Using snippets in your emails

Use email snippets for content you reuse inside campaign templates: a call to action, support details, social links, a divider, or a short closing message. Save the content once, then add a copy wherever a template needs it.

A snippet is part of a message, not a complete campaign. Creating, editing, or previewing one does not send email. Snippets in this guide belong to campaign templates; an inbox signature or automatic reply has its own settings.

Find a snippet or create a variation

Open Templates → Manage Snippets, or open Snippets from your site's admin navigation. You need campaign editing or site settings editing permission to manage snippets. If an action is unavailable, see Why can't I see or use a feature?.

Use Search Snippets to search names, categories, and descriptions. The list starts with Active snippets. Choose All or Archived to find a retired item, and clear the category filter to All categories when necessary.

Open a row's actions menu to choose Edit, Preview, Duplicate, or Archive. Selecting an active snippet's name opens its editor when you have editing permission. Selecting an archived snippet opens its preview.

For a variation, choose Duplicate first. It creates a separate active copy, normally named with “Copy” at the end. Open that copy, rename it, and check the content before saving. Use a name that describes its purpose, such as “Book a consultation — standard,” rather than an unexplained version number.

Starter snippets may include example website and social links. Replace those destinations with your own before adding the content to an email. A starter footer's name does not establish that it contains everything your campaign needs.

Create and save reusable content

1. Select New Snippet.
2. Enter Snippet Name. This identifies the block for your team; it does not set a campaign's subject.
3. Choose Category, such as cta, footer, social, product, blog, event, divider, signature, or custom. This organizes the library; it does not add a design or change the content automatically.
4. Replace the starter HTML Content with the content you want recipients to see. Check wording, destinations, dates, and any offer details.
5. Review Plain Text Fallback using the next section. Make sure it communicates the same message, including useful destination URLs.
6. Select Create snippet. When editing an existing snippet, select Save changes. Wait for Snippet saved., then reopen the item to check the saved content.

The HTML field is a code field, not a visual text editor. For a simple paragraph and link, start with this pattern and replace the example address with your actual public booking page:

<p>Ready to discuss your project?</p>

<p><a href="https://example.com/book">Book a consultation</a></p>

Use straightforward email markup. For a designed block, ask your designer or assistant for email-ready HTML with styles applied to the elements. Scripts and style blocks are not supported and may be removed or rejected. Review the saved result instead of assuming pasted website markup will keep its appearance.

Supported personalization, such as {{first_name}} or {{site_name}}, can appear in a snippet. Use the supported fields in the template guide; arbitrary contact field names are not automatically supported. A preference or web-version link also needs the relevant site or campaign feature configured.

Cancel and Back to Snippets leave the editor without saving your current changes. Save deliberately; do not rely on autosave or a discard warning. If saving fails, keep the editor open, read the error, and correct the affected field.

Keep the plain-text version useful

At first, Plain Text Fallback is Auto-generated from HTML and follows changes to the HTML field. Review it even when the HTML is short: conversion can keep a link's label while omitting its destination.

For the booking example, a useful fallback is:

Ready to discuss your project?

Book a consultation: https://example.com/book

Replace that address in both versions. Include enough wording for someone reading plain text to understand the message without images or visual styling.

Editing the fallback changes its badge to Customized. Further HTML edits preserve that customized text, so update both versions when changing an offer, address, or instruction. This prevents a formatted email and its plain-text alternative from saying different things.

Regenerate from HTML replaces the customized fallback with newly generated text and resumes automatic updates. Copy any wording or URLs you want to retain before selecting it, then inspect the result and save. If you leave the fallback empty, do not assume the final template will remain text-free; text can be derived from the HTML when the block is added.

Preview the snippet and place it in a template

From the snippet's row menu, select Preview. The preview shows PLAIN TEXT, HTML, and any WARNINGS. It displays the HTML as source text, not as a rendered email design. Select Close preview when finished.

Check both versions for old offers, example links, missing destinations, and unsupported personalization. Tokens can remain visible in this saved snippet preview because recipient values are supplied later. An absence of warnings does not prove that a destination exists or that the whole campaign is ready to send.

To use the snippet:

1. Select Back to Templates and open the template you intend to change. Use a separate template when you need to preserve the shared original.
2. Under Body Format, choose Visual builder. If the template uses another format, first follow the body-format guidance so you do not overwrite content while switching.
3. Under Snippets, select the snippet's name. This appends a new block; selecting it again adds another copy.
4. Use Move Up and Move Down to position it. Choose Style → Default, Card, Highlight, or Compact for that block. Use Remove for an unwanted copy; the final remaining block cannot be removed.
5. Select Save template or Create template, then reopen the saved template and check the block's content and position.

The block's style affects that placement, not the saved snippet in the library. Its short text display in the builder is also not a full design preview. To check the rendered message, create a campaign draft from the saved template and follow Sending your first email campaign. Review desktop and mobile appearance, the plain-text alternative, and the actual linked destinations.

Keep the campaign as a draft while reviewing it. A requested test sends a real email to the chosen address; snippet and template previews do not send anything.

Update copies already used in templates

Adding a snippet copies its current HTML and plain text into the template. Editing the library snippet later does not refresh blocks already placed in templates, and renaming it does not reliably rename those saved blocks.

To replace an older copy:

1. Edit and save the library snippet, then review its saved HTML and plain text.
2. Reopen the affected template after the snippet update so the picker has current content. Identify the old block by its actual wording as well as its label.
3. Add a fresh copy, place it in the intended position, and choose its style. Remove the old copy after checking the replacement. Adding first also lets you replace a snippet that was the template's only block.
4. Save the template, reopen it, and preview and test any campaign that should use the changed message.

Existing single-email campaigns store their own content. Updating a snippet and its template does not rewrite an already-created campaign. Update that draft explicitly or create a new draft from the revised template, then check the saved campaign before scheduling.

For a running sequence, coordinate template changes with whoever manages it: a future follow-up can use the template when that step is created. See Reusing and updating templates before changing shared content used by a sequence.

Review usage and retire old snippets

Used in counts distinct templates that retain this snippet as a visual-builder block. It is not a count of campaigns sent, placements inside one template, or recipients. Archived templates can contribute, and manually pasted copies may not be counted.

Last placed reflects the latest update to a template containing that block; another edit to that template can change the date. It is not an exact insertion time or evidence that a campaign used the newest snippet wording. Updated belongs to the library snippet itself.

A dash while usage is loading or unavailable is not proof that the snippet has never been used. Read any warning and reload the page before relying on those columns.

To retire a snippet:

1. Review its purpose and the templates that may still contain copies. Decide whether those copies also need replacing.
2. Open the snippet's actions menu and select Archive. This applies the change immediately; do not expect a separate confirmation dialog.
3. Wait for Snippet archived. Select Archived or All to find the retained record.
4. If you need a new active variation, choose Duplicate, then rename and review the copy before use. If you need the original record restored, ask your assistant or administrator to reactivate that exact snippet; the library has no Restore button.

Archiving removes the snippet from newly loaded active pickers. It does not remove existing template blocks, change a saved campaign, or cancel a scheduled send. Reopen an already-open template editor to refresh its available snippets.

Fix missing snippets or unexpected results

The snippet is missing. Clear Search Snippets and the category filter, then check All or Archived. The library loads at most the 100 most recently updated records, including archived ones. Its filters and pagination search that loaded set; ask your administrator or assistant to locate an older record if a limit notice appears.

“No active snippets yet” appears in the template. Confirm the snippet is active and its save succeeded. Reopen the template editor after creating or reactivating it. Resolve any loading or permission error before treating an empty picker as proof that no snippets exist.

The template still has old wording. Replace its existing block with a fresh copy, save the template, and check the saved campaign separately. A library edit alone does not update all three places.

The plain-text link is missing or outdated. Enter the full destination in Plain Text Fallback. If its badge says Customized, HTML changes no longer update it automatically. Save the snippet and replace any older template copies.

Saving reports unsupported content or a token. Check both HTML Content and Plain Text Fallback. Remove unsupported markup, use supported personalization fields, and make sure the block has meaningful content. A category selection does not supply missing content.

Edit is unavailable for an archived item. Preview it to identify the content, then duplicate it or request restoration of the original. Check editing permission if active items are unavailable too.

For help, provide the snippet name, template name if relevant, action attempted, and exact error. Include which saved version still shows the wrong content. See Getting help with your Cedros site.