Content Blocks
The Content Blocks Library allows you to manage your reusable, cross-channel content in a single, centralized location. To access this feature, go into the Content Blocks Library tab in the Templates & Media section of your Braze account.
With Content Blocks, you can:
- Create a consistent look and feel to your email campaigns using Content Blocks as headers and footers.
- Distribute the same offer codes through different channels.
- Create pre-defined assets that can be used to build messages with consistent information and assets.
- Copy entire message bodies to other messages.
Create a Content Block
Go to Templates > Content Blocks.
If you are using the older navigation, Templates is Templates & Media.
Click Create Content Block.
Content Blocks have two types: HTML
or text
. Braze will select the type for you based on the content you inserted into the block. If Braze detects HTML
markup in the Content Block, the block type will switch to HTML
automatically. Otherwise, it will be considered text
.
You can also create and manage your Content Blocks via API.
When creating Content Blocks, it sometimes helps to visualize HTML and Liquid by adding line breaks. If these line breaks are left in during sending, you risk having extraneous spaces that can affect how the block will render. To avoid this, utilize the Capture tag on your block along with the | strip filter.
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{% capture your_variable %}
{{content_blocks.${your_content_block}}}
{% endcapture %}{{your_variable | strip}}
Using Content Blocks
- Create your Content Block.
- Copy the Content Block Liquid Tag from your Content Block page.
- Insert the Content Block Liquid Tag into the message. You can also begin typing the Liquid and have the tag auto-populate.
Updating and copying Content Blocks
If you choose to update a Content Block, it will update in all messages the Content Block is used.
If you want to update a Content Block for a single message or make a copy to use in other messages, you can copy the HTML from the original message to your new one, or edit the original Content Block (it must have been used in a message already) and save it. You will then get a prompt that allows you to save it as a new Content Block.
You can also duplicate a Content Block with our Templates & Media feature. When you do this, a “draft” copy is created.
Nesting Content Blocks
Content Blocks can be nested, but only once! You can nest Content Block A into Content Block B, but you will not be able to then nest Content Block B into Content Block C.
Nothing will prevent you from nesting a third level of Content Block, but you will not see the content expand in nests beyond the second. The content and the Liquid snippet are removed from the message.
Additionally, Content Blocks cannot be used within an email footer, though email footers can be used within Content Blocks.
Archiving Content Blocks
Once you have finished using a Content Block, you can archive it from the Templates & Media page.
Messages using the archived Content Block will still perform as though it was there. However, we recommend several best practices to ensure that outdated information is not accidentally included in your emails.
- When your Block is only used in a few emails, we recommend archiving the outdated Block and updating your live messages with a newer Block that has not been archived.
- When your Block only has a typo or needs a minor change, we do not recommend archiving the Block. Just update and get sending!
- When your Block is used in more messages than you can reasonably manage with the first suggestion in this list, we recommend removing all content from the Block, then archiving it. This will ensure no outdated information makes its way into any newly sent emails.
You can save a Content Block without content in it.
If you made a mistake in archiving a Content Block, you can unarchive it.
Content Block specifications
Content Block Attribute | Specifications |
---|---|
Name | Required field limited to 100 characters. It cannot be renamed after Content Block has been saved. Additionally, you cannot name a new Content Block the same name as a previous Content Block, even if the previous one has been archived. |
Description | Optional field limited to 250 characters. Describe the Content Block so that others viewing it in the Braze product will know what it’s for and where it’s being used. |
Content Size | Limited to 50kB (Kilobyte). |
Placement | Content Blocks cannot be used within an email footer. |
Creation | HTML or Text. |