Create campaigns with Active Intelligence

With Active Intelligence, you can create campaigns from a single text prompt. The Active Intelligence-generated campaign includes a subject line, preheader, layout, images, content, and call to action.

Active Intelligence campaign creation helps you create quick campaigns, including using Active Intelligence to easily refine and finalize your content, create multiple versions for A/B testing, incorporate brand kit information, and provide campaign inspiration.

In this article, you’ll learn the basics of creating campaigns with Active Intelligence.

Take note

• Set up your Brand Kit before creating campaigns with Active Intelligence to help keep your campaigns consistent
• Active Intelligence campaign creation can only create campaigns using the Standard campaign type with the Email Designer
• Active Intelligence-generated campaigns will be tagged with the AI icons on the Campaigns Overview page

How to create campaigns with Active Intelligence

There are three ways to create campaigns with Active Intelligence:

Active Intelligence homepage or sidebar page

1. Access the Active Intelligence homepage by logging in (it will be the first page) or by clicking the ActiveCampaign logo in the top menu if already logged in. To open the Active Intelligence sidebar, click the Active Intelligence icon from any page except the homepage.
2. From Active Intelligence, you can either:
   • Type in a prompt to create a campaign. For example: 
     • “Write a product launch email that builds excitement with compelling benefits, addresses how it solves customer problems, and drives action with a clear call-to-action”
     • “Create a monthly newsletter email with diverse content including industry updates, company news, customer spotlight, and actionable tips that keep subscribers engaged and informed”
   • If you are in Active Intelligence workspace, click one of the campaign-related idea cards under the prompt field
3. Active Intelligence will create the campaign. 
4. Review and edit the Active Intelligence-generated campaign.

5. Click the “Send test” button to send a test campaign to the email associated with your ActiveCampaign user to review your campaign.

     Test emails do not require you to set up your sending domain.

6. When you are done creating the campaign, click the “Review and send” button. 
7. Complete the information on the Campaign Summary page.
8. Once you have completed the information on the Campaign Summary page, send your email. 

Campaigns Overview page

1. Click Campaigns on the left menu.
2. In the “Generate a campaign in seconds” field at the top of the page, type a detailed prompt describing your desired email campaign, including subject, colors, themes, and patterns.
3. Click the arrow button in the prompt field or hit “Enter” on your keyboard. 
4. Active Intelligence will open and create the campaign. 
5. Review and edit the Active Intelligence-generated campaign.

6. Click the “Send test” button to send a test campaign to the email associated with your ActiveCampaign user to review your campaign.

     Test emails do not require you to set up your sending domain.

7. When you are done creating the campaign, click the “Review and send” button. 
8. Complete the information on the Campaign Summary page.
9. Once you have completed the information on the Campaign Summary page, send your email. 

While creating a new campaign

1. Click Campaigns on the left menu.
2. Click the “Start from scratch instead” hyperlink under the prompt field.
3. Under the “Standard” campaign type, click the “Create with AI” radio button.
4. Click "Next" to open Active Intelligence.
5. In the prompt field at the top of the page, type a detailed prompt describing your desired email campaign, including subject, colors, themes, and patterns.
6. Click the arrow button in the prompt field or hit “Enter” on your keyboard. 
7. Active Intelligence will open and create the campaign. 
8. Review and edit the Active Intelligence-generated campaign.

9. Click the “Send test” button to send a test campaign to the email associated with your ActiveCampaign user to review your campaign.

     Test emails do not require you to set up your sending domain.

10. When you are done creating the campaign, click the “Review and send” button. 
11. Complete the information on the Campaign Summary page.
12. Once you have completed the information on the Campaign Summary page, send your email. 

How to edit Active Intelligence-generated campaigns

Once you create your Active Intelligence-generated campaign, it can be edited from the Active Intelligence.

You can edit your Active Intelligence-generated campaign with the following options:

Layout

You can choose from the following layouts while creating campaigns with Active Intelligence:

• Simple
• Callouts 
• Image Grid
• Sale
• Asymmetrical Grid 
• Editorial 
• 3 Column
• Double Header
• Rounded Borders
• Bold Header 
• 2 Columns 
• Central Focus
• Countdown 
• Countdown Hero
   

Adjust content using feedback

You can give feedback and change the content in your Active Intelligence-generated campaign by typing into the prompt field and hitting enter on your keyboard. Context is remembered within each chat tab.

Active Intelligence will regenerate the preview on the right. The regenerated content will consider the original prompt, original brand kit (if you used one), and feedback provided.

You can also manually adjust the text in the preview on the right using the directions in the next section.

Adjust images

Active Intelligence picks images from your Content Manager based on your campaign prompt. For example, if you create a birthday campaign, it searches for images with matching names, keywords, or alt text. If no matching images are found, Active Intelligence uses stock images instead.

You can update images in your Active Intelligence-generated campaign in two ways:

Manually change the image

In the Active Intelligence campaign creator preview, click the image you’d like to adjust, then click the “Change image” button. From there, you can:

• Choose a different image from your Content Manager
• Click the “Generate image” button to generate a new image using Active Intelligence

Prompt Active Intelligence to use a specific image

You can also type a prompt in the feedback field to tell Active Intelligence which image to use and where to place it. For example:

"Use image [image name] from Content Manager in the hero section of this email campaign."

Active Intelligence will update the campaign preview with the image you specified.

Edit using the preview

You can manually adjust the text (Subject, Preheader, and body), images, and links by clicking and editing them in the preview.

Links

It is best practice to make sure your links are correct before sending. Active Intelligence-generated campaigns allow you to insert links in two ways: manually or by prompt. 

Manually link a URL in the campaign button

1. Click the call-to-action button in the campaign preview.
2. Paste the link into the “Insert link” field.
3. Click “Save.”

Prompt Active Intelligence to link a URL in a button

You can also type a prompt in the feedback field to tell Active Intelligence which URL to link in a button. For example:

"Use URL [URL name: https://activecampaign.com] in the Call to Action button of this email campaign."

Active Intelligence will update the campaign preview with the URL you specified.
 

Additional edits in the Email Designer

If you need to make additional layout or design changes beyond the options available in the preview in the Active Intelligence Campaign Creator, you can use the full Email Designer.

There are two options to get to the email designer from the Active Intelligence Campaign Builder:

1. Click “Edit in campaign designer” at the bottom of the preview in Active Intelligence.
   
   OR
    
2. Click the “Review and send” button at the top of the campaign preview in Active Intelligence to get to the Campaign Summary page, then click the “Edit design” button.

Edit existing emails with AI

You can edit existing emails with AI, even if they were not created with Active Intelligence.

To do so:

1. Open the campaign you want to update with AI
2. Hover over the email design on the campaign summary page, then click “Edit with AI.”
3. Use the AI editor to update your campaign and click the “Regenerate” button.

Duplicate an email and rewrite it with a prompt

You can duplicate an existing email with AI and use prompts to edit it. To do so:

1. Locate the email campaign you want to edit.
2. Click the down arrow next to the “Continue” button.
3. Select “Duplicate with AI” from the dropdown.
4. AI will create a copy of your campaign and direct you to the campaign summary page.
5. Use the left panel to make changes to your campaign with AI.