Choose an automation trigger
Choose what starts your automation: a list, tag, segment, a date such as a birthday, a website visit, email activity, a custom event or another automation.
A trigger is the event that brings a contact into an automation. Each automation has one trigger, shown on the card at the top of the flow. Select the card and make your choice in Trigger type in the panel on the right.
The triggers
| Group | Trigger | When a contact enters |
|---|---|---|
| Audience | Contact joins a list | When they join the list you choose |
| Audience | Contact receives a tag | When the tag you choose is added to them |
| Audience | Contact joins a segment | When they start matching the segment's conditions. Contacts already in the segment at activation don't enter. |
| Audience | A date on the contact arrives | When the day of a date field, such as a birthday, arrives |
| Website | Contact visits a page | When they open a page on your site. If Page path is empty, every page counts. |
| Website | Contact submits a form | When they submit a form on your site |
| Email activity | Contact opens an email | When they open one of your emails. If you choose a Campaign, only that campaign counts. |
| Email activity | Contact clicks a link in an email | When they click a link in an email |
| Email activity | Contact's email bounces | When their email bounces permanently |
| API | Contact sends a custom event | When your system sends MailGraf an event, such as order_paid |
| Automations | Another automation completes | When they reach the end of the automation you choose |
A few rules:
- Website triggers need website tracking set up. Only visitors MailGraf can match to a contact profile start the flow.
- Test emails and automated clicks by security scanners don't start email triggers.
- MailGraf already blocks a bounced address. Use the bounce trigger for follow-up work such as tagging or removing from a list.
- Your system sends custom events through the MailGraf API. If you enter a name in Event name (optional), only that event starts the flow; leave it empty and any custom event does.
Set up a birthday email
To send a discount code a week before your contacts' birthdays:
Create a date field
Keep each contact's birthday in a custom field of the date type. If you don't have one, add it as described in Use tags and custom fields.Choose A date on the contact arrives as the trigger type
In Date field, choose your birthday field.Choose when it sends
Leave Repeat on Every year on that day. In When, choose Before the date and type7in Days. Pick the send time in Time of day; it follows your account's time zone.Add an email to the flow
Add a Send email step under the trigger and prepare your discount email. Then activate the automation.
For a single date, such as a reminder on a membership renewal day, choose Only on that date in Repeat.
Who enters and who enters again
Only active contacts who are not on the block list enter an automation. With most triggers, a contact enters the same automation once; the trigger's right panel shows Once per contact under Entry policy.
There are two exceptions. With A date on the contact arrives, the contact enters again each time the date comes round. With Contact sends a custom event, you choose Once or Every time the event arrives under Re-entry; with the second, the contact can enter again once they have finished the flow and the time in Wait at least (days) has passed.
Past activity does not start a flow
A trigger only counts what happens after you activate the automation. Contacts who joined the list, opened an email or visited your site before activation don't enter.
Frequently asked questions
Do contacts already on the list enter the automation?
No. Triggers only count what happens after you activate the automation. Contacts already on the list or in the segment don't enter; those who join later do.
Does a birthday email go every year?
Yes. With A date on the contact arrives and Every year on that day, the contact enters the flow again on that day every year.
Can an automation have two triggers?
No. Each automation has one trigger. To start from two different events, build two automations, or gather the contacts in a segment and use the segment trigger.
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