Braze Content Cards: Complete Guide
Quick Summary:
Content Cards deliver persistent, feed-based messages users check on their own schedule -- less intrusive than push or modal in-app messages, and content stays accessible as long as it's relevant, not just for a single momentary display.
What Are Content Cards?
Content Cards are Braze's persistent, in-app feed for delivering messages -- promotions, feature announcements, personalized recommendations -- that live in a dedicated space within your app rather than interrupting the user with a modal or push notification. Users check the feed on their own terms, making Content Cards a genuinely less intrusive channel for content that doesn't demand immediate attention but is still worth surfacing. This distinction matters more than it might first appear: interruption-based channels compete for attention at the moment they fire, while a persistent feed lets content wait until the user is genuinely receptive to it.
Content Cards vs Other In-App Channels
Understanding when to reach for Content Cards versus other in-app channels matters for building a coherent overall messaging strategy.
| Channel | Delivery Style | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Content Cards | Persistent feed, user-checked | Ongoing offers, recommendations, announcements |
| In-App Message (modal/banner) | Interruption at a specific moment | Time-sensitive prompts, onboarding tips |
| Push Notification | Device-level alert, outside the app | Urgent, time-sensitive re-engagement |
Building a Content Cards Campaign
Segment users
Define audience
Design card
Text, image, CTA
Set targeting
Priority, expiration
Feed delivery
Persistent, user-checked
Core Capabilities
Personalization: Content Cards support the same Liquid templating and Connected Content capability as other Braze channels, letting each card adapt to the specific user viewing it.
Expiration: Cards can be set to automatically disappear after a defined date, keeping the feed relevant rather than accumulating stale content.
Priority Ordering: When multiple cards are active, priority settings control which appears first, letting you ensure the most important content gets seen.
Custom UI: While Braze provides a default feed component, the SDK exposes underlying card data for building a fully custom display matching your app's design system.
Feed Design Strategy
Beyond building individual cards, thinking about the feed as a coherent whole matters for genuine long-term engagement.
Curate, don't accumulate: A feed that only ever adds cards without removing stale ones becomes a graveyard users learn to ignore. Active management -- setting realistic expirations, periodically auditing what's still relevant -- keeps the feed worth checking.
Mix content types: A feed of nothing but promotional offers trains users to associate the Content Cards feed with sales pitches specifically. Mixing genuinely useful content (feature tips, account updates, personalized recommendations) alongside promotional cards keeps the feed valuable beyond just discount-hunting.
Design for glanceability: Since users are browsing the feed at their own pace rather than being interrupted, cards should communicate their value quickly through concise text and clear visuals, rather than requiring significant reading investment to understand what a card is even offering.
Measuring Content Cards Performance
Content Cards' unique delivery model (persistent, user-checked) means performance measurement differs somewhat from interruption-based channels.
Impression rate: What percentage of the targeted audience actually opens the feed and sees the card, which is itself a meaningful engagement signal distinct from whether they then click.
Click-through relative to impressions: Since impressions require active user choice to check the feed, click-through rates on Content Cards should generally be interpreted against a baseline of genuinely engaged viewers, not compared directly against push notification metrics measuring an entirely different interaction pattern.
Dismissal patterns: High dismissal rates on a specific card type are a useful signal that the content isn't resonating, worth investigating before repeating a similar approach in future cards.
How to Get Started
Define the audience segment for your Content Card, the same way you would for any other Braze campaign.
Design the card content, including any images, text, and call-to-action.
Set targeting details -- priority, expiration date, and any personalization.
Choose whether to send standalone or trigger the card as part of a Canvas journey.
Monitor card engagement (impressions, clicks, dismissals) to evaluate performance.
A Real-World Example
A subscription app wants to surface a personalized "Recommended for You" section without interrupting the user's session with a modal popup. A Content Card, targeted per-user using Connected Content to pull each individual's specific recommendations, sits in the app's persistent feed -- available whenever the user chooses to check it, rather than forcing an interruption at a moment that might not be convenient. Engagement tracking shows which recommendation types actually drive clicks, informing which content gets prioritized in future cards.
The team also uses the feed for a second, genuinely different purpose: surfacing account-related notices, like an upcoming billing date or a plan change confirmation. Mixing these two card types -- personalized recommendations and account updates -- within the same feed means users check it for more than just promotional content, which keeps overall feed engagement healthier than if it were used purely as a sales channel. Over time, the team notices that cards mixing genuinely useful account information alongside a soft product suggestion outperform purely promotional cards, reinforcing the value of the mixed-content approach.
💡 Pro Tip
Resist the temptation to keep every card active indefinitely -- a feed cluttered with stale, no-longer-relevant cards trains users to stop checking it. Set expiration dates deliberately, and periodically review what's actually still relevant to your current audience and offers.
Frequently Asked Questions
What\'s the difference between Content Cards and a standard in-app message?
A standard in-app message is a modal or banner interruption shown at a specific moment; Content Cards live in a persistent, dedicated feed within the app that users check on their own schedule -- less intrusive, and content can remain accessible for as long as it's relevant, not just a single momentary display.
Can Content Cards be personalized per user?
Yes, Content Cards support the same personalization capability as other Braze channels, including Liquid templating and Connected Content, letting each user's feed show genuinely relevant cards rather than identical content for everyone.
Do Content Cards require a specific UI component, or can I build my own?
Braze provides a default Content Cards UI component, but the SDK also exposes the underlying data so you can build a fully custom display surface matching your app's specific design system.
Can Content Cards be scheduled to expire automatically?
Yes, cards can have an expiration date/time, after which they're automatically removed from the feed -- useful for time-sensitive content like limited-time offers or event announcements.
Can different users see different Content Cards based on segmentation?
Yes, Content Cards can be targeted to specific segments, the same way email or push campaigns are, letting different user groups see genuinely different card content in their feed.
Does viewing a Content Card count as an engagement event Braze tracks?
Yes, card impressions, clicks, and dismissals are tracked, feeding into the same analytics and segmentation capability as other Braze channel engagement.
Can Content Cards be triggered by a Canvas, or only sent as standalone campaigns?
Both -- Content Cards can be delivered as part of a Canvas journey step, or sent independently as a standalone campaign, depending on whether the content is part of a broader orchestrated journey.
What\'s a good use case for Content Cards versus push notifications?
Content Cards suit content users will want to reference or revisit (a feature announcement, an ongoing promotion, personalized recommendations); push notifications suit more urgent, time-sensitive prompts needing immediate attention.
Can Content Cards include images, not just text?
Yes, rich media including images is fully supported, letting cards function as a genuinely visual, engaging feed element rather than plain text notifications.
Does the order of Content Cards in the feed matter, and can it be controlled?
Yes, card priority/ordering can be configured, letting you control which cards appear first in a user's feed when multiple cards are active simultaneously.
Can a user dismiss a Content Card, and does that affect future targeting?
Yes, dismissal is tracked as an engagement signal, and this data can inform future segmentation -- for example, excluding users who already dismissed a specific promotional card from seeing it again.
Is there a limit to how many Content Cards can be active in a user\'s feed at once?
There's no small, restrictive limit on active cards, though showing too many simultaneously can genuinely dilute the relevance and impact of any individual card -- a curated, prioritized feed usually performs better than an overwhelming one.
Can Content Cards be A/B tested like other Braze campaigns?
Yes, A/B testing capability extends to Content Cards, letting you compare different card designs, copy, or targeting approaches and measure which genuinely performs better before rolling out broadly.
Do Content Cards work the same way across iOS, Android, and web?
The core concept is consistent across platforms, though the specific SDK implementation and default UI presentation vary somewhat by platform -- worth reviewing platform-specific documentation for exact behavior.
Can Content Cards trigger a follow-up action when a user taps them, beyond just navigating somewhere?
Yes, card taps can be configured to trigger deep links, in-app actions, or navigate to specific content, giving flexibility beyond a simple link-out.
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