional setup involves using email forwarding for inbound messages and your own email service for outbound responses. This creates a seamless experience where customers never see Pinkfish infrastructure.

### Complete Branded Setup Example

Let's say you want customers to email `support@yourcompany.com` and receive responses from the same address.

#### Step 1: Set Up Inbound Email Trigger

1. Create an email trigger in your workflow
2. Pinkfish generates: `d35c7152at5c7123f18g@pinkfish.email`
3. Configure approved senders if needed for security

#### Step 2: Configure Email Forwarding

Set up your email server to forward messages from your branded address to the Pinkfish trigger address:

**Email Server Configuration**:

* **Create**: `support@yourcompany.com`
* **Forward to**: `d35c7152at5c7123f18g@pinkfish.email`
* **Keep copy**: Optional (for your records)

**Popular Email Providers**:

* **Google Workspace**: Admin Console → Gmail → Routing → Add Rule
* **Microsoft 365**: Exchange Admin Center → Mail Flow → Rules
* **cPanel/WHM**: Email Forwarders section
* **Other providers**: Search for "email forwarding" in your provider's documentation

#### Step 3: Configure Outbound Responses

Set up your workflow to respond using your branded email address:

**Option A: Using Gmail**:

```
Extract sender from trigger input: {{from}}

/your-Gmail-connection
action: send-email
to: {{from}}
subject: Re: {{subject}}
body: Thank you for contacting us. We've received your message and will respond shortly.
from: support@yourcompany.com
```

**Option B: Using Outlook**:

```
Extract sender from trigger input: {{from}}

/your-Microsoft-Outlook-connection
action: send-email
to: {{from}}
subject: Re: {{subject}}
body: Thank you for contacting us. We've received your message and will respond shortly.
```

#### Step 4: Test the Complete Flow

1. Send a test email to: `support@yourcompany.com`
2. Verify your workflow triggers (check Workflow Monitor)
3. Confirm response comes from: `support@yourcompany.com`
4. Check that reply threading works correctly

### What Customers Experience

With this setup complete:

1. **Customer sends email to**: `support@yourcompany.com`
2. **Email is forwarded to**: Pinkfish trigger (invisible to customer)
3. **Workflow triggers**: Processes the request
4. **Response comes from**: `support@yourcompany.com` (via Gmail/Outlook)
5. **Customer replies to**: `support@yourcompany.com` (triggering the workflow again)

**Result**: Customers see only your branded email address throughout the entire interaction. They have no idea Pinkfish is handling the automation in the background.

## Email Threading and Conversations

To maintain proper email conversations (where replies appear in the same thread), your workflows should preserve threading information:

### Capturing Thread Information

Email triggers automatically provide threading data:

* `threadingHeaders`: Email threading metadata
* `subject`: Original subject line
* `from`: Original sender

### Maintaining Threads in Responses

When responding, include:

* **Subject line**: Prefix with `Re:` and keep the original subject
* **Thread ID**: Use the `threadId` parameter if your email service supports it
* **Headers**: Some services allow custom `In-Reply-To` and `References` headers

**Example with Threading**:

```
/your-Gmail-connection
action: send-email
to: {{from}}
subject: Re: {{subject}}
body: Your response here
```

Gmail and Outlook automatically handle threading when you prefix the subject with "Re:" and send to the same email address.

## Security Considerations

### Inbound Email Security

When setting up email triggers, especially with forwarding:

* **Use Approved Senders**: Restrict triggers to specific email addresses or domains
* **Validate Input**: Always sanitize and validate email content in workflows
* **Monitor Activity**: Regularly check the Workflow Monitor for unexpected triggers
* **Test Forwarding**: Ensure only intended addresses forward to your trigger

**Example: Restricting to Your Domain**:

When creating your email trigger:

1. Choose "Only approved senders"
2. Add your domain: `@yourcompany.com`
3. Individual addresses can still be added for external partners