How do I trigger an automation to run when a contact replies to my campaign?

There are two ways to add contacts to an automation when they reply to a campaign or automation email: you can create an automation that uses a "Replies to an email" trigger, or you can set up a rule on the summary page for a campaign that will add contacts to a new automation once they reply to your communication. This second option will prompt you to create a new automation.

Both options require that you set up reply tracking. Note that reply tracking can only be applied to one-time campaigns that have not yet been sent or automation emails. If you are setting up reply tracking for an automation email, then only replies from that moment on will be tracked.

Learn how to Use Reply Tracking with your campaigns.

You may want to trigger an automation to run when a contact replies to an email in order to send follow-up messages, apply a tag, adjust a contact score, and more.

"Replies to an email" automation trigger

You can use this trigger to add contacts to an automation when they reply to your campaign.

When selecting this trigger for your automation, you'll have the option to choose between when a contact replies to a "Standard Campaign" or when a contact replies to a "1:1 email." Since you want to trigger this automation to run when a contact replies to a campaign, you'll want to select the option on the top:

Next, you'll need to configure your trigger. Here you will be able to select the email you're tracking replies for and choose if the trigger should run once or multiple times.

Once you've finished configuring your trigger, click "Save." You can now finish creating your automation by adding actions to it.

Once the automation is active, all contacts who replied to the campaign you specified from that moment forward will be pulled into your automation and they will proceed through your workflow.

From the Campaign Summary page

The campaign summary page for campaigns and automation emails allows you to enable reply tracking. Once reply tracking is turned on, you will be able to create a rule that will add contacts to an automation as soon as they reply to your communication. Note that this option will prompt you to create a new automation workflow; it does not provide the option to select an automation that you've already built. Once the automation is built, contacts will be added to it as soon as they reply to your communication.

To set this up, follow these steps:

1. Go to your campaign's summary page. If you wish to enable this for an automation email, click on the email in the automation builder that you would like to update.
2. The campaign summary page will load. Reply tracking will be disabled by default. To turn it on, click the "Reply Tracking" check box.
3. A confirmation window will appear.  If you'd like to move forward, click "Continue."
   
   
4. Click the "Automate" link that now appears next to "Reply Tracking."
   
   
5. Click “Add New Automation” from the modal pop-up.
   
   
6. A new tab will open and the workflow builder for your new automation will load. Here, you can begin building out your automation by adding actions. Note that the "Replies to an email" trigger will already be added and a default name will also be assigned to your automation. The automation name can be changed at anytime.