Auto Trigger campaigns are emails that get sent automatically when a contact meets certain conditions you define in an automation rule. Unlike scheduled campaigns that go to everyone at once, Auto Trigger campaigns send to individual contacts when they're triggered, such as when someone joins a list, gets tagged, or completes an action defined in your automation rules.
When to Use Auto Trigger Campaigns
Auto Trigger campaigns are ideal for simple triggered emails that don't require complex branching logic. Common examples include welcome emails for new subscribers, thank you messages after a purchase, or follow-up emails when someone downloads a resource.
If you need more complex automation with multiple paths, conditions, and sequences of emails, consider using Workflows instead. Auto Trigger campaigns are best when you want a straightforward "when X happens, send this email" setup without the overhead of building a full workflow.
How Auto Trigger Campaigns Work
The process has two parts:
Create the Auto Trigger Campaign: Design your email content, set the subject line and sender, and save it. The campaign sits ready to send but doesn't have any recipients yet.
Create an Automation Rule: Set up an automation that specifies when the campaign should be triggered and sent to individual contacts.
When a contact meets your automation trigger condition, they receive the Auto Trigger campaign. The same campaign can be linked to multiple automations, and multiple campaigns can be linked to the same automation.
Step 1: Access Auto Trigger Campaigns
Click Campaigns in the main navigation bar.
Select Auto Trigger from the dropdown menu.
Click Create Auto Trigger Campaign.
If you already have Auto Trigger campaigns, you'll see them listed on this page with their status and any linked automation triggers.
Step 2: Configure Campaign Settings
On the first screen, you'll set up the campaign name, subject line, preview text, and sender.
Campaign Name
Enter a descriptive name for your Auto Trigger campaign. This is for internal reference only and won't be visible to recipients.
Subject Line
Enter the email subject your recipients will see. You can use contact personalization tags like first name to make the subject more personal.
Using the AI Subject Line Assistant
If you need help crafting your subject line, click the AI assistant icon. Enter a rough idea or keywords describing what you want to convey, click Generate, and SendX will suggest alternatives. Select any suggestion to use it directly.
Preview Text
Enter the preview text that appears after the subject line in most email clients. This gives recipients additional context about your email before they open it.
Who Is This From
Select an existing sender from the dropdown. If your sender isn't listed, you can create a new one, but the email domain must already be whitelisted in SendX. If needed, go to your domain settings first to add and verify your domain, then return to create the sender.
Click Next to proceed to the email editor.
Step 3: Design Your Email Content
Choose which editor you want to use for creating your email:
Drag and Drop Editor: Visual editor with pre-built content blocks. Recommended for most users.
Plain Text Editor: Simple text-only editor for minimal emails.
SendX AI Editor: AI-assisted editor for generating email content.
Previewing Your Design
Preview your email to see how it looks across different contexts:
Light/Dark Mode: Toggle between light and dark backgrounds
Device Views: Switch between desktop, tablet, and mobile views
Sending a Test Email
Click Send Test Email to send a preview to yourself or your team. This lets you see exactly how the email appears in a real inbox before making it live.
When you're satisfied with your design, click Continue.
Step 4: Review Your Campaign
The review screen shows a summary of your campaign settings. Check for any errors, which will be highlighted at the top of the screen. If there are issues with your content, go back and fix them before proceeding.
Review the following details:
Campaign name and subject line
Preview text and sender
Email content preview
Step 5: Understanding Trigger Conditions
Unlike scheduled campaigns, Auto Trigger campaigns don't have a recipient selection or scheduling step. Instead, you'll see information about trigger conditions.
The campaign will be triggered per contact through automation rules that you set up separately. Once your content is ready, click Send to save and activate your campaign.
After saving, the campaign appears in your Auto Trigger list. You'll notice it shows "Starts on: Automation trigger" which means it's waiting for an automation to be connected.
Step 6: Create an Automation Rule
With your Auto Trigger campaign saved, you need to create an automation rule that triggers it.
Go to Automate in the main navigation.
Select Automations.
Click Create New Automation.
Give your automation a name.
Choose a Trigger
Select what event should trigger this automation. All standard automation triggers are available, similar to workflow entry triggers. Common options include:
Contact subscribed to a specific list
Contact added a specific tag
Contact completed a form submission
Integration-specific triggers (if you have integrations set up)
Select your trigger and configure any required settings (like which list or tag to watch).
Add the Send Action
After setting your trigger, add an action:
Click to add an action.
Select Send Auto Trigger Campaign.
Choose the Auto Trigger campaign you created.
Adding a Delay (Optional)
If you don't want the email to send immediately when triggered, you can add a delay:
Add a delay action before the send action.
Configure the delay time in minutes, hours, or days.
For example, you might want to send a welcome email 2 hours after someone subscribes rather than immediately.
Start the Automation
When your automation is configured, click Start to activate it. The automation will now watch for your trigger condition and send the Auto Trigger campaign to contacts who meet it.
Verifying the Connection
After starting your automation, go back to Campaigns > Auto Trigger to verify the connection. Your campaign should now show the linked automation trigger, confirming that contacts will receive this email when the automation fires.
Managing Auto Trigger Campaigns
Campaign States
Auto Trigger campaigns must be active for automations to send them. If a campaign is inactive when an automation triggers, the email won't be sent to that contact.
Editing an Active Campaign
You can edit an Auto Trigger campaign even after it's linked to automations and has started sending. Changes apply to future sends. Contacts who already received the email won't receive it again or see any updates.
Linking to Multiple Automations
A single Auto Trigger campaign can be used by multiple automations. This is useful when you want the same email sent for different trigger conditions. For example, a welcome email might be triggered both when someone joins your main list and when they sign up through a specific form.
Saving as Template
If you create a design you want to reuse, you can save it as a template from the email editor. This makes it available for future campaigns.
Viewing Reports
Auto Trigger campaigns have comprehensive reporting that tracks performance across all sends.
Accessing Reports
Go to Campaigns > Auto Trigger.
Click on the campaign name to view its report.
Overview Tab
The Overview tab shows your campaign's content preview, subject line, and sender information. This is a quick reference to see what the email looks like.
Performance Tab
The Performance tab provides detailed analytics for your campaign.
Overall Performance Metrics
Sent: Total emails delivered
Opened: Total opens (including repeat opens)
Clicked: Total clicks (including repeat clicks)
Unique Opens: Number of individual recipients who opened
Unique Clicks: Number of individual recipients who clicked
These are cumulative stats across all sends since the campaign was created.
Engagement Over Time
A line chart showing opens and clicks over time. Use the date range picker to filter to a specific time period. This helps you understand engagement patterns and whether performance is improving or declining.
Geographic Stats
A pie chart showing where your recipients are located geographically.
Device Stats
Shows which devices recipients use to open your emails.
Most Clicked Links
A list of links in your email ranked by click count. This shows which calls-to-action and content resonated most with recipients.
Click Heat Map
A visual overlay on your email showing where clicks occurred. This helps you understand which parts of your email design draw the most attention.
Email Client Stats
Shows which email clients (Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail, etc.) recipients use to read your emails.
Contacts Tab
The Contacts tab shows individual recipient data:
Which contacts received the email
Which contacts opened the email
Which contacts clicked links
Bounce and unsubscribe information
You can export contact lists from any of these views for further analysis in spreadsheets or other tools.
Identifying Which Automation Triggered a Send
The campaign report doesn't show which specific automation triggered each individual send. However, you can check a contact's timeline to see all actions that have occurred for that contact, which helps you trace back what triggered their email.
Important Notes and Limitations
Campaign Must Be Active
If your Auto Trigger campaign is inactive when an automation triggers, the email won't send. Make sure your campaign is active before relying on automations to send it.
No Scheduling Within Auto Trigger
Auto Trigger campaigns don't have their own scheduling. All timing is controlled by the automation rules and any delays you configure there.
Available Editors
Auto Trigger campaigns support Drag and Drop, Plain Text, and SendX AI editors.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between Auto Trigger campaigns and Workflows?
Auto Trigger campaigns are simpler. You create one email and connect it to automation rules. Workflows let you build complex sequences with multiple emails, branching paths, conditions, and decision points. Use Auto Trigger for simple single-email automations. Use Workflows when you need multi-step sequences or complex logic.
Can I use the same Auto Trigger campaign in multiple automations?
Yes. A single Auto Trigger campaign can be linked to as many automations as you need. This is useful when you want the same email sent for different trigger conditions.
What happens if I edit an Auto Trigger campaign that's already sending?
Changes apply to future sends only. Contacts who already received the email won't receive it again or see any updates.
Why isn't my Auto Trigger campaign sending?
Check the following:
Is the campaign active?
Is the automation started and active?
Is the trigger condition correct?
Check a contact's timeline to see if the automation fired
Can I add a delay before sending the Auto Trigger campaign?
Yes. In your automation rule, add a delay action for the send action. You can set delays in minutes, hours, or days with no maximum limit.
How do I stop an Auto Trigger campaign from sending?
You can either deactivate the campaign itself or stop the automation rules that trigger it. Deactivating the campaign stops all sends regardless of which automation triggers. Stopping specific automations gives you more granular control.
Can I see reports filtered by date range?
Yes. The Performance tab includes a date range picker for the engagement chart, and you can view cumulative stats or filter to specific time periods.
Can I personalize Auto Trigger campaigns with contact information?
Yes. Contact personalization tags are available and work the same as in other campaign types.