> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://agencykey.com/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Automated Messages

> Set a message once and let it send itself whenever a fan subscribes, resubscribes, buys a PPV, or comes online

Automated messages let you set up a message once and let it send itself whenever a fan does something — subscribes, resubscribes, buys a PPV, or comes online. Unlike a regular mass message that you send by hand to a list, an automated message waits for the fan to act and then reaches out on its own.

Navigate to **Automation → Message Campaigns**, pick a model, and click **New Message** to get started.

## What you can do

* Greet new subscribers automatically the moment they subscribe
* Welcome fans back when they resubscribe
* Follow up with fans right after they buy a PPV
* Reach out the moment a fan comes online
* Send the message once per fan, or every time the fan matches
* Add a pause so the same fan isn't messaged too often
* Skip fans you've chatted with recently
* Target the right audience with the same lists and filters as a regular mass message

## New Message picker

When you click **New Message**, the picker opens with two groups:

| Group                  | What it does                                                                      |
| ---------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Mass messages**      | A one-time send to a list — the regular campaign you schedule and launch yourself |
| **Automated messages** | A message that fires on its own whenever a fan triggers it                        |

Pick a card under **Automated messages** to open the editor. The editor looks like a regular campaign, plus an extra **Rules** section where you choose the trigger and how it sends.

## Triggers

Each automated message reacts to one fan event. Pick the trigger when you choose the card, and you can change it later in the **Rules** section.

| Trigger                | Sends when                          |
| ---------------------- | ----------------------------------- |
| **Nudge**              | A fan comes online                  |
| **Subscriber welcome** | A fan subscribes for the first time |
| **Purchases**          | A fan buys a PPV                    |
| **Resubscribe**        | A fan resubscribes                  |

## Rules section

The **Rules** section is where you decide how the automated message behaves. It appears only for automated messages, not for regular mass messages.

### Action

Choose how soon the message goes out after the fan triggers it:

| Action            | Description                                                                                                                     |
| ----------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Immediately**   | The message sends as soon as the fan triggers it                                                                                |
| **After a delay** | The message waits a random time between a **from** and a **to** value (in minutes) before sending — useful to feel more natural |

### Frequency

Choose how often the same fan can receive the message:

| Frequency           | Description                                                             |
| ------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Send once**       | The fan receives the message only the first time they match the trigger |
| **Send every time** | The fan receives the message every time they match the trigger          |

### Trigger pause

This option appears only when **Frequency** is set to **Send every time**. Turn it on to wait a set number of hours before the same campaign can message that fan again, so an active fan isn't messaged over and over.

| Setting           | Value                        |
| ----------------- | ---------------------------- |
| **Trigger pause** | 1 to 8760 hours (default 24) |

<Tip>
  If several automated messages share the same trigger for one model, the app picks one of them at random each time the trigger fires — so you can run a few variations without doubling up on the same fan.
</Tip>

## Skip recent chats

Automated messages share the same **Send To** section as regular mass messages — the same **Include** and **Exclude** rules and fan lists. For automated messages, the **Exclude** column has one extra option worth knowing.

In the **Exclude** column, turn on **Exclude recent chats** and set a period in minutes. Fans with a chat inside that window are skipped when the audience is evaluated. This reduces interruptions but cannot prevent a fan from starting a new conversation after evaluation.

| Setting                  | Value                          |
| ------------------------ | ------------------------------ |
| **Exclude recent chats** | 1 to 1440 minutes (default 15) |

<Note>
  **Exclude recent chats** is available on regular mass messages too — it lives in the shared **Send To** section. See [Targeting](./targeting) for the full Include / Exclude reference.
</Note>

## Targeting

Pick who an automated message can reach using the same filters as a regular campaign. Choose one or more included Fan Lists or Smart Lists, add filters to narrow the audience, and use excluded Fan Lists or Smart Lists to leave fans out. At least one included list is required before launch.

For the full reference, see [Targeting](./targeting).

## Tracking your automated messages

Automated campaigns appear in the same table as regular ones. A **Type** column shows whether each campaign is a regular **Mass Message** or which trigger it runs on (for example, **Nudge** or **Subscriber welcome**).

Hover over the status of a finished campaign to see why it ended.

## Editing a launched campaign

Once an automated campaign is launched, only its **name** and **note** can be changed. The trigger, rules, message, and audience are locked while it runs. To change anything else, duplicate the campaign and edit the copy.

<Tip>
  Duplicating an automated campaign keeps it automated — the copy comes back with the same trigger and rules, ready to adjust.
</Tip>

## Save, review, and launch

**Save** creates a draft; it does not activate the automation. Review its trigger, frequency, audience, message, price, and exclusions, then use **Launch**. Once launched, the automation waits for matching fan events.

## Permissions

Viewing campaigns, creating or editing drafts, launching, stopping, deleting sent messages, and changing the sending rate are separate permissions. Deleting sent messages from an active automation also stops future triggers permanently. Controls that your role cannot use are hidden or disabled, and creator scope determines which model accounts are available.

## Common issues

| Issue                                                    | What to do                                                                                          |
| -------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| The **Trigger pause** option isn't showing               | It appears only when **Frequency** is set to **Send every time**. Switch the frequency to see it.   |
| You can't change the trigger or message after launch     | Only the name and note are editable once a campaign is running. Duplicate it to make a new version. |
| You enabled an exclude or pause but left the field empty | Enter a value — the app asks for the period in minutes (or hours) before it lets you save.          |