How to start from a ready-made template
Staring at an empty snippet is the main reason people install an expander and never build a library. FlashType ships with over a thousand ready-made templates. Editing something that already exists into your own voice is far faster than composing from nothing.
Takes about 5 min
What you need
- FlashType installed
Steps
Open the template library
Browse rather than deciding in advance what you need — it is a good way to notice what you retype.
Find one close to something you actually send
Close is enough. You are looking for a starting point, not a finished message.
Add it to your snippets
It becomes an ordinary snippet you can edit freely.
Rewrite it in your own words
This matters. A template sent verbatim reads like a template to the person receiving it.
Add fill-in fields for the parts that change
Names, dates and references are the usual candidates.
Give it a shortcut you will remember
Group related snippets under a common prefix so autocomplete does the recall for you.
Worth knowing
- Templates are a starting point, not finished copy. The ones that work are the ones you have rewritten to sound like you.
- A common prefix — /sup for support replies, /sal for sales — lets autocomplete surface a whole family at once.
- Anything customer-facing deserves a read-through before its first send.
Questions
How many templates are included?
Over a thousand, covering common email, support and sales situations.
Can I edit a template after adding it?
Yes. Once added it is an ordinary snippet — edit the wording, add fill-in fields, change the shortcut. Editing it into your own voice is recommended rather than optional.