NOTE: This is an advanced tutorial. If you're just getting started with ConvertKit, check out these articles first.
You can include a Link Trigger directly in your email template.
This will prevent you from having to add the Link Trigger to every email you send using that template, and is also a great option for custom unsubscribe links.
First, find your Link Trigger's ID, then add it to a visual or HTML email template.
NOTE: This tutorial is for after your Link Trigger has already been created. If you need help with that, please follow this tutorial first, then come back to this article when your Link Trigger is ready.
How to find your Link Trigger's ID
1. Create a new Broadcast
Go to Send > Broadcasts and make a new Broadcast. We'll use it only to get the Link Trigger's ID, and you can delete it afterward.
2. Add your Link Trigger to the Broadcast editor
Type some text in the email editor (it doesn't matter what—we'll be deleting this draft once we have the ID we need), then highlight it and click the link icon in the toolbar. Add your Link Trigger and click 'Apply'.
3. Preview the Broadcast
Once your Link Trigger has been added, you need to preview the Broadcast to view the HTML version of the link. So, click the Preview email option in the toolbar.
4. Open your browser's HTML inspector and locate the Link Trigger's ID
NOTE: The steps here may differ slightly depending on your browser, but you should be able to follow them in any modern browser.
With the email preview open, right-click the link and choose "Inspect" in the menu that opens (the option is the same in all browsers except Safari, which says "Inspect Element").
Your browser's developer panel will open, showing you the HTML of the link.
Look for the numerical value following a bit of HTML that says trigger-id="#######"
In the image above, the Link Trigger's ID is 3367666.
Copy that Link Trigger ID and save it somewhere. You'll need it later.
5. Delete the Broadcast draft
As long as your Link Trigger's ID is saved somewhere, we no longer need the Broadcast draft, so feel free to discard it.
Now we're ready to add this Link Trigger to our email template! Please follow the steps in one of the following sections of this tutorial, based on whether your template is a starting point or classic template, or an HTML template.
Your email template will state what type it is on the Email Templates page, under its name.
How to add a Link Trigger to a starting point or classic email template
1. Navigate to your template's editor
Go to your account's Email Templates page and click the template you'd like to modify.
2. Add an HTML block where you want to add your Link Trigger
To add your Link Trigger above your mailing address, for example, you'll need to add your HTML block there:
3. Click 'Edit' on your HTML block and add this code:
<a href="YOUR-URL-HERE" trigger-id="YOUR-LINK-TRIGGER-ID">Your link text here</a>
Replace the indicated values with your own Link Trigger's URL and ID, as well as the text you'd like displayed for the link. If you'd like, you can also add CSS styling to this same HTML block to style your Link Trigger.
Here’s an example of what that might look like using the trigger ID number 3367666 (remember, your number will be different):
Click the Save button on the HTML block when you're done.
4. Save the changes to your template
Save the changes to your template via the Save button at the top right of the page, and that's it!
☝️ NOTE: Adding a Link Trigger via an HTML block means that it won't have any default styling associated with it. As a result, it will probably look quite plain by default.
However, you have the option to add CSS code to the same HTML block to style your Link Trigger's appearance—we have a guide to that here.
How to add a Link Trigger to an HTML email template
1. Navigate to your template's editor
Go to your account's Email Templates page and click the template you'd like to modify.
2. Add this code where you'd like your Link Trigger to appear:
<a href="YOUR-URL-HERE" trigger-id="YOUR-LINK-TRIGGER-ID">Your link text here</a>
Replace the indicated values with your own Link Trigger's URL and ID, as well as the text you'd like to display for the link.
You can also add inline styles or CSS to style your link trigger, and use the Preview Layout button to preview your changes.
3. Save the changes to your template
When you're ready, click the Save button at the bottom left of the page, and that's it!