Every Storydoc presentation is built from three core building blocks: slides, layouts, and elements. Understanding how these work together gives you the freedom to create rich, flexible, and beautifully structured stories.
The Three Building Blocks
Think of it as a hierarchy:
Slides are the largest unit — like pages in your story.
Layouts live inside slides and define how content is arranged.
Elements are the smallest building block — the actual content inside layouts.
Slides
Slides are the top-level containers of your story. You can have as many slides as you need, and each one can hold multiple layouts stacked vertically.
To add a new slide, click the + New Slide button at the top of the left panel. This creates a blank slide ready for you to build on. You can also hover between two existing slides and click on Add slide to add a blank slide.
Layouts
Layouts define the structure of content within a slide. Examples include Side by Side, Array, Tabs, Carousel, Narrator, Timeline, and more.
One of the most powerful features of Storydoc is that you can add multiple layouts to the same slide. This lets you create long, scrollable slides with varied content arrangements — all within a single slide.
To add a layout to a slide navigate to More > Content Blocks in the right-side panel.
Important: Layouts cannot be placed inside other layouts. A layout holds elements — not another layouts. For example, you cannot place an Array layout inside a Side by Side layout.
You can also switch through different layouts to see what works best. By clicking on the dropdown arrow next to that layout's name (ex.: Side by Side) and choosing a different layout. The content inside will be automatically adjusted to the new layout.
Adding Multiple Layouts to One Slide
To add a second or third layout below an existing one, click the More button that appears at the bottom-right edge of the canvas, then select Content Blocks. Choose any layout — such as Array or Timeline — and it will be added below the current content on the same slide.
As you add more layouts, the slide grows longer. This is by design — Storydoc slides scroll vertically, so you can pack as much content as you need without creating a new slide.
Elements
Elements are the individual pieces of content that live inside layouts. They are the smallest building block of a story, and they make up all the actual content your viewers see.
Examples of elements include:
Text (headings, paragraphs)
Images and videos
Icons
Charts and tables
Buttons
E-signatures and digital approvals
Calendars
Media grids
Spacers and dividers
Animated elements
Widget tools (before/after, logo slider, counter, and more)
To add an element, use the Elements menu on the right side of the editor. Everything listed there — except the Content Blocks section — is an element. You can also click directly inside a layout's empty slot and choose from the quick-add options (Text, Image, Video, More).
You can add as many elements as you need within a single layout. Unlike layouts, elements can be freely stacked and combined inside the same layout block.
Quick Reference
Slides → Add via + New Slide or by hovering between slides in the panel
Layouts → Add via More > Content Blocks or from the layout suggestions at the bottom of a slide
Elements → Add via the right-side Elements menu or inline quick-add buttons inside a layout
You can add multiple layouts to one slide
You cannot nest a layout inside another layout
You can add as many elements as you want inside a layout