Work with content templates

For an accelerated and improved design process, you can create standalone templates to easily reuse custom content across Journey Optimizer campaigns and journeys.

This functionality enables content-oriented users to work on templates outside campaigns or journeys. Marketing users can then reuse and adapt these standalone content templates inside their own journeys or campaigns.

For example, a user within your company is in charge of content only, and therefore has no access to campaigns or journeys. However, this user can create an email template that your organization’s marketers will be able to select for use in all emails as a starting point.

➡️ Learn how to create and use templates in this video

CAUTION

To create, edit and delete content templates, you must have the Manage Library Items permission included in the Content Library Manager product profile. Learn more

Access and manage templates

To access the content template list, select Content Management > Content Templates from the left menu.

All the templates that were created on the current sandbox - either from a journey or a campaign using the Save as template option, either from the Content Templates menu - are displayed.

You can sort content templates by creation or modification date. You can also choose to display only the items that you created or modified.

To edit a template content, click the desired item from the list and select Edit content.

To delete a template, select the trash icon next to the desired template.

NOTE

When a template is edited or deleted, campaigns or journeys including emails created using this template are not impacted.

Create content templates

There are two ways you can create content templates:

Create a content template from scratch, using the left rail Content Templates menu. Learn how
When designing an email within a campaign or a journey, save your email content as template. Learn how

Once saved, your content template is available for use in a campaign or a journey. Whether created from scratch or from a previous email, you can now use this template when building any email within Journey Optimizer. Learn how

NOTE

Changes made to content templates are not propagated to campaigns or journeys, whether they are live or draft.
Similarly, when templates are used in a campaign or a journey, any edits you make to your campaign and journey content do not impact the previously used content template.

Create template from scratch

To create a content template from scratch, follow the steps below.

Access the content template list through the Content Management > Content Templates left menu.
Select Create template.
Fill in the template details.

NOTE

Currently only the Email channel and HTML type are supported.
To assign custom or core data usage labels to the template, select Manage access. Learn more on Object Level Access Control (OLAC).
Click Create and choose how you want to design your email from the different options:
- Design your email from scratch through the Email Designer’s interface.
- Code or copy-paste raw HTML directly into the Email Designer.
- Import existing HTML content from a file or a .zip folder.
- Use existing content from a list of built-in or custom templates. The steps to use a content template in an email are described in this section.
The Email Designer displays. Edit your content as needed, the same way you would do for any email inside a journey or a campaign, according to the option you selected.
You can test your content if needed. Learn how
Once your template is ready, click Save.
If needed, click the arrow next to the template name to go back to the Details screen and edit your template.

This template is now ready to be used when building any email within Journey Optimizer. Learn how

Save as template

When designing an email in a campaign or a journey, you can save your email content for future reuse. To do this, follow the steps below.

In the Email Designer, click the ellipsis on top right of the screen.
Select Save as content template from the drop-down menu.
Add a name and description for this template.
Click Save.
The template is saved into the Content Templates list, accessible from the Journey Optimizer dedicated menu. It becomes a standalone content template that can be accessed, edited and deleted as any other item on that list. Learn more

You can now use this template when building any email within Journey Optimizer. Learn how

NOTE

Any change to that new template is not propagated to the email it comes from. Similarly, when the original content is edited within that email, the new template is not modified.

Test your content template

You can test the rendering of any email content template, whether created from scratch or from an email. To do so, follow the steps below.

CAUTION

To simulate content, you must have the Manage Simulate Content permission included in the Content Library Manager product profile. Learn more

Access the content template list through the Content Management > Content Templates menu and select any template.
Click Edit content from the Template properties.
Click Simulate Content and select a test profile to check your email rendering. You can choose the desktop or mobile view. Learn more
You can send a proof to test your content and have it approved by some internal users before using it in a journey or a campaign.
- To do so, click the Send proof button and follow the steps described in this section.
- Before sending the proof, you must select the email surface that will be used to test your content.