Steps are what an automation does after its trigger. They run top to bottom for each person. A step that sends nothing (a tag, an if/else) runs straight away and the next step follows; a Wait step parks the person until it is over. When someone reaches the last step, they have finished.
Where to find it:
Emails, then Automations, open an automation. On the canvas, click a ＋ between two steps to insert a step there. Click any step to open it, and Done to fold it again. The ↑ and ↓ buttons move a step, and ✕ removes it (removing an if/else asks first, because its branches go with it).
The step types:
The ＋ menu offers eleven steps.
- ✉️ Send an email
- ⏳ Wait
- 🔀 If / else
- 🏷️ Add a tag
- ➖ Remove a tag
- 📋 Add to a list
- 🚪 Remove from a list
- 🔔 Notify me
- 🌐 Call a webhook
- ⚡ Start automation (Start another automation)
- 🏁 End here
Send an email:
An open email step has a toolbar and these fields.
- Name this email: a name such as "Day 1 welcome", shown on the flow so you can read it at a glance.
- Subject and Preview text (the grey line an inbox shows after the subject).
- 📌 Notes for this email: why it exists and what to change. Never sent.
- 🏷️ Tag people who open or click this email: tags on open, tags on any click, and tags per link, up to 5 per box, once per person. A new tag can start another automation.
- The Insert buttons for merge codes such as {{first_name}} and {{tag.key}}, and a Button.
- The full editor, with Visual and Code tabs.
The unsubscribe footer is added automatically. The toolbar buttons are covered in The Email Library: Write Once, Reuse Anywhere and Send A Test From Inside An Automation.
Wait:
Set a number and a unit: minutes, hours, days or weeks. The optional then at box adds a time of day: once the wait is over, it holds until that time (site time). So "Wait 1 days then at 09:00" means the next 9am after a full day. The automation's own Send every email at time applies to every wait that has no time of its own.
If / else:
The flow splits into a YES branch and a NO branch, each with its own steps, including more if/else steps inside (up to 12 deep). After a branch ends, both paths carry on with whatever follows the if/else. Then choose what to check about the person. The checks are grouped like this. Tags and lists
- has the tag… (type the tag, even one nobody has yet)
- is on the list…
Buying
- has bought anything
- has bought this product… (reversed sales do not count)
- has spent more than… (an amount)
Engagement
- opened an email in the last… (days)
- clicked an email in the last… (days)
- clicked a link containing… (text, in the last so many days)
- engagement score is at least… (0 to 100)
Automations
- is in this other automation…
- is in ANY other automation
- has finished this automation…
Where they are
- is in the country…
The check runs at the moment the person reaches the step.
Tags and lists:
- Add a tag and Remove a tag change a person's tags on the spot; the next if/else already sees the change. Adding a tag also starts any other active automation whose trigger is Gets a tag with exactly this tag (Remove a tag does the same for Loses a tag).
- Add to a list and Remove from a list move people between lists. Add to a list also starts automations whose trigger is Joins a list with exactly this list.
Notify me:
Sends a plain email to the address you type, or to the site admin email when the box is blank. It includes your note, the subscriber's email and name, and the time they reached the step. Useful when a buyer reaches the offer step and you want to write to them personally.
Call a webhook:
Posts the details as JSON to the address you type: the automation name, the step, and the subscriber's email, first name, last name and tags. This connects a flow to Zapier or your own scripts.
Start another automation:
Pick another automation and the person is enrolled in it on the next minute. It works even if that automation is a Draft or Paused (the person waits there until you switch it on), it respects that automation's re-entry setting, and it never starts the automation it sits in. This lets you break a long journey into smaller flows.
End here:
Stops the journey and marks it finished. Anyone who reaches the last step is finished anyway, so End here is only needed when a branch should stop early.
Who keeps moving:
If someone unsubscribes or lands on the suppression list part way through, they leave at their next step and nothing more is sent. Someone who has not confirmed a double opt-in yet is held at the start, for up to 30 days, and moves on the moment they confirm.
A real example:
"Tomato page: clicked but did not buy" on Leafwise Gardening waits 1 day, then asks If this person has bought this product… Tomato Growing Masterclass. YES goes to 🏁 End here. NO sends "You had a look", waits 2 days, and checks again; if they still have not bought, it sends "What people say after they buy", waits 3 days, checks a third time, sends "Last note about this" and adds the tag did-not-buy.
Tips:
- To stop people the moment they buy, an exit rule is quicker than repeating the same if/else. See Taking People Out Of An Automation.
- The ⚡ Simple view shows the same flow as a form, with branches indented. See Automations: Your First Flow.
- Reuse emails across flows. See The Email Library: Write Once, Reuse Anywhere.