Following up on a campaign with a flow
A Campaign Follow-Up flow continues the conversation with Members based on how they reacted to one of your Campaigns. You can follow up with Members who replied, clicked a link, picked a survey choice, or did nothing.
This article covers how to create the flow, the paths Members can take, the timing windows, and what you can still edit once the Campaign is running or finished.
Who this applies to: Leaders on a plan that includes Flows. Follow-Up flows don't work with WhatsApp Campaigns. The Clicked a Link action needs Community Link Tracker turned on for the Campaign. This article does not cover other flow types. For those, see Flows in Community.
What is a Campaign Follow-Up flow?
A Campaign Follow-Up flow is tied to one Campaign. Every recipient of that Campaign enters the flow. The flow then sorts them into paths based on what they did.
- You pick one Campaign.
- If it applies, you pick one Member action to follow up on: Response (any reply, or specific keywords) or Clicked a Link.
- Members go down one path if they took the action and another if they didn't.
- If the Campaign has a survey, Members go down a path based on the survey choice their reply was grouped with.
- Each Campaign can have one Follow-Up flow.
Why should I use a Campaign Follow-Up flow?
A Campaign goes to everyone, but Members react differently. A Follow-Up flow lets you answer each reaction with a fitting message without reading replies one by one. Members who replied get a reply. Members who ignored the Campaign can get a nudge. Both happen automatically.
How do I use it?
Creating a Campaign Follow-Up flow
You can start from the Flows tab, the Campaign list, or the Campaign details page.
- Find the Campaign. In the Campaign list or on the Campaign details page, click the ellipsis menu next to it.
- Choose Create a Follow-Up Flow.
- Choose the Member action: Response or Clicked a Link.
- For Response, choose Any Response or Keyword(s). See Choosing a response type below.
- On the flow editor, add in the appropriate flow steps for each path.
- Publish the flow.
Follow-Up flows work with Sent, Scheduled and Draft Campaigns.
Choosing a response type
| Response type | Paths Members can enter |
|---|---|
| Any Response | Responded with anything, or Didn't Respond |
| Keyword(s) | The Keyword path their reply matched, Didn't Match a Keyword, or Didn't Respond |
Following up on keywords
Keywords can be words, phrases, hashtags or emojis. You can add several Keyword paths to one flow.
| Rule | How it works |
|---|---|
| Duplicate keywords | The same keyword can't be used in more than one path |
| Where the keyword can appear | A Member can send the keyword alone or inside a sentence |
| Which message is scanned | Only the first message a Member sends |
| Paths per Member | A Member can enter one Keyword path only |
| Matching order | Path 1 is checked first, then the next path. If nothing matches, the Member enters Didn't Match a Keyword. |
Following up on survey choices
If the Campaign has a survey, Members are branched by the survey choice their reply was grouped with. You can message Members grouped with a specific choice, Members whose replies didn't match a choice, and Members who didn't respond.
| Rule | How it works |
|---|---|
| Paths per Member | A Member can enter one Survey Choice path only |
| Reply grouped with several choices | The Member enters the first-listed choice |
| Reply grouped with no choice | The Member enters the Other path |
For how survey choices are grouped, see Campaign Surveys.
Following up on link clicks
Clicked a Link is only available when Community Link Tracker was turned on for the Campaign. Links are tracked for 3 days after the Campaign sends.
Understanding follow-up timing
Members can respond for 6 hours after a Campaign sends. Links are tracked for 3 days. Where a Member lands depends on when you publish the flow.
| Action | You publish before the window ends | You publish after the window ends |
|---|---|---|
| Response (standard Campaign) | Responders enter the right path in real time. Non-responders enter Didn't Respond after 6 hours. | Members who replied in the window enter their Any Response or Keyword path. Everyone else enters Didn't Respond. |
| Response (survey Campaign) | Responders enter their survey choice path in real time. Non-responders enter Didn't Respond after 6 hours. | Members who replied in the window enter their Survey Choice or Other path. Everyone else enters Didn't Respond. |
| Clicked a Link | Clickers enter Clicked in real time. Non-clickers enter Didn't Click after 3 days. | If the Campaign is complete, Members who clicked during the 3 days enter Clicked a Link. Everyone else enters Didn't Click Link. |
Editing, pausing and deleting a Follow-Up flow
- If a campaign is Active or Sending, you can pause or edit the Follow-Up Flow — changes only apply to members who haven’t yet entered it
- Once a campaign is complete and its Follow-Up Flow published, the flow can no longer be edited or deleted
Common questions
Why did a member who replied go down the Didn't Respond path?
| Cause | How to tell | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| They replied after the 6-hour window | Check the time of their reply against the Campaign send time | Replies after the window aren't sorted into response paths. |
| The flow was published after the window and they didn't reply in it | Compare publish time to send time | Publish before the window ends next time. See Understanding follow-up timing. |
Why didn't a member match my keyword?
| Cause | How to tell | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| The keyword was in their second or later message | Only the first message is scanned | Ask Members to include the keyword in their first reply |
| An earlier path matched first | Paths are checked in order, and a Member enters only one | Reorder paths so the most specific keyword is first. |
| The keyword is in two paths | A keyword can't be used in more than one path | Remove the duplicate |
Why can't I choose Clicked a Link?
Community Link Tracker wasn't turned on for the Campaign. Clicked a Link is only available when it was.
Can I create a Follow-Up flow for a WhatsApp Campaign?
No. Follow-Up flows aren't supported for WhatsApp Campaigns.
Why did my Follow-Up flow disappear?
| Cause | How to tell | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| You deleted the Campaign before it sent | The Campaign no longer exists | Create a new Campaign and a new flow |
| You edited a survey Campaign | The Campaign has a survey and was changed after the flow was created | Create a new flow. Make survey edits first next time. |
Why can't I edit my Follow-Up flow?
The Campaign is complete and the flow is published. The flow can no longer be edited or deleted.
Can I create more than one Follow-Up flow for a Campaign?
No. Each Campaign can have one Follow-Up flow.