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Automate emails with journeys

Build an automation flow (a journey) that emails contacts on its own, for example a welcome series when someone joins your newsletter list. At the end, the flow is Active, and each new contact who meets the starting point moves through its steps without you sending anything.

Before you start

Steps

Start a flow

  1. Open Email in the left rail, then select Flows. The shared Flows screen opens. Email automations are flows on the same canvas as the other channels. See Build an automation flow. Older journeys show under Not yet migrated.
  2. Choose how to start:
    • Click Choose flow template to pick a starter flow, such as Single Welcome Email, Simple 2-Email Nurture, Welcome Series (3 emails), Tag Engaged Contacts or Win-Back Then Sunset.
    • Click Build from scratch for an empty flow.
  3. The Build a New Flow page opens. You set everything on this 1 page.

Name the flow and choose what starts it

  1. In Journey Name, type a name your team will recognise, for example New Subscriber Welcome.

  2. Choose a starting point:

    Starting point Starts when Also fill in
    Signs up for email A contact joins the list you choose, including signups from a signup form on that list. Trigger List (enroll on join)
    Tag added The tag you choose is added to a contact, by hand, in bulk or by an import. Trigger Tag (enroll when added)
    Birthday It is the contact's birthday, or a set number of days before it. Days Before Birthday (0–365)
    Abandons a cart A shopper leaves a checkout on your connected store without paying. It cancels itself if they buy. —

  3. Optional: under Filter contacts, add conditions that decide who is let into the flow.

Add the steps

  1. Choose a Sender.
  2. Drag steps from the palette onto the flow map:
    • Send Email — choose a Template *.
    • Wait — set Wait (minutes) *. For example, 1440 minutes is 1 day.
    • Tag Contact and Remove Tag — add or remove a tag.
    • If/Else — branch on a Field, Operator and Value *.
    • Split Path (A/B) — split contacts evenly into 2 paths.
    • Unsubscribe — unsubscribe the contact from all future sends.
    • Webhook — call a Webhook URL * in another system.
  3. Drag steps to reorder them.
  4. Check the summary under Check everything before saving.
  5. Click Save Flow. The flow is saved as Draft. It does not run yet.

For a cart email, use {{cartValue}}, {{cartItems}} and {{recoveryUrl}} in the template.

Turn the flow on

  1. Ask a teammate to open Flows.
  2. They click ⋮ (More actions) on the flow, then click Activate. The status changes to Active.

To stop new contacts entering, click ⋮ → Pause. Contacts already in the flow wait where they are until you activate it again. To copy a flow, click ⋮ → Clone.

Note

To edit an active flow, pause it first, make your changes, then activate it again.

Flow statuses

Status Meaning
Draft Saved and editable. Nobody is enrolled.
Active Enrolling contacts and sending.
Paused No new contacts join, and contacts already in the flow stop moving.

Video walkthrough

[VIDEO]

Troubleshooting

Issue Cause Fix
You cannot activate your own journey. Flows need a second person to switch them on. Ask a teammate with approval access to click Activate.
Journey has no steps. or A journey needs at least one step. The flow map is empty. Drag at least 1 Send Email step onto the map.
Pause the journey before editing it. The flow is Active. Click Pause, edit, then activate again.
A journey named '…' already exists. The name is taken. Use a different Journey Name.
Trigger tag is required for a Tag Added journey. Tag added is chosen without a tag. Fill in Trigger Tag (enroll when added).
Enter a whole number of days between 0 and 365 Days Before Birthday is out of range. Type a number from 0 to 365.