How to use naming templates

What naming templates do

Naming templates are optional patterns stored in Team Settings. Each pattern uses {Placeholder} syntax. When someone creates a collection, subgroup, or content tag, they can pick a template, fill in the blanks, and Siftsy composes the final name.

Templates are guidance, not enforcement—users can always type a free-form name instead.

Teams use templates to:

• Onboard new members with clear naming conventions

• Keep exports, filters, and breakdowns readable across clients and campaigns

• Reduce duplicate or near-duplicate names (for example, Acme Summer vs Acme - Summer Launch)

• Align enterprise standards with day-to-day work

The three template types

Siftsy keeps separate template lists for three kinds of labels. They don't share patterns—a collection template never appears when creating a content tag.

Who can manage templates

Non-admins still use templates when creating collections, subgroups, or tags. They may see a gear icon on the template form to open the manager, but saving changes requires admin access.

Set up templates from Team Settings

1. Open Team Settings

2. Go to the Naming Templates tab

3. Review existing templates by type (Collections, Subgroups, Content Tags)

4. Click Manage to open the Naming Template Manager

5. Use the tabs to switch between the three types

6. Create, edit, set a default, or delete team templates

7. Click Save Templates before closing

Template syntax

Placeholders

Wrap each blank in curly braces. The text inside becomes the label shown in the fill-in form.

{Brand} - {Campaign Name} - Q{Quarter} {Year}

• Placeholder names are case-sensitive and can include spaces: {Campaign Name} and {campaign name} are different blanks

• You can put static text between blanks—dashes, underscores, pipes, Q before {Quarter}, etc.

• A valid template must include at least one {blank}

• Reusing the same placeholder name twice fills both slots with one value

What gets saved

When all blanks are filled, Siftsy replaces each {key} with the value entered for that key. Empty blanks are not allowed for the composed name to apply—users must complete every blank or type manually in the name field.

Collection templates

Collection templates apply when creating a new top-level collection.

Collection kind

Collection templates can optionally be tied to a collection kind—the chip shown on the collection (Campaign, Research, Competitor, Launch, etc.). When a user selects that template in the Create Collection dialog, the kind on the template can set the collection's type picker.

Kinds available today include: Campaign, Research, Exploration, Competitor, Brand, Launch, Trend, Crisis, Creator, Talent, and Event.

Built-in starter patterns

When adding templates, you can start from starters such as:

• Standard: {Brand} - {Campaign Name} - Q{Quarter} {Year}

• Simple: {Brand} - {Campaign Name}

• Detailed: {Brand} - {Campaign Type} - {Campaign Name} - {Platform} - {Date}

Use a template when creating a collection

1. Open Create Collection (or equivalent from the collection picker)

2. Optionally set the collection kind with the type picker next to the name field

3. Below the name field, choose a Template from the dropdown—the team default is pre-selected when one exists

4. Fill each inline blank; the composed name appears in the preview and is written to the name field above

5. You can still edit the name field directly after composition

6. Continue with subgroups or confirm creation as usual

Subgroup templates

Subgroup templates apply when adding a nested group inside a collection.

Use a template when creating a subgroup

1. Open a collection and choose Add Subgroup (or add during collection creation)

2. If templates exist, you'll see chips: Free text plus one chip per template

3. Select a template chip, fill the blank fields that appear, and the subgroup name field updates from the pattern

4. Choose Free text to ignore templates and type any name

Subgroup UI uses compact chips rather than the full template dropdown used for collections and tags, but the same {blank} rules apply.

Built-in starter patterns

• Creator: {Creator} - {Platform} - {Content Type}

• Phase: {Brand} | {Deliverable} | {Phase}

Content tag templates

Content tags label individual posts and work across collections. Templates help keep tag names consistent for filtering and breakdowns.

Use a template when creating a tag

1. Open the content tag picker or Create Content Tag

2. Use the Template dropdown—default template auto-selected when configured

3. Fill blanks; the composed name flows into the tag name field

4. Confirm creation on the review step if prompted

Tags also appear in Select bar flows when adding tags in bulk contexts.

Built-in starter patterns

• Category: {Category}_{Subcategory}

• Typed: {Content Type} - {Theme}

Default templates and multiple patterns

Each type can have one default per scope:

• Mark a team template as default in the manager (Set as default)

• The default is auto-selected in create dialogs (collections and content tags) and for new subgroups when the add-subgroup UI opens

• If the team has no default but enterprise templates do, the enterprise default is used until the team sets its own

Deleting the current default promotes another template to default automatically.

Multiple templates per type

Teams often keep several patterns—for example, a simple collection name and a detailed quarterly name. Users pick the right one from the dropdown or subgroup chips at creation time.

Enterprise inheritance

For teams under an enterprise:

• Enterprise templates show with an Enterprise badge and lock icon

• They appear first in lists and cannot be edited by the sub-team

• Sub-teams add their own Your team's templates alongside them

• Sub-team default overrides enterprise default for that type

Configure enterprise-wide templates from the enterprise team's settings; they propagate to member teams.

Best practices

Design patterns that age well

1. Put the most stable identifier first (client, brand, program) so sorted lists group logically

2. Use separators consistently—pick -, _, or | per type and stick to it

3. Avoid overly long placeholder lists—three to five blanks is usually enough; more slows creation

4. Name placeholders for humans—{Campaign Name} not {cn}

5. Separate concerns by template type—collection structure in collection/subgroup patterns; cross-cutting labels in content tags

Collections vs subgroups vs tags

Don't duplicate the same dimension in all three—for example, {Platform} as a tag is often better than repeating it in every collection name.

Troubleshooting

What's next

Learn how to create and organize your content in How to create collections and How to edit collections.