How to Add a Google Font in Klaviyo

Your emails are competing for attention inside an inbox that never sleeps.

Every visual detail counts — and the font you choose is one of the first things a reader notices, even before they read a single word. Studies show that typography affects perceived trustworthiness and brand recall significantly, yet most email senders stick to the same four system fonts everyone else uses.

If you’re running your email marketing on Klaviyo, you already have access to a powerful platform. But here’s what most people miss: Klaviyo supports Google Fonts, which means you can move beyond Arial and Times New Roman and actually give your emails a visual personality that matches your brand.

This guide walks you through exactly how to add a Google Font to Klaviyo — step by step, no developer needed.

Why Typography Matters More Than You Think

Before we get into the how, let’s talk about the why.

• 95% of information on the web is communicated through written language, making typography one of the most foundational design decisions you make (Interaction Design Foundation).
• Emails with consistent branding — including fonts — generate up to 23% more revenue than those without (Lucidpress).
• 46% of consumers say they are more likely to buy from a brand they find visually appealing and consistent (Adobe).
• Poor readability causes readers to abandon content within 8 seconds — and font choice directly impacts readability (Microsoft Research).
• Branded emails with cohesive design have a 38% higher click-through rate than generic campaigns (Campaign Monitor).

The data is clear: when your emails look and feel like your brand, people trust them more — and trust converts.

What Are Google Fonts?

Google Fonts is a free, open-source library of over 1,500 font families that anyone can use across websites, apps, and digital communications. Fonts like Lato, Roboto, Open Sans, Playfair Display, and Poppins are all part of this library.

What makes Google Fonts appealing for email marketers:

• Free — no licensing fees or subscriptions
• Wide selection — covers everything from modern sans-serif to elegant serifs
• Web-optimised — designed to load quickly and render cleanly on screens
• Consistent with brand websites — many businesses already use Google Fonts on their site, so using the same font in emails creates brand coherence

Do Google Fonts Work in All Email Clients?

Here’s where we need to be honest with you: not all email clients support web fonts, and this affects how your emails render.

This means roughly 60–70% of your subscribers may see a fallback font if they use Gmail or Outlook on Windows. That’s not a reason to skip custom fonts entirely — it’s a reason to set smart fallbacks.

Klaviyo handles this beautifully by letting you specify a fallback font stack, so subscribers who can’t render the Google Font see a clean, on-brand alternative instead.

How to Add a Google Font in Klaviyo

There are two main ways to use Google Fonts inside Klaviyo — through the drag-and-drop email editor and via custom HTML. Here’s how to do both.

Method 1 — Using Klaviyo’s Built-In Font Selector

Klaviyo’s email editor has native support for some Google Fonts directly in the interface. This is the easiest approach for most users.

Step 1: Open Your Email Template

Go to your Klaviyo dashboard. Navigate to Email Templates and either create a new template or open an existing one.

Step 2: Select a Text Block

Click on any text block inside your email. You’ll see a formatting toolbar appear at the top of the editor.

Step 3: Open the Font Dropdown

In the toolbar, click the font name dropdown. Klaviyo gives you a list of fonts that includes several Google Fonts options such as:

• Lato
• Roboto
• Open Sans
• Merriweather
• Raleway
• Playfair Display

Select your preferred font from the list. The text in your block will update immediately in the preview.

Step 4: Set the Font Across Your Entire Template

To apply the font globally (rather than block by block):

• Click on the template-level settings (usually a gear icon or “Styles” panel on the right side)
• Find the Default Font option
• Choose your Google Font from the dropdown

This ensures consistency across all text blocks without manually changing each one.

Step 5: Set a Fallback Font

In the same styles panel or in the font selector, you can add a fallback font stack for clients that don’t support web fonts. A good fallback stack looks like:

‘Open Sans’, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif

This means: show Open Sans if possible, and if not, show Arial.

Method 2 — Adding a Google Font via Custom HTML

If your chosen Google Font isn’t available natively in Klaviyo’s editor, you can add it manually using HTML. This method gives you access to the full Google Fonts library.

Step 1: Find Your Font on Google Fonts

Go to fonts.google.com. Search for and select the font you want.

Step 2: Get the Font Import Link

Click “Select this style” for your desired font weight and style. On the right-hand panel, you’ll see an <link> tag that looks like this:

<link href=”https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=Poppins:wght@400;700&display=swap” rel=”stylesheet”>

Copy this link.

Step 3: Open the HTML Editor in Klaviyo

Inside your Klaviyo template, click on an existing HTML block — or add a new HTML block — and switch to the HTML view.

Step 4: Paste the Import in the <head> Section

If you’re editing a full HTML email template, paste the Google Fonts <link> tag inside the <head> section:

<head>

  <link href=”https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=Poppins:wght@400;700&display=swap” rel=”stylesheet”>

</head>

Step 5: Apply the Font Using CSS

In your CSS or inline styles, reference the font by name:

font-family: ‘Poppins’, Arial, sans-serif;

Or inline on a specific element:

<p style=”font-family: ‘Poppins’, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;”>

  Your email text here.

</p>

Step 6: Save and Preview

Hit save and use Klaviyo’s Preview feature to see how your email renders. You can also send a test email to yourself and check how it looks on your actual devices and email clients.

Method 3 — Using @import in a <style> Block

An alternative to the <link> tag approach is to use a CSS @import inside a <style> block. Some email clients handle this better than others.

<style>

  @import url(‘https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=Lato:wght@400;700&display=swap’);

  body, p, h1, h2, h3 {

    font-family: ‘Lato’, Arial, sans-serif;

  }

</style>

Paste this in the <head> of your HTML template.

Note: The @import method has slightly lower support in some email clients compared to the <link> tag. The <link> approach is generally more reliable for maximum compatibility.

Best Practices for Using Custom Fonts in Klaviyo

Adding a Google Font is the easy part. Using it well is where most people stumble.

Match your email font to your website font. If your website uses Poppins, your emails should too. This is one of the simplest things you can do to reinforce brand recognition. 77% of consumers say they’re more likely to engage with brands that personalise their experiences — and typography consistency is a core part of that (Epsilon).

Don’t use more than two fonts in a single email. Pick one font for headings and either the same or a complementary font for body copy. Any more than two creates visual noise that pulls focus away from your message.

Stick to legible font sizes. Minimum 14px for body copy on desktop, and 16px on mobile. Small text kills readability, especially on phones — and 46% of all email opens happen on mobile devices (Litmus, 2024).

Always set a fallback. Never declare a Google Font without a web-safe fallback. Your email should look good whether the custom font renders or not.

Test before you send. Use Klaviyo’s built-in preview across multiple device types. Tools like Litmus or Email on Acid let you see exactly how your email renders across every major client and OS before it goes live.

Keep loading performance in mind. Only import the font weights you actually use. If you only need regular (400) and bold (700), don’t import the entire font family. Unnecessary font imports slow down email load times.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Using a font that clashes with your brand. A playful handwritten font might look fun in isolation, but if your brand is a serious B2B software company, it creates cognitive dissonance. Choose fonts that match your brand’s voice, not just ones that look interesting.

Forgetting mobile rendering. Always check how your font choice renders on iPhone and Android. Some fonts look stunning on desktop but become hard to read at mobile sizes.

Not testing on Outlook. Microsoft Outlook is used by a significant percentage of business email users — some estimates put its market share at around 4–6% globally, but in corporate environments, that figure jumps dramatically. Since Outlook on Windows doesn’t support web fonts, your fallback font needs to be just as intentional as your primary choice.

Inconsistent font usage across blocks. If you change the font in one text block manually but forget to update another, you end up with a mixed-font email that looks unpolished. Always update the global style settings first, then make exceptions where needed.

Quick Reference: Top Google Fonts for Email

Conclusion

Adding a Google Font in Klaviyo isn’t complicated once you know where to look.

If your font is already in Klaviyo’s native selector, a few clicks in the template styles panel is all it takes. If you need something from the broader Google Fonts library, the custom HTML method gives you full access in under ten minutes.

The real payoff isn’t just aesthetic. Consistent, on-brand typography builds trust — and trust is what turns a subscriber into a buyer. With email marketing delivering an average ROI of $36–$42 for every $1 spent (Litmus, 2024), every improvement you make to your email experience compounds over time.

Start with one font, set your fallback properly, test across devices, and you’ll already be ahead of the majority of brands competing for space in the same inboxes.

Your emails should look as good as the products and services inside them.