Block Templates
Block Templates
Block Templates let you save a fully configured block and reuse it whenever you create that type of block. Block Templates help teams eliminate repetitive setup, keep briefs and custom fields consistent, carry smart swimlanes into campaigns, and accelerate onboarding with reusable starting points.
Your block template can include the following traits:
- Color coding
- Duration
- Relative date behavior, if enabled
- Description text
- Custom field values
- Document and brief structure, including sections
- Smart swimlanes and swimlane group structure
Before creating a Block Template, make sure the source block has a block type assigned, such as Campaign, Email, or Social. Templates can only be created from blocks with a block type. If a block does not have a type, the Make Template option is disabled.
Here's a quick demo of Block Templates in action and how you can set them up 👇
Creating a Block Template
- Open a block that is configured the way you want future blocks of that type to start.
- Click the three-dot menu on the block.
- Select Make Template.
- Optionally set a duration, such as 30 days. Templates use relative duration, which means a number of days rather than fixed calendar dates. If a duration is set, blocks created from the template will span that number of days from wherever they are placed on the timeline. Leave duration blank if you do not want duration applied.
- After the template is created, a toast notification appears. Click it to open Manage Templates, where you can edit the template and set its scope.
Note: Manage Templates is only reachable from the root-level plan or through the post-creation toast. If you dismiss the toast and need to return later, go back to the root plan.
Using a Block Template
There are two ways to apply a Block Template.
Method 1: Select a template when creating a block
Use this method when you want to choose a specific template at the moment you create a block.
- Hover over the cell where you want to create a new block.
- Click the caret dropdown next to New and select your template from the list.
- Name your block and confirm.
A pill indicator appears on the new block to show that it was created from a template.
Method 2: Set a default template on a swimlane
Use this method when you want a template to apply automatically for a swimlane. Every new block created in that swimlane will apply the template without manual selection.
- Click the three-dot icon on the swimlane.
- Select Default Type or Template.
- Choose the block type of the template you want to set as the default.
- Select the name of the template you created.
Once the default template is set, select New in the swimlane, give the block a name, and the template is applied automatically. Click into the new block to see it in action.
Setting a default template on a swimlane is the fastest way to enforce consistency at scale. Teams can create blocks in the right swimlane, and the configuration is handled for them.
Key Point: Relative Dates
Block Templates use relative duration instead of fixed calendar dates. Relative duration is a number of days. When a duration is set, a block created from the template will span that number of days from wherever it is placed on the timeline.
For example, if a campaign template has a 30-day duration, a block created from it will always span 30 days from its placement. It will not copy the original block’s specific start and end dates.
Use relative dates when the template represents a repeating pattern, such as an 8-week campaign that runs every fall. Relative dates are also useful when you want the same structure across multiple time periods, such as quarterly themed campaigns, or when the template will be reused across quarters, seasons, or fiscal years.
Skip relative dates when you do not want a duration applied. In that case, set the duration to 0 or leave it blank. You can also skip relative dates when the template is tied to work where duration is not meaningful or consistent.
You can update a template’s duration value at any time from Manage Templates.
Block Template Use Cases
Block Templates are useful for repeatable campaign and tactic workflows.
For campaigns, you can create templates that include brief sections and smart swimlanes, saving both the strategic structure and tactical calendar in one motion. You can also create tier-based campaign templates, such as “Tier 1” and “Tier 2,” that pre-populate a Priority custom field. Plan-scoped templates can support regional campaigns, while workspace-wide templates can support global launches. For new fiscal year reuse, workspace-wide templates help teams reuse the same campaign skeleton across fiscal year plans. Distinct template colors can also help calendar views surface campaign types at a glance.
For tactics, teams can create one template per tactic type, such as paid social, organic, email, or lifecycle. Templates can include channel-appropriate custom field defaults and brief sections. In governance-heavy organizations, setting a default template on each swimlane helps enforce consistent setup automatically because teams only need to create blocks in the correct lane.
