> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.getstell.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Message templates

> Ready-made push messages with personalization placeholders

**Message templates** are ready-made push messages — welcomes, birthday greetings, promotions — that you can use as a starting point instead of writing from scratch.

<img src="https://mintcdn.com/stell/C_zhUrQoTUQsZ2Th/images/portal/engage/templates.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=C_zhUrQoTUQsZ2Th&q=85&s=068ee4fa8c10697c79be7a424b1a7c88" alt="Message templates" width="2880" height="1800" data-path="images/portal/engage/templates.png" />

## Use a template

1. Open **Message templates** in the sidebar and browse the gallery. Each card shows the message with its personalization placeholders — like **First Name** — rendered as pills.
2. Click **Use Template** on the one you want.
3. The portal opens the right tool with the message pre-filled: a [campaign](/engage/campaigns) for one-off messages, or a [new automation](/engage/automations) with the matching trigger pre-selected for event-driven templates like birthdays.
4. Adjust the text, choose your audience, and send as usual.

## Placeholders

Placeholders are filled in per recipient when the message is sent. `{{firstName}}` becomes "Anna" for Anna and "Jonas" for Jonas. You can add or remove placeholders after picking a template — they work the same as the **Insert variable** picker in the campaign editor, and the preview always shows the message with realistic sample values.