Overview
Set up your account, build your first on-brand email, and sync it to your marketing platform.
This guide has six phases. Admins complete Phases 1 to 3. Builders complete Phases 4 to 6.
Set Up the Basics (admins)
Build Your Content Library (admins)
Set Editing Restrictions (admins)
Create Your First Asset (builders)
Collaborate and Review (builders and reviewers)
Sync Your Asset (builders)
New to Knak terms like brand, theme, or module? See the Knak Glossary.
Phase 1 – Set Up the Basics
For admins. Complete these steps when you first set up Knak for your company. Start in the Admin area.
Setting | What to do | Related article |
Users | Invite your team members to Knak. | |
Roles | Control what each user can see and do. Use the default roles or create custom ones. | |
Brands | Set the colors, fonts, and logos for each team or business unit. | |
Integrations | Connect Knak to your Marketing Automation Platform (MAP), the tool that sends your emails. Builders need this to sync assets in Phase 6. | |
Review Groups | Choose who must approve an asset before it is downloaded or synced. | |
Settings | Set account-wide defaults for emails, landing pages, and admin settings. | |
Image Library | Store your team’s images in folders. Use folder permissions to control who can see them. | |
Folders and Campaigns | Organize your assets into folders and campaigns. |
Phase 2 – Build Your Content Library
For admins. Build reusable content before your team starts creating assets. This keeps every email fast to build and on brand.
Build Your Modules
A module is a reusable block of content, like a header, a footer, or a call to action. Create modules for content your team uses often.
Related articles:
Create Themes
A theme is a full email design made from modules. Use a preloaded theme or build your own.
Related articles:
Phase 3 – Set Editing Restrictions
For admins. Editing restrictions lock parts of a module so builders cannot change them. Use them to protect logos, colors, legal text, and other brand rules.
Who Can Set Restrictions
Any user whose role has the Edit Module permission can set editing restrictions. By default, only the Administrator role has it. You can also add it to a custom role.
Open a module in the Module editor.
Use the Element lock dropdown to lock an element.
Click the lock icon next to an attribute to lock just that attribute.
Save the module. The restrictions save with it.
Related article:
Who Must Follow Restrictions
Restrictions apply when someone builds an email or landing page with the module. Users without the Bypass editor restrictions permission:
Can't change locked items.
Can't see hidden items.
Locked items show the tooltip Locked down by administrator. By default, every role except Administrator must follow restrictions.
Override Restrictions
Users with Bypass editor restrictions can unlock restricted items while they build.
Open the asset in the editor.
Turn on the Override Restrictions switch.
If your company has the Automatically Enable Override Restrictions preference turned on, the switch is already on for these users.
Company-Wide Restrictions
Knak can also set editing restrictions for your whole company. These show as Inherit options on the lock icon in the Module editor. You can't create or remove company-wide restrictions yourself.
To change them, contact your Customer Success Manager at Knak.
Related article:
Phase 4 – Create Your First Asset
For builders. An asset is an email or landing page you build in Knak. You design it with the modules, sections, and themes your admin set up.
Before You Begin
Complete the Knak Academy course. It shows you how to:
Move around the drag-and-drop builder
Use modules and sections
Apply themes to keep your style consistent
Build emails and landing pages faster
Build Your Email or Landing Page
Emails and landing pages use the same builder.
Open your campaign.
Click Create.
Select the asset type you want to create.
Drag sections and modules onto the canvas.
Edit the text, images, and layout.
Click Save.
Related articles:
Use AI to Start Your Email
Let Knak's Artificial Intelligence (AI) draft a first version of your email. Then edit it in the builder.
Related article:
Phase 5 – Collaborate and Review
For builders and reviewers. Get feedback and approval before your asset goes out.
Leave Comments
Add comments right on email elements. Teammates can reply in the same thread.
Track Approvals in the Review Tab
The Review tab shows where your asset is in the review groups your admin set up.
Use it to see:
Current approval status
Each review stage
Pending approvals
Completed approvals
Related article:
Phase 6 – Export or Sync Your Asset
For builders. Send your approved asset to your MAP so it is ready to go out.
Open your approved asset.
Click the Actions menu.
Click Sync. If the asset was synced before, click Resync.
Follow the prompts to finish.
Related article:
Get Help
Use these resources to find answers quickly.
Live Chat: Click the chat icon in the bottom-right corner of the platform. You can chat with the support bot or connect with a support representative.
Help Center: Click the ? icon to find our Help Center. Browse articles, videos, setup guides, best practices, and how-to documentation.
Need more help? Contact support via live chat within Knak using the chat bubble in the bottom right corner or email support@knak.com.