Automations send broadcasts to fans automatically when a trigger condition is met - no manual sending required. Use them to welcome new fans, follow up after shows, recover abandoned checkouts, celebrate birthdays, and more.
Create an Automation
Navigate to Message > Automations.
Click + New Automation.
Select your trigger type, any relevant tags or poll answers, and your broadcast channel.
Available broadcast channels:
Email
SMS
Pre-save
Instagram DM
🟡 Please note: The trigger type can be changed at any time, but the broadcast channel cannot be changed once the automation is saved.
Trigger types
Gets a tag
Triggered when a specified tag is assigned to a fan. Select the tag from the dropdown or type it directly into the field.
🟡 Please note: If a fan already has the trigger tag, it cannot be assigned a second time and will not trigger the automation.
Tag | When it is assigned |
welcome | Fan signed up via one any one of your landing pages for the first time |
fanpage | Fan signed up via your Fanpage |
sms-welcome | Fan texted your Openstage phone number |
voice-welcome | Fan called your Openstage phone number |
presave-welcome | Fan pre-saved on Spotify, Apple Music, or Deezer |
ticketing-welcome | Fan purchased tickets via an Openstage box office |
Merch integration tags follow the pattern of integration name plus -welcome, for example shopify-welcome. Landing page tags can also be used - find them in the Config tab of the relevant landing page. -thanks at the end of a landing page tag means a fan completed all steps.
Answers a poll
Triggered when a fan selects a specified poll answer. Choose the poll answer from the dropdown, then select your broadcast channel.
Abandoned Shopify cart
Triggered 10 hours after a fan leaves items in their Shopify cart at checkout without completing a purchase. Select your broadcast channel to complete the setup.
See Set Up an Abandoned Cart Automation for more detail.
Has a birthday
Triggered on the date matching a fan's birthday. Select your broadcast channel to complete the setup.
🟢 Top tip: Include a birthday gift in your message - a store discount, exclusive merch access, or downloadable content. See Set Up a Birthday Automation for recommended flows.
Sends a DM or Comments on a post or story (Instagram)
Triggers when a fan sends you a direct message or comments on one of your Instagram posts or stories.
See Instagram Auto DMs for a full setup guide.
Details tab
The Details tab shows the current status of the automation and provides configuration options before activation.
Options available for all automation types:
Description - internal name for the automation, not visible to fans
Start date - when the automation begins listening for triggers
End date - when the automation stops
Only send once - limits the automation to one send per fan
Email, SMS, and pre-save automations also support a send delay - set a delay in days, hours, or minutes between the trigger firing and the broadcast sending.
🔴 Please note: Automations that have reached their end date cannot be reactivated. Duplicate the automation and set a new end date to run it again.
🟡 Please note: A delay means the automation can show as triggered before the broadcast has sent. The order is: Trigger - Delay - Send.
The lower portion of the Details tab shows the automation configuration - channel, trigger type, start and end dates, creation date, and last updated date. It also displays a list of URLs in the automation that fans have clicked, with a View Fans link for each.
The bottom of the Details tab shows an overview of fans targeted based on your audience filters.
Content tab
The Content tab is where you build the message for your automated broadcast. The available options change depending on the channel selected. Email automations can use any saved templates.
From here you can also send a test email or SMS, and check the spam score for email automations.
🟢 Top tip: The Content tab can also be used to change the trigger type for your selected channel.
For more on building content see the relevant articles for Email, SMS, Pre-save broadcasts, and Instagram DMs.
Target audience tab
The Target Audience tab lets you filter which fans receive the automated broadcast. It works the same way as the Audience Builder - add filters to define exactly who the automation sends to.
🟡 Please note: Audience filters are checked at the point the automation is triggered, not when it is set up. The automation may show more triggers than sends as a result. The order is: Trigger - Audience criteria checked - Send yes or no.
Activate your automation
Click Activate in the upper left of the Details tab to start listening for triggers. If the Activate button does not appear, required fields are still empty - these are highlighted in red.
Automations that have reached their end date display a Complete status in place of the Activate button.
🟢 Top tip: Test the full automation flow after activating to make sure fans experience the journey as intended.
Disable an automation
Click Disable under the automation status to pause an active automation. Disabled automations can be reactivated at any time.
🟡 Please note: Automations that have reached their end date cannot be reactivated. Duplicate the automation and configure it as a new one to run it again.
Clone or delete an automation
Clone an automation from the Actions menu in your automations list, or from the Details tab. Only draft automations can be deleted - previously activated automations cannot be deleted.
Performance
The Performance tab displays broadcast metrics for your automation. See Broadcast Metrics for a full breakdown.
SMS Costs
SMS credit must be topped up before any automated SMS broadcasts can send. Automated SMS broadcasts stop sending once credit runs out. See Set Up SMS Billing & Top-up Credit for more detail.
🟡 Please note: Automated SMS broadcasts stop sending once SMS credit runs out. Top up your credit to avoid interruptions to active automations.