Content Optimizer agent step

The Content Optimizer agent step lets you configure and test multiple versions of content components within a single step. It helps you experiment with content variations and automatically optimizes toward the best-performing combinations over time. For an introduction, see Content Optimizer.

Creating a Content Optimizer step

For best results, use the Content Optimizer agent in Canvases where users enter the step gradually over time. If all users enter the step at once, the agent won’t have time to learn from early results.

Step 1: Add a step

Drag and drop the Content Optimizer component from the sidebar, or select the plus button at the bottom of a step and select Content Optimizer.

Step 2: Create your base message

The base message is the starting point for your step. Variants for each content component are dynamically inserted based on the combinations defined in the Content Optimizer Settings tab.

• email
• push notifications
• sms/mms/rcs

Step 3: Specify delivery settings

In the Delivery Settings tab, you can specify if the step should use Intelligent Timing or delivery validations. For more details, refer to Edit delivery settings in Message step.

Step 4: Add content components and variants

Content components are the individual elements of your message that you want to test, such as different subject lines or titles. These components allow you to generate multiple versions of a message and automatically optimize based on performance over time.

• Email: You can add up to three content components per step and up to five variants per component, for a total of 125 unique content combinations.
• Push notifications: You can add up to two components per step and up to five variants per component, for a total of 25 unique content combinations.
• SMS/MMS/RCS: You can add up to two content components per step, and up to five variants per component, for a total of 25 unique content combinations.

Step 4.1: Configure content components

To configure components, go to the Content Optimizer Settings tab.

• email
• push notifications
• sms/mms/rcs

Step 4.2: Add Liquid to your message

After defining at least two variants for each component, copy the associated Liquid tag for each one and paste it into the corresponding location in your base message.

• For example, if you’re optimizing the subject line, paste the {% message_component "Subject" %} tag in the subject field of the email composer.
• You can also include component tags inside longer text to test just a portion of the component. For example: Hey there, {% message_component "Subject" %}.

If you don’t add a Liquid tag for a selected content component, you’ll see a warning on the Content Optimizer Settings tab and an error on the Messaging Channels tab. The Canvas can’t be launched until all selected components are properly added to your base message.

As the Canvas runs, the agent mixes and matches variants across components to generate different content combinations. Over time, higher-performing combinations are prioritized for delivery, helping you improve performance without manual intervention.

Liquid references

Channel	Component	Liquid snippet
Email	Subject	{% message_component "Subject" %}
Email	Body Header	{% message_component "Body Header" %}
Email	Body Content	{% message_component "Body Content" %}
Email	Primary CTA	{% message_component "Primary CTA" %}
Push	Title	{% message_component "Title" %}
Push	Message	{% message_component "Message" %}
SMS/MMS/RCS	Hook	{% message_component "Hook" %}
SMS/MMS/RCS	Body	{% message_component "Body" %}
SMS/MMS/RCS	CTA	{% message_component "CTA" %}

Step 5: Select optimization event

The optimization event determines how the Content Optimizer agent evaluates performance and allocates traffic to content combinations over time.

Your selected optimization event applies to all content components in this step.

• email
• push notifications
• sms/mms/rcs

Best practices

• In general, we recommend testing more components rather than fewer for the Content Optimizer step. For example, instead of testing two components for email, test three.
• Test at least 10 total combinations for best results.
• If you’re optimizing for clicks, include subject lines in your tests, as stronger subject lines can contribute to increased opens and create more opportunities for clicks.
• If you’re optimizing for opens, keep your testing focused on the subject line.
• If this is your first time using Content Optimizer, consider using an Experiment Paths step so only part of your audience enters the branch that contains the Content Optimizer step. For example, you could send half your users down a path with the Content Optimizer step and send the other half of your users down a control path that sends the Message Step with your current business-as-usual content. Then, gather data for 2-3 weeks and compare any key performance indicators (KPIs) or counter-metrics before you increase traffic to the paths with Content Optimizer steps.
  • For an effective one-to-one comparison, we recommend that your Content Optimizer step contains your business-as-usual content as one of the variants for each component.

Considerations

• Multi-language settings aren’t supported in Content Optimizer steps. Instead, we recommend using one Content Optimizer step per language and branching paths individually.
• Liquid tags for Content Optimizer components aren’t supported in Message steps, so the Liquid aborts in Message steps.

Analytics

To review performance, open the step-level analytics panel to see metrics by content variant and overall combination performance. The Content Optimizer step uses the same analytics as the Message step.

Performance by component

The Performance by component section displays the performance for each component in the Content Optimizer step. The Component column matches the content component you’re testing (for example, Subject line or Primary CTA). The Identifier column matches the identifier for this variant in the Content Optimizer Settings tab.

The unique opens and clicks are captured within seven days of sending a message. Which columns you see depends on your channel and selected optimization event.

Metric	Description
Sends	The number of sends attributed to this variant for that component in this step, using the same step-level send counting as Sends in the Performance by combination table.
Opens	When this column appears for your channel, the number of unique opens for this variant within seven days of send. See Unique Opens.
Open rate	When this column appears, the percentage of sends for this variant that logged at least one qualifying unique open within seven days.
Clicks	The number of unique clicks for this variant within seven days of send. See Total Clicks, Unique Clicks, and Step 5: Select optimization event.
Click rate	The percentage of sends for this variant that logged at least one qualifying unique click within seven days, using the same step window as the Performance by combination table. For more information, see Why step analytics differ from general analytics.
Reads	When this column appears (for example, for RCS when you optimize for reads), counts when a consumer reads the message with read receipts enabled. See Reads.
Read rate	The percentage of sends for this variant that resulted in a read among users with read receipts on. See Read Rate.

Performance by combination

The Performance by combination section displays the performance for each combination in the Content Optimizer step. Combinations are the mix of variants that define this row—one selected variant from each content component you’re testing (for example, a subject line paired with a primary CTA).

The unique opens and clicks are captured within seven days of sending a message. The columns you see depend on your channel and selected optimization event.

Metric	Description
Sends	The total number of messages sent from this step using this combination. Counts follow the same general meaning as Sends, scoped to each combination.
Opens	The number of unique opens for this combination within seven days of send. For how unique opens are defined for email, see Unique Opens.
Open rate	The percentage of sends for this combination that logged at least one qualifying unique open within seven days.
Clicks	The number of unique clicks for this combination within seven days of send. For how Braze defines clicks by channel, see Total Clicks and Unique Clicks.
Click rate	The percentage of sends for this combination that logged at least one qualifying unique click within seven days. Because Content Optimizer uses the step’s seven-day, de-duplicated counts, this rate may not match click rates in general campaign analytics. For more information, see Why step analytics differ from general analytics.
Reads	When this column appears (for example, for RCS when you optimize for reads), counts when a consumer reads the message with read receipts enabled.
Read rate	When this column appears, the percentage of sends for this combination that resulted in a read among users with read receipts on.

Why step analytics differ from general analytics

Reasons that analytics in the Content Optimizer step differ from the Analytics section include:

• Push sends are de-duplicated for sends to the same user on different devices.
• In general, clicks and opens are de-duplicated to be unique for each user.
• Only clicks and opens that happen within seven days of sending a message are counted in the Content Optimizer step.

Troubleshooting

Issue	Description	Fix
Missing Liquid tags	If you add a content component (such as Subject or CTA) but don’t insert the corresponding Liquid tag into your base message, you’ll see: - A warning on the Content Optimizer Settings tab - An error on the Messaging Channels tab	Copy the Liquid snippet shown under each component in the Content Optimizer Settings tab and paste it into the appropriate part of your message.
Orphaned Liquid tags	If you delete a content component but leave its Liquid tag in the base message, the message may not render as expected when sent.	Remove any unused message_component tags from your base message before launching.