How to keep bold, links and lists in a snippet
A formatted snippet is worth having for anything client-facing: a bulleted list of next steps, a bolded warning, a linked booking page. Formatting carries into destinations that support rich text. Where the destination is a plain-text field, it flattens — so it is worth knowing which of your snippets will land where.
Takes about 4 min
What you need
- A snippet that would read better with structure
Steps
Open or create the snippet
Good candidates are anything with steps, options or a call to action.
Apply the formatting you want
Bold, italics, links and lists are all supported.
Save it
The formatting is stored with the snippet.
Test it in a rich-text destination
A Gmail compose window or a Notion page will show the formatting.
Test it in a plain-text destination too
A plain input will strip the formatting. Check the text still reads properly without it.
Worth knowing
- Bold, italics, links and lists carry into apps that support them. In a plain-text field the words survive and the styling does not.
- If a snippet must work everywhere, write it so it reads correctly with no formatting at all, then add formatting as an enhancement.
- A link that flattens leaves the link text but not the clickable target, so spell out important URLs rather than hiding them behind words.
Questions
Does formatting work everywhere?
It carries into apps that support rich text. Plain-text fields will strip the styling and keep the words, so a snippet intended for every destination should read correctly unformatted.
Can I include a clickable link?
Yes, in destinations that support rich text. In a plain-text field the link text remains but the clickable target does not, so put the URL itself in the text when it matters.