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The Message of a Creative (Message Templates)

What it is​

The message is the handwritten-style side of your mail piece. Where it prints depends on the mail piece:

  • Postcard and Magnacard - the back.
  • Notecard and gift card - the inside.
  • Letter - the handwritten letter (or, for a whole-letter PDF, the PDF itself).

Each creative has one message, stored as a message template. It holds more than the words: the handwriting style and color, the QR code, the background printed behind the message, scan notification emails, extra letter pages and, for gift cards, the gift card brand and amount. Replacement variables in the message are filled in for each recipient at send time.

4x6, 6x9, and 6x11 postcards each have their own messages, made at that size.

Write or change a message​

  1. Go to Creatives in the sidebar.
  2. Click New creative (or click an existing creative's card to edit it).
  3. Go to the message step, titled Back, Inside, or Letter depending on the mail piece.
  4. Write the message, choose how it looks, and set any extras. A live render of the side it prints on updates beside the editor.
  5. Continue to Review and click Save creative. The message is saved with the creative.

The full walkthrough of every section is in Creating a Creative.

The same message editor appears in the Message step of Send Mail, so you can write a message for a single send without making a creative first. Click Save as Message Template there to keep it for reuse; it also appears in Creatives as a creative with that message.

Ways to write it​

  • Manual edit - type the message, and click Personalize to insert merge tags such as %FIRST_NAME%.
  • Write with AI - describe who it's for and what it should say; ask for changes over several rounds until it reads right.
  • Real estate CMA (letters, real estate accounts) - AI writes each recipient a comparative market analysis letter from their name and address.

Click Check my message under the message box to have AI rate the words 1-10, list what would make them stronger and, at 8 or under, offer a stronger version you can use with one click. See Check my message.

What a message contains​

SettingDescription
MessageThe handwritten-style text, up to 6,000 characters, written by hand or with AI
Replacement variables%FIRST_NAME%, %YOUR_COMPANY%, %CUSTOM1%, and more, filled in per recipient
AI letter layoutThe Real estate CMA letter, written per recipient (letters, real estate accounts)
Handwriting styleAI styles or Classic styles
Color, size, realismInk color; size and realism for AI styles
QR code destinationWhere recipients land when they scan (not on MagnaCards or gift cards)
Email me when it's scannedAddresses notified on each QR scan
Background behind the messageYour branding default, an image for this design, or no background
Additional pagesA PDF printed after a handwritten letter
Cloud CMA reportReport pages printed after a real estate letter
Whole-letter PDFFor a letter sent as an uploaded PDF
Gift card brand and amountThe gift card every piece carries (gift cards only)
Redemption video or websiteA YouTube video or web page the recipient sees before redeeming (gift cards only)

Where message templates still appear​

You don't manage message templates as their own list, but they're still there underneath every creative:

  • Message template IDs for the API. Every message has a message template ID, shown with a copy button in a creative's Preview and on the Review step. API v2, Zapier, and other integrations accept it as message_template_id. To send the whole creative (front and message together), use its creative ID instead. See Finding Creative & Template IDs.
  • Separate front & message in Send Mail. With the Separate front & message tab on the Design step, you choose any saved message template, or write a new message, on the Message step.
  • The default message for API sends. Make default on a creative makes its message the account's default message template for that mail piece, used when an API or Zapier send names no template. See Creative Defaults & Sharing.
  • Old links. Bookmarks to the Message & QR Templates page open Creatives, and links to a specific message template (from an order, a scan report, or an older share link) open the creative that message belongs to. To share a message with another account, share its creative.

Edits apply wherever the message is used​

A creative's message is edited in place and keeps its message template ID. When you save a change, every campaign action or integration using that message sends the new version from its next send. To change it for one use only, duplicate the creative and edit the copy.

Tips & best practices​

  • Keep your message concise. The fewer obstacles between the reader and your call to action, the better.
  • Run Check my message before using a message for a large send. Aim for 8/10 or above.
  • Use %FIRST_NAME% at the start of the message for instant personalization.
  • If you include a QR code, tell recipients exactly what they will get when they scan it. This helps establish trust.
  • Set up Branding so %YOUR_*% variables and your default backgrounds are filled in, turning the message side into a business card for your mailer.
  • Business plan users can disable the thanks.io logo from their mailers.
  • The default "SCAN ME" graphic is part of the system background. Choosing your own background for the message removes it, so you can design your own.
  • Keep variations (seasonal versions, A/B tests) as separate creatives so you can switch without rebuilding. Use Duplicate to start each one.

Limits & gotchas​

  • If Continue stays unavailable, the footer says what's missing (for example, a blank message, a handwriting style, %REPLACE_THIS% left in the text, or a message too long for the card).
  • A message belongs to one mail piece. A 4x6 postcard message is not offered when you send a 6x9 or 6x11 postcard; make a creative of the matching size instead. If your account has a 6x9 postcard message with the same name and content as a 4x6 one, it is a separate 6x9 copy: editing one does not change the other.

Canva templates for custom message backgrounds​

You can design a background for the message side in Canva, then choose A background just for this design in the message step (or set it as your branding default). Use the official thanks.io Canva templates sized for each mail type: