Link Templates

Link templates allow you to create reusable configurations for your short links, saving time and ensuring consistency across campaigns.

Overview

Instead of filling in the same iOS URL, Android URL, attribution window, and UTM parameters for every link, create a template once and reuse it for all links in a campaign.

Benefits:

✅ Save time - Fill in common values once
✅ Ensure consistency - All campaign links have same configuration
✅ Flexible overrides - Override any template value per link when needed
✅ Team collaboration - Share templates across organization
✅ Best practices - Enforce attribution windows, UTM structure

How Template Defaults Work

Templates provide default values that are automatically applied when creating links. However, you can override any template value on a per-link basis by providing a different value when creating the link. This gives you the flexibility of reusable templates while allowing exceptions when needed.

When to Use Templates

Campaign Templates

Create one template per marketing campaign:

Instagram Campaign Template:

iOS URL: Your App Store link
Android URL: Your Google Play link
Attribution Window: 7 days
UTM Medium: social
UTM Source: instagram

All Instagram links inherit these defaults. You only specify what's unique (the destination URL, campaign name).

Platform Templates

Create templates for each traffic source:

Social Media Template - 7-day attribution, social UTM
Email Template - 3-day attribution, email UTM
Paid Search Template - 3-day attribution, CPC UTM
Display Ads Template - 30-day attribution, display UTM
Referral Template - 90-day attribution, referral UTM

Use Case Templates

Create templates for common scenarios:

E-commerce Product Link - App Store URLs, product tracking
Content Deep Link - Article/video routing
Referral Link - Long attribution window, referral tracking
Event Promotion - Event-specific settings

Creating Templates

Via Dashboard

Step 1: Navigate to Templates

Click Settings in sidebar
Click Link Templates
Click "Create Template" button

Step 2: Configure Template

Basic Settings:

Template Name: "Instagram Campaign"
Description: "Default template for all Instagram ads"

Platform URLs:

iOS URL: https://apps.apple.com/app/yourapp/id123456789
Android URL: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.yourapp
Web Fallback URL: https://example.com/download

Attribution:

Attribution Window: 168 hours (7 days)

UTM Parameters:

{
  "utm_medium": "social",
  "utm_source": "instagram"
}

Step 3: Save Template

Click "Create Template". Template is now available when creating links.

Via API

curl -X POST https://api.linkforty.com/api/templates \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $LINKFORTY_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "name": "Instagram Campaign",
    "description": "Default template for Instagram ads",
    "settings": {
      "defaultIosUrl": "https://apps.apple.com/app/yourapp/id123456789",
      "defaultAndroidUrl": "https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.yourapp",
      "defaultWebFallbackUrl": "https://example.com/download",
      "defaultAttributionWindowHours": 168,
      "utmParameters": {
        "medium": "social",
        "source": "instagram"
      }
    }
  }'

Response:

{
  "id": "template_a1b2c3d4",
  "name": "Instagram Campaign",
  "slug": "x7k9m2p5",
  "description": "Default template for Instagram ads",
  "settings": {
    "defaultIosUrl": "https://apps.apple.com/app/yourapp/id123456789",
    "defaultAndroidUrl": "https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.yourapp",
    "defaultWebFallbackUrl": "https://example.com/download",
    "defaultAttributionWindowHours": 168,
    "utmParameters": {
      "medium": "social",
      "source": "instagram"
    }
  },
  "is_default": false,
  "created_at": "2024-01-20T10:00:00Z",
  "updated_at": "2024-01-20T10:00:00Z"
}

Using Templates

Creating Links from Templates

Via Dashboard:

Click "Create Link"
Select template from "Template" dropdown
Template values pre-fill the form
Fill in unique values:
- Original URL: https://example.com/product/123
- UTM Campaign: spring-sale-2024
Click "Create Link"

Via API:

curl -X POST https://api.linkforty.com/api/links \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $LINKFORTY_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "templateId": "template_a1b2c3d4",
    "originalUrl": "https://example.com/product/123",
    "utmParameters": {
      "utm_campaign": "spring-sale-2024"
    }
  }'

Result: Link inherits iOS URL, Android URL, attribution window, utm_medium, and utm_source from template. You only provide the original URL and campaign name.

Overriding Template Values

Override Behavior

You can override any template default value when creating a link. The backend applies this logic:

finalValue = userProvidedValue || templateDefaultValue || systemDefault

This means:

If you provide a value when creating the link → your value is used
If you don't provide a value → template default is used
If template doesn't have a default → system default is used (e.g., 168 hours for attribution window)

Example: Override attribution window and UTM medium

curl -X POST https://api.linkforty.com/api/links \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $LINKFORTY_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "templateId": "template_a1b2c3d4",
    "originalUrl": "https://example.com/special-promo",
    "attributionWindowHours": 336,
    "utmParameters": {
      "campaign": "special-promo",
      "medium": "influencer"
    }
  }'

Result:

✅ Uses template's iOS/Android URLs (not overridden)
✅ Uses template's utm_source (not overridden)
✅ Overrides attribution window (14 days instead of template's 7 days)
✅ Overrides utm_medium (influencer instead of template's social)
✅ Adds new utm_campaign (special-promo)

Template Examples

{
  "name": "Social Media Default",
  "description": "Template for all social media campaigns",
  "settings": {
    "defaultIosUrl": "https://apps.apple.com/app/id123",
    "defaultAndroidUrl": "https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.app",
    "defaultAttributionWindowHours": 168,
    "utmParameters": {
      "medium": "social"
    }
  }
}

Usage: Set utm_source per platform (instagram, facebook, tiktok, twitter) when creating links.

Email Campaign Template

{
  "name": "Email Campaign",
  "description": "Template for email marketing",
  "settings": {
    "defaultIosUrl": "https://apps.apple.com/app/id123",
    "defaultAndroidUrl": "https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.app",
    "defaultAttributionWindowHours": 72,
    "utmParameters": {
      "medium": "email"
    }
  }
}

Usage: Set utm_source to email service (mailchimp, sendgrid) and utm_campaign to campaign name when creating links.

Paid Search Template

{
  "name": "Google Ads",
  "description": "Template for Google Ads campaigns",
  "settings": {
    "defaultIosUrl": "https://apps.apple.com/app/id123",
    "defaultAndroidUrl": "https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.app",
    "defaultAttributionWindowHours": 72,
    "utmParameters": {
      "medium": "cpc",
      "source": "google"
    }
  }
}

Usage: Add utm_campaign and utm_term per ad group when creating links.

Referral Program Template

{
  "name": "Referral Program",
  "iosUrl": "https://apps.apple.com/app/id123",
  "androidUrl": "https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.app",
  "attributionWindowHours": 2160,
  "utmParameters": {
    "utm_medium": "referral",
    "utm_source": "friend"
  }
}

Usage: Long 90-day attribution window for word-of-mouth referrals.

Content Marketing Template

{
  "name": "Blog Content",
  "iosUrl": "https://apps.apple.com/app/id123",
  "androidUrl": "https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.app",
  "attributionWindowHours": 336,
  "utmParameters": {
    "utm_medium": "content",
    "utm_source": "blog"
  }
}

Usage: Moderate 14-day window for educational content.

Managing Templates

List All Templates

Via Dashboard:

Settings → Link Templates → View all templates

Via API:

curl -X GET https://api.linkforty.com/api/templates \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $LINKFORTY_API_KEY"

Response:

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "id": "template_a1b2c3d4",
      "name": "Instagram Campaign",
      "description": "Default template for Instagram ads",
      "iosUrl": "https://apps.apple.com/app/id123",
      "androidUrl": "https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.app",
      "attributionWindowHours": 168,
      "utmParameters": {
        "utm_medium": "social",
        "utm_source": "instagram"
      },
      "createdAt": "2024-01-20T10:00:00Z"
    },
    {
      "id": "template_e5f6g7h8",
      "name": "Email Campaign",
      "attributionWindowHours": 72,
      "utmParameters": {
        "utm_medium": "email"
      },
      "createdAt": "2024-01-15T09:00:00Z"
    }
  ],
  "total": 2
}

Update Template

Via Dashboard:

Settings → Link Templates
Click template to edit
Update fields
Click "Save"

Via API:

curl -X PUT https://api.linkforty.com/api/templates/template_a1b2c3d4 \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $LINKFORTY_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "name": "Instagram Campaign (Updated)",
    "attributionWindowHours": 336
  }'

Important: Updating a template does NOT update existing links. Only new links created from the template will use new values.

Delete Template

Via Dashboard:

Settings → Link Templates
Click template
Click "Delete" button
Confirm deletion

Via API:

curl -X DELETE https://api.linkforty.com/api/templates/template_a1b2c3d4 \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $LINKFORTY_API_KEY"

Important: Deleting a template does NOT delete links created from it. Existing links remain unchanged.

Advanced Strategies

Template Hierarchy

Create a base template and specialized variants:

Base Template: "Mobile App Default"

{
  "name": "Mobile App Default",
  "iosUrl": "https://apps.apple.com/app/id123",
  "androidUrl": "https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.app",
  "attributionWindowHours": 168
}

Variant 1: "Mobile App - Social"

{
  "name": "Mobile App - Social",
  "iosUrl": "https://apps.apple.com/app/id123",
  "androidUrl": "https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.app",
  "attributionWindowHours": 168,
  "utmParameters": {
    "utm_medium": "social"
  }
}

Variant 2: "Mobile App - Paid"

{
  "name": "Mobile App - Paid",
  "iosUrl": "https://apps.apple.com/app/id123",
  "androidUrl": "https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.app",
  "attributionWindowHours": 72,
  "utmParameters": {
    "utm_medium": "cpc"
  }
}

Campaign-Specific Templates

Create template for each major campaign:

// Create campaign template programmatically
async function createCampaignTemplate(campaignName, source, attributionDays) {
  return await fetch('https://api.linkforty.com/api/templates', {
    method: 'POST',
    headers: {
      'Authorization': `Bearer ${API_KEY}`,
      'Content-Type': 'application/json'
    },
    body: JSON.stringify({
      name: `${campaignName} - ${source}`,
      iosUrl: 'https://apps.apple.com/app/id123',
      androidUrl: 'https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.app',
      attributionWindowHours: attributionDays * 24,
      utmParameters: {
        utm_campaign: campaignName.toLowerCase().replace(/\s+/g, '-'),
        utm_source: source
      }
    })
  });
}

// Create templates for Q1 2024 campaign
await createCampaignTemplate('Spring Sale 2024', 'instagram', 7);
await createCampaignTemplate('Spring Sale 2024', 'facebook', 7);
await createCampaignTemplate('Spring Sale 2024', 'google', 3);

Team Templates

Share templates across your organization:

Admin creates templates with best practices
Team members select from templates when creating links
Ensures consistency across all campaigns
Enforces attribution windows (e.g., always 7 days for social)

Dynamic Template Selection

Select template based on traffic source:

const TEMPLATES = {
  instagram: 'template_instagram',
  facebook: 'template_facebook',
  google: 'template_google',
  email: 'template_email',
  referral: 'template_referral'
};

function createLink(url, source, campaign) {
  return fetch('https://api.linkforty.com/api/links', {
    method: 'POST',
    headers: {
      'Authorization': `Bearer ${API_KEY}`,
      'Content-Type': 'application/json'
    },
    body: JSON.stringify({
      templateId: TEMPLATES[source],
      originalUrl: url,
      utmParameters: {
        utm_campaign: campaign
      }
    })
  });
}

// Automatically uses correct template
await createLink('https://example.com/product', 'instagram', 'spring-2024');

Best Practices

1. Create Templates Before Links

Set up templates before launching campaigns. This ensures all links follow same structure.

2. One Template Per Traffic Source

Create separate templates for each major traffic source:

Social media (Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Twitter)
Paid search (Google, Bing)
Email
Display ads
Referrals
Content/organic

3. Include All Platform URLs

Always set iOS, Android, and web URLs in templates. Don't make team members fill these in manually.

4. Set Appropriate Attribution Windows

Match window to traffic source behavior:

Immediate channels (SMS, push): 1-6 hours
Direct response (search, email): 1-3 days
Social/content: 7-14 days
Brand awareness: 14-30 days
Referrals: 30-90 days

5. Use Consistent UTM Structure

Establish UTM naming conventions in templates:

Good:

{
  "utm_medium": "social",
  "utm_source": "instagram"
}

Bad:

{
  "utm_medium": "Social Media",
  "utm_source": "Instagram Stories"
}

Use lowercase, no spaces, semantic naming.

6. Document Template Purpose

Add clear descriptions:

{
  "name": "Instagram - Stories",
  "description": "Use for all Instagram Stories campaigns. 7-day attribution, social UTM tags."
}

7. Review Templates Quarterly

Every 3 months:

Review attribution windows (are they optimal?)
Check if iOS/Android URLs changed
Update based on performance data
Remove unused templates

8. Limit Template Count

Don't create too many templates. Aim for 5-10 core templates covering main use cases. Too many templates = confusion.

Template vs. Link Settings

What to Put in Templates

Template (consistent across campaign):

iOS/Android URLs
Attribution window
UTM medium
UTM source (for platform-specific templates)
Default targeting rules

Link (unique per link):

Original URL (destination)
UTM campaign
UTM content (ad variant)
Custom short code
Expiration date

Example

Template: Facebook Ads Default

{
  "iosUrl": "https://apps.apple.com/app/id123",
  "androidUrl": "https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.app",
  "attributionWindowHours": 168,
  "utmParameters": {
    "utm_medium": "cpc",
    "utm_source": "facebook"
  }
}

Link 1: Spring sale product page

{
  "templateId": "template_facebook",
  "originalUrl": "https://example.com/spring-sale",
  "utmParameters": {
    "utm_campaign": "spring-2024",
    "utm_content": "carousel-ad-1"
  }
}

Link 2: Summer sale product page

{
  "templateId": "template_facebook",
  "originalUrl": "https://example.com/summer-sale",
  "utmParameters": {
    "utm_campaign": "summer-2024",
    "utm_content": "video-ad-1"
  }
}

Both links share template defaults (platform URLs, attribution, medium/source), but have unique URLs and campaigns.

Comparison with Other Platforms

Feature	LinkForty	AppsFlyer	Branch	Adjust
Templates	✅ Unlimited	✅ Limited (Enterprise)	❌ No templates	❌ No templates
API Access	✅ Yes	✅ Yes (Enterprise)	⚠️ Limited	⚠️ Limited
Tier Availability	All tiers	Enterprise	N/A	N/A
Team Sharing	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	❌ No	❌ No
Override Values	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	N/A	N/A

LinkForty Advantage: Templates included free, unlimited templates, full API access.

Troubleshooting

Cause: Template belongs to different organization.

Solution: Verify you're logged into correct organization.

Links Not Inheriting Template Values

Cause: Template was updated after link creation.

Solution: Template changes only affect new links. Update existing links manually or recreate.

Can't Delete Template

Cause: Templates can always be deleted (links remain unaffected).

Solution: If delete button is disabled, check permissions (must be Owner or Admin).

Next Steps

📋 Creating Links - Use templates when creating links
🎯 Attribution Windows - Configure optimal windows
📊 UTM Parameters - Set up campaign tracking
🔧 API Reference - Template API docs

API Reference

See full template API documentation:

Overview​

When to Use Templates​

Campaign Templates​

Platform Templates​

Use Case Templates​

Creating Templates​

Via Dashboard​

Via API​

Using Templates​

Creating Links from Templates​

Overriding Template Values​

Template Examples​

Social Media Template​

Email Campaign Template​

Paid Search Template​

Referral Program Template​

Content Marketing Template​

Managing Templates​

List All Templates​

Update Template​

Delete Template​

Advanced Strategies​

Template Hierarchy​

Campaign-Specific Templates​

Team Templates​

Dynamic Template Selection​

Best Practices​

1. Create Templates Before Links​

2. One Template Per Traffic Source​

3. Include All Platform URLs​

4. Set Appropriate Attribution Windows​

5. Use Consistent UTM Structure​

6. Document Template Purpose​

7. Review Templates Quarterly​

8. Limit Template Count​

Template vs. Link Settings​

What to Put in Templates​

Example​

Comparison with Other Platforms​

Troubleshooting​

Template Not Appearing in Dropdown​

Links Not Inheriting Template Values​

Can't Delete Template​

Next Steps​

API Reference​

Overview

When to Use Templates

Campaign Templates

Platform Templates

Use Case Templates

Creating Templates

Via Dashboard

Via API

Using Templates

Creating Links from Templates

Overriding Template Values

Template Examples

Social Media Template

Email Campaign Template

Paid Search Template

Referral Program Template

Content Marketing Template

Managing Templates

List All Templates

Update Template

Delete Template

Advanced Strategies

Template Hierarchy

Campaign-Specific Templates

Team Templates

Dynamic Template Selection

Best Practices

1. Create Templates Before Links

2. One Template Per Traffic Source

3. Include All Platform URLs

4. Set Appropriate Attribution Windows

5. Use Consistent UTM Structure

6. Document Template Purpose

7. Review Templates Quarterly

8. Limit Template Count

Template vs. Link Settings

What to Put in Templates

Example

Comparison with Other Platforms

Troubleshooting

Template Not Appearing in Dropdown

Links Not Inheriting Template Values

Can't Delete Template

Next Steps

API Reference