Welcome to Candu! You're joining a team that's already using Candu to create in-product experiences, and now it's your turn. This guide shows you the ropes to get you on your way to publishing your first content. Ready to dive in? Let's go!
Quick Intro to Candu
Candu is a no-code platform that lets you create in-product experiences, like onboarding checklists, feature announcements, banners, modals, and help hubs, without writing code or waiting for developers.
Think of it as your product's content management system for experiences inside your application.
Key Capabilities
How it works:
Candu works by anchoring your content to existing HTML elements on your pages. When you place content, you're selecting an HTML element that tells Candu where to position your content. Here's a big picture look:
Build content in Candu's drag-and-drop editor
Place it where you want it to appear on your pages
Target specific user segments (or everyone)
Publish and make content live for your users
Measure engagement and iterate
What you can create:
Onboarding experiences: Welcome messages, checklists, product tours, empty state guidance
Feature announcements: Banners, modals, tooltips to communicate launches
Growth campaigns: Upgrade prompts, event invitations, feedback surveys
What to Expect
You won't need to:
Write code or understand technical implementation
Coordinate deployments or wait on engineering for updates
You will need to:
Learn the editor: Candu's drag-and-drop interface is similar to design tools like Webflow or Figma. You'll work with layouts, components, and visual styling.
Understand placements: Learn how to place content on your pages by selecting where it should appear on your app.
Work with segments: Understand user segments and URL targeting rules, which requires thinking through user journeys and criteria.
And we recommend: Start Small. Launch, learn, iterate. Then scale!
New to these concepts? Read What is Candu? and How Candu Works for a deeper foundation.
Step 1: Understanding Your Setup
Before creating content, take 10 minutes to understand how Candu is already configured in your account.
Confirm Workspace Setup
Workspaces are separate instances of Candu within your account. Each workspace has its own:
Content library
Installation (connected to a specific environment)
Segments
Styleguide
Content created in one workspace only appears where that workspace is installed. For example, if you build content in the "Staging" workspace, it won't appear in production.
Switching between workspaces
In the Candu dashboard, click the workspace dropdown and select the workspace you want to access:
Tip: Use the Candu Chrome Extension to check which workspace is installed on any page. The extension displays:
Which workspace is currently active
Installation status (SDK installed and up to date)
Your current SDK version
Confirm Where Candu's Already Installed (Optional)
Candu needs to be installed in your application to display content. The good news: your team has probably already done this!
How to verify installation:
Navigate to a page where Candu is installed
Click the Candu extension icon
Click Page Status
If it shows SDK installed and SDK up to date in green, you're all set!
Note: Be sure to check the workspace matches your product's environment.
See What Content Already Exists
Before creating new content, explore what your team has already built. This helps you:
Understand your team's content patterns
Avoid duplicating work
Learn from successful examples
See what templates might already exist
How to explore existing content:
Go to Content on the left sidebar
You'll see all content organized by sections
Browse through different sections to see what exists
Click on any content to open it in the editor and see how it's built
What to look for:
Sort content by "Last Modified" to see recently updated content
Check "Date Published" to understand release history
Filter by "Content Types" to see what types are mostly in use
Confirm how sections are organized. By team? By use case?
Check the Styleguide
Your team has probably already set up a Styleguide with fonts, colors, buttons, and spacing that match your product's brand. When you create content, it will automatically inherit these styles.
How to review the Styleguide:
Go to Styleguide on the left sidebar
Review the configured styles:
Typography (H1, H2, H3, body text)
Colors (primary, secondary, backgrounds)
Buttons (primary, secondary, tertiary)
Note: Your Styleguide keeps all content brand-consistent automatically. But if you manually override colors or fonts on individual components in the Editor, those components will stop receiving Styleguide updates.
Understanding Existing Segments
Segments let you show different content to different groups of users. For example:
New users vs. activated users
Free tier vs. paid users
Admins vs. members
Your team may have already created segments for targeting content. Understanding what exists helps you:
Target your content appropriately
Test safely with "Internal Team Only"
Personalize experiences for different user groups
How to review existing segments:
Go to Segments on the left sidebar
Browse the segments your team has created
Click on any segment to see its criteria (user traits, events, etc.)
Step 2: Build Your First Content
Candu's drag-and-drop editor lets you build complex, responsive content without code. The fastest way to learn is by starting with a template rather than building from scratch.
Start with the Template Library
Templates show you what's possible and give you a working foundation to customize.
To explore templates:
Navigate to Content on the left sidebar.
You'll see options across the top: Blank Canvas, Banner, Carousel, Checklist, Empty State, Form, and more:
Essential Editor Resources:
Candu Editor Glossary (terminology and components)
Build Your First Content in Candu (get started with a banner template)
Design & Build Content collection (comprehensive guides)
Step 3: Launch Your First Content
The publishing process in Candu is relatively simple, but success depends on getting a few key things. Before diving into the how-to, it helps to understand what needs to be set before you launch content with Candu.
Learn more about launching Candu content: Publish Candu Content.
Resources & Next Steps
Everyone starts by learning the basics! Give yourself time to get comfortable, ask questions, and learn from your team's existing work. Here are essential resources to help you succeed:
Publishing & Placement
Previewing Your Content: Test content safely before going live
Placing Content on Specific Pages: Control where content appears
URL Targeting: Target content to specific pages
The Candu Chrome Extension: Verify installation, preview and place inline content
Monitoring & Optimization
Understanding Content Analytics: Track views, clicks, and conversions
How to Set Up Experiments: Run A/B tests to optimize content
Troubleshooting
Advanced Features
Measure & Optimize collection: Detailed guides for Analytics and experiments
Integrations collection: More on integrations for data sync
Need support? We're here to help! Chat with us or email us at [email protected].