One of the key features of Notion is making content more accessible across pages. While Notion templates are powerful, there is yet another way to synchronize content — Notion Synced Blocks.
Whether you're looking to streamline your workflow, maintain design consistency, or collaborate seamlessly, understanding how to harness the full potential of Notion Synced Blocks is essential.
In this guide, we will show you how to effectively use Notion Synced Blocks, exploring various use-cases and practical tips to optimize your workspace and enhance productivity.
Let’s get started.
What are synced blocks in Notion?
Notion synced block is a unique feature that allows you to consolidate multiple blocks within a single container. You can effortlessly replicate this consolidated block across various Notion pages.
When you initially insert elements onto the synced block, such as images, lists, or other content, the synced block will seamlessly reproduce all these elements on any page where you paste it.
It’s important to note that editing content in the synced block through any page would reflect the changes across all pages. That is why you must be careful with synced blocks because an error in one page would break the content across all pages with this synced block.
How to create synced blocks in Notion?
There are many different methods of creating a synced block in Notion. Let’s cover them all.
Method 1: The traditional method
The most straightforward method of creating a synced block in Notion is by initiating the block. You can do that by typing “/sync” and choosing the “Synced Block” option from the list of all Notion blocks.
The freshly created synced block will display a red border when you hover over it.
You can add inside this block all other blocks that you want to sync.
Method 2: Turn an existing block into a synced block
Click on the 6-dots icon that appears on the top-left corner of any block when you hover over it. Take your cursor over the “Turn into” option and select the “Sync Block” option.
Method 3: Paste the link to a block and common Notion to sync it with the source
This is the fastest method to sync content across Notion pages. Simply copy the link to the block that you want to sync, go to the page where you want to add this block, and paste the link.
Notion will prompt you to paste the link, turn it into an embed block, or into a synced block.
Select the “Paste and sync” option, as displayed in the image below.
Use cases of synced blocks in Notion
Notion website footer
To make your website look neat and consistent across pages, it's important to have a uniform footer at the bottom. But creating the footer over and over for each page can take a lot of time.
With Notion's Synced Blocks, you can make this process much easier. Just make your footer in a synced block, and when you're adding a new page, you can either paste the link to the synced block at the end of each page for a quick and consistent footer, or use a template that already has the synced block at the bottom.
This way, your footer stays the same without you having to do the same work each time.
Make your footer even better by putting links to important pages, contact info, and social media. This helps visitors find what they need and connect with you easily.
Affiliate Disclaimer
When it comes to websites with affiliate links, including an affiliate disclaimer is essential for following the rules. Typically, you'd need to write this disclaimer on every page that features affiliate links, which can be a bit of a task.
To make things simpler, you can use Notion's Synced Blocks feature. Instead of rewriting the disclaimer each time, create it once in a synced block. Now, whenever you're adding a new blog in Notion or any page with affiliate links, you just copy and paste the link to the synced block.
This way, the disclaimer automatically shows up on the page without the need for you to type it out repeatedly. It's a straightforward way to stay compliant without the extra effort.
Call-to-action button
When it comes to frequently using certain Call-to-Action (CTA) buttons in Notion, such as an eBook download button that you want to feature in multiple blog posts, the process of creating these CTAs repeatedly can be time-consuming.
To streamline this, Notion's Synced Blocks offer a helpful solution. Instead of going through the effort of recreating the CTA each time, design it once within a synced block. Now, whenever you need to use it in different blog posts or pages, you can simply save time by copying and pasting the synced block.
This way, your CTA button is ready for use without the need for redundant creation steps. It's a practical approach to maintain consistency and efficiency across your content.
Images and other media
When dealing with the reuse of specific images, like screenshots that find a place in both feature pages and SEO-oriented content, managing them efficiently is key. Notion's Synced Blocks offer a streamlined solution by eliminating the need to store multiple local copies of the same image.
Instead of importing the image repeatedly, you can create a synced block for it. When you need to use the image, you can simply paste the link to the synced block. This not only simplifies the process but also prevents unnecessary duplication of files, keeping your workspace more organized.
Moreover, the versatility of Synced Blocks extends beyond images; you can also employ them for other media types like gifs, Pinterest embeds and videos, offering a comprehensive approach to handling various media elements across your content.
Code Snippets
When it comes to coding in Notion, the platform's support for code blocks makes the process straightforward. However, if you find yourself using the same code across multiple Notion pages, rewriting it each time can become a repetitive task.
Notion's Synced Blocks come to the rescue by offering an efficient solution. By incorporating your code snippet within a synced block, you eliminate the need to rewrite the code on every page.
Instead, you can seamlessly copy and paste the synced block into each new page where the code is required. This ensures consistency in your code presentation across pages, making the management of code snippets a much smoother and time-saving endeavor.
Notion synced blocks vs linked database
Notion synced blocks are handy for syncing different content across pages. However, the linked database feature is specifically designed for syncing databases.
For instance, if you want to duplicate all team tasks onto a page related to the marketing team, you can sync the master database and use filters to display only entries relevant to the marketing team. It’s worth noting that the changes you make on the new page won't affect the database on the original page.
On the flip side, if you make changes to any occurrence of the synced block, those changes will be reflected in all other instances.
Why are Notion Synced Blocks not working for you?
Notion's paste and sync might not work well if the file you're syncing is too big. In these situations, it's a good idea to change the file into a synced block first. Then, just copy and paste the link of that synced block into another page.
How to unsync from a Notion synced block?
To unsync from a Notion synced block, simply click anywhere inside the block to prompt Notion to display a new menu of options. Click the “...” icon from the menu and select the option - “Unsync”. This will unsync the block, enabling you to make alterations without affecting the content within the synced block on other pages.
