How do I use Workflow Automation with Targeted Email?

Workflow Automation lets you create personalized email journeys using branching workflows. Unlike Email Series (which sends linear, time-delayed messages), Automation changes what message a contact receives next based on whether they opened, clicked, or responded to the previous one. Follow the steps below to set up an Automation. 

Step 1: Open Workflow Automation 

Navigate to Automation from the left-hand sidebar. 

Step 2: Choose a starting point 

Select Build from a template to start from a pre-built workflow, or Start from scratch to design your own. This opens the Workflow Builder. 

Step 3: Add basic details 

In the Summary tray on the left-hand side, edit your Automation’s: 

• Name and description 

• Preferred run time 

• Ongoing engagement restrictions (to prevent contacts from receiving regular Targeted Emails while in this series, enable Prevent contacts from receiving one-time emails) 

Step 4: Set entrance criteria 

Every Automation begins with a Start step. Click the Start step to add or create Saved Searches for your Inclusion and Exclusion settings. Each evening, the Automation runs your entrance searches to find new contacts ready to enter. 

Step 5: Add your first email 

If using a template, select the first email step to customize the message. Select New to create a new email or From existing to reuse an earlier one — this opens the familiar Targeted Email tool. 

If building from scratch, click + and select Send an email from the available actions, then create your email. 

Step 6: Add Wait, Decision, and additional steps 

The typical Automation pattern is: Wait > Decision > Email (or two). 

• Wait — set a specific number of days or a day of the week before the next step runs 

• Decision — sorts contacts into Yes or No branches based on saved searches or their response to the previous step (for example, “Did they click a link in the last email?”) 

When you add a Decision, two branches appear: Yes (contacts who meet the condition) and No (contacts who don’t). Continue adding steps to each branch. 

Note: If you use Result of previous step in a Decision, it always references the email or SMS step directly above it. If you add new email steps above an existing Decision, check that it still references the intended step. 

Step 7: End the Automation 

Each branch ends at an End step. When a contact reaches an End step, they exit the Automation and become eligible for regular Targeted Email sends again. You can later create lists of contacts who finished the series on a specific date.

How do I set up Automation in EveryAction Targeted Email? | How do I create a branching email workflow in EveryAction? | How do I add a Wait step to an Automation in EveryAction? | How do I add a Decision step to an Automation? | How do I set entrance criteria for an Automation in EveryAction? | What is the difference between Automation and Email Series in EveryAction? | How do contacts exit an Automation in EveryAction?