Creating templates in Notion can improve efficiency and simplify processes for both individuals and businesses. Templates save time and reduce effort by enabling you to create a standard format once and reuse it on all your Notion pages.
For instance, when seeking work, freelancers have to submit tailored proposals to potential clients that highlight why they are the ideal fit for the job.
Now, instead of starting from scratch each time, freelancers can use a rough pitch format that has worked in the past as a starting point. They can then turn the rough text into a Notion template, quickly deploy it into new drafts, and customize it for the clients.
They don't have to worry about what to write or spend time remembering what worked last time because everything is already in the template.
And the good news is that these templates are versatile. If a freelancer discovers a better call-to-action for the pitch, they can go back and edit the template easily.
In this blog post, we will show you how to create your own Notion templates and make the best use of them. The content pivots around freelancers but it can be extrapolated to any business or industry.
Here are three steps to creating a Notion template:
1. Create content for the Notion template.
It is important to brainstorm the content for the template. You will use it time and again, and having to modify it in every instance is time-consuming and frustrating. Even though Notion lets you update templates, you can maximize efficiency by covering everything in the first go.
For instance, freelance designers should emphasize their experience and what sets them apart in their proposals. They should test a few versions of their proposal at first and choose the draft that received the most positive responses.
The freelancer also needs to share their Notion portfolio aligning with the client's industry in order to increase their chances of receiving a response.
Alright, now that the content is ready, let's turn it into a template.
2. Add a Notion template block
In order to set up a template, you first need to place your content in a new Notion page. A Freelance designer, for example, has this pitch ready.
The bold text highlights the points where the freelancer can customize the pitch.
Next, add a template block by typing in /template.
Here’s the view of the template block. Notion creates a to-do style block by default, but you can remove it and replace it with your content.
The block is called Add a new to-do, but we're going to change that. Let's give it a new name.
We removed the to-do checkbox and changed the block’s name to Custom Client Pitch.
3. Drag-and-drop the content into the template block
With the template set up, all you need to do is add your content to it. You can do this easily using the convenient drag-and-drop feature that Notion offers.
In this example, we will drag the template we created in the first step into this block. This is what it looks like now.
You can pull up the whole draft onto the page by clicking on the + Custom Client Pitch button.
It's simple to make changes to the template as well. If the freelancer finds a better converting pitch, they can follow these steps to update the template.
They can access the editable version of the template by clicking on the Configure Template icon highlighted in the image.
They can then add, replace, or remove content from the template by treating it just like any other block on Notion. They can add any Notion block - not just text. For instance, freelance designers may find it helpful to include a gallery view of their samples.
And that's all there is to it! Your template is now ready. You can copy the link and paste it on any page to activate the template.
FAQs
How to create nested Notion template buttons?
To create a nested template button system, where a template button is inside another template button, simply treat templates as any other block in Notion and drag-and-drop a template button into another.
For instance, if the freelance designer wants to tailor their pitch to a specific client niche, it may be helpful to create templates with samples for each niche.
The above image shows a new template button created for the Venue niche. Next, we will drag-and-drop this button into the Custom Client Pitch button.
Now, every time the freelancer creates a pitch for clients in the Venue or Events niche, they can simply click on the Venue Niche Design button to pull up relevant samples.
Similarly, they can create and add buttons for other niches, selecting the one that best matches the client's niche.
How to create Notion templates for existing pages?
You can make Notion templates for existing pages in three easy steps:
- Navigate to the page where you want to add the template.
- Add a template block by typing /template.
- drag-and-drop the content into the newly created template block.
How do I make an existing table a template in Notion?
You can add a table template by simply dragging and dropping the table into the
template block in Notion.
- Type /template to initiate the template block on the same Notion page where the table is located.
- Drag the table into the newly created template view.
