Create your first snippet

A snippet is a reusable piece of content with multiple variants. Each variant represents a different creative approach to the same content position. Snippets are reusable across campaigns and unlimited on all plan tiers.

Channels and content types

Each snippet belongs to a specific channel: email, push, SMS, in-app message, or in-app surface. The available content types depend on the channel you select:

• Email supports subject lines, hero blocks, CTAs, copy blocks, and custom HTML blocks.
• Push supports title, body, image, and deep link.
• SMS supports body.

Custom HTML blocks are the most powerful feature in liftstack. You can test entire sections of email markup: different layouts, content structures, visual treatments, product recommendation grids, social proof sections, header layouts, footer designs, countdown timers, and any other HTML that your ESP supports.

Creating a snippet

Navigate to Snippets > New Snippet. Give your snippet a descriptive name (e.g., “Spring Sale Hero Block”), select the channel, and choose the content type.

Adding variants

Add at least two variants: one marked as the control (your usual copy) and one or more challengers. The control represents what you would send without testing, and liftstack uses it for uplift measurement (how much better the winning variant performed compared to what you would have done anyway). You do not have to designate a control, but it is highly recommended for meaningful uplift numbers.

Blank variant rules

Not all content types allow blank variants:

• Subject lines: content is always required. ESPs reject blank subject lines, and a blank subject line would corrupt your test results.
• Copy and HTML blocks: content is always required. A blank variant would produce inflated uplift numbers for competing variants and poison Thompson Sampling posteriors for future campaigns.
• Image snippets: text content (alt text) is optional, but you must provide either an uploaded image or an image URL.

If you want to test “no content” versus “some content” for a slot, use a minimal placeholder (for example, a single space or a neutral message) as your control variant instead.

Designing effective variants

Keep variants strategically distinct. Testing “Shop now” versus “Buy today” tells you less than testing “urgency-driven” versus “exclusivity-driven” approaches. Design variants to answer a strategic question about what resonates with your audience. Test different approaches, not minor wording changes.