Rich text & media
Say it clearly. Format step copy with bold, italic, and links, and add an image to any step — so your guides are scannable and on message.
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Formatting that helps
Bold the key points, italicize for emphasis, and link out.
An image per step
Add a screenshot or illustration to make it click.
Clean and safe
Rich text renders cleanly and never breaks your page.
Live in three steps.
Write your copy
Add your text and format it.
Add an image
Drop in a visual where it helps.
Publish
Clear, on-brand messaging goes live.
A release note that people actually read.
Formatting is comprehension speed. The same announcement lands differently as a wall of text versus a scannable card — here is the scannable version.
Lead with the picture
A cropped screenshot of the new dashboard at the top of the modal — the image says "things look different now" faster than any sentence.
Bold the verbs
Body copy with the actions bolded: "**Drag** any widget to rearrange. **Click** a chart to drill in." Skimmers — which is everyone — catch the bold words alone.
Link the depth
One inline link — "Read the full changelog" — for the minority who want details. The modal stays four lines; the link carries the rest.
Keep the eyebrow honest
A "NEW" badge above the title, because it is. Badges and eyebrows are seasoning — one per step, and only when true.
What to expect: Users grasp the change in five seconds; completion rates on formatted announcement steps visibly beat text walls. The screenshot does half the teaching before a word is read.
When not to use rich text & media.
No pattern fits every job. Here’s where we’d point you at something else — sometimes ours, sometimes not.
Formatting as decoration
Bold works because it is scarce. When half the paragraph is bold, nothing is — format the two words that carry the action, not the mood.
Heavy media in quick steps
A tooltip flashing past does not need imagery. Save images for modals and slideouts where users pause; a decorative image in a two-second step is pure load time.
Essays in steps
Rich text does not repeal the length rules — a step fits a sentence or three. If the content is a document, link to it; the guide's job is the pointer, not the library.
What formatting does step copy support?
Bold, italic, and inline links via markdown-style input, plus an optional image per step, and eyebrow/badge labels above the title. Deliberately small — enough to be clear, too little to be ransom-note.
Where do images live?
Upload them to the step and Wakeline serves them with the guide. Keep them light and cropped to the point — a focused 40KB crop teaches faster than a full-page 2MB screenshot.
Can links open my app's pages?
Yes — inline links and button actions can open any URL, internal or external. For in-app destinations, buttons with an open-URL action double as measurable click actions in Reports.
Does formatting carry across translations?
Yes — each language's text carries its own formatting, so the bolded verb in English is the bolded verb in German. Watch length: German runs about a third longer, which is exactly what the per-step design preview is for.
Can I preview formatting before publishing?
Live preview renders the step exactly as users will see it — formatting, image, and theme applied — before anything ships. For anchored steps you preview on your real page, so line lengths and image crops are judged against the actual layout they will live in.
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