Updated: May 21, 2025
Types of workflows: How to create automated journeys for your subscribers
Automation workflows — also called automated journeys — let you create sequences that are triggered by specific subscriber actions. Each workflow begins with a trigger, and you can add additional triggers along with actions called nodes and branches, giving you flexible ways to tailor the experience for your subscribers.
To help you get started, beehiiv offers a library of pre-built automation templates. You can use these as-is, customize them, or build your own from scratch to fit your specific needs.
How to set up a new automation workflow
- From your account dashboard, go to Audience > Automations.
- To create a new automation, you can either:
- Click New automation or Create Automation to start from scratch.
- Or scroll down to use a Quick start template by selecting one or clicking Use template to browse the full library.
Using an automation template
Based on your needs, you can select from a range of quick start templates, including:
- Complete Survey Reminder: Sends a reminder email to users who subscribed but didn’t complete the welcome survey.
- Paid Subscription Downgrade Retention Flow: A win-back flow for users who downgrade from any paid subscription tier.
- Paid Subscription Reminder Automation: Encourages free subscribers to upgrade to a paid tier.
- Paid Subscription Upgrade Welcome Email: Sends a welcome email to new paid subscribers.
- Re-engagement Automation Flow (90-Day Inactivity): Targets subscribers who’ve been inactive for 90+ days. Sends 3 emails over 3 days, then removes unengaged users to maintain deliverability and engagement metrics.
- Welcome Email (with re-entry): Sends a welcome email to new subscribers, with re-entry allowed after one day.
The template will open on the Workflow tab with a base layout. None of the steps are active by default. The Actions panel on the left side will be open so you can begin customizing the steps. You can collapse or expand it using the icon in the top right of the panel.
When using a template, the automation will already have a name at the top. To change it, click the pencil icon. This opens the Settings tab where you can update the name, description, and re-entry settings.
Creating an automation from scratch
- After selecting to create a new automation, you'll need to name it (required) and optionally add a description. Then click Save automation.
- You’ll land on the Workflow tab, where you can start building your automation. The first trigger box will appear automatically — this defines when the workflow begins.
The Actions panel will also be open, for you to further customize the automation by dragging and dropping the actions into your workflow. Simply click the collapse icon found in the top right corner of the Actions panel to open or close the panel.
Use the Actions panel on the left to drag and drop steps like emails, webhooks, branches, or delays. Zoom, pan, and view controls are available in the bottom-left corner of the canvas.
Tech Note: Triggers and actions appear grey until activated. All changes are saved automatically.
Adding a trigger
- On the workflow canvas, set the first trigger by clicking the Add Trigger button or use the Configure step icon in the right corner of the trigger box to access the options (they open the same thing).
- In the left panel that appears, click + Add Trigger to see the available options. Select one to proceed. Refer to this article for a list of the different types of triggers and actions that you can use.
- Define conditions for the trigger by clicking + Condition. You can add as many conditions to your trigger as you deem necessary. To remove them at any time, click the Delete All Conditions icon.
When all looks good with the trigger conditions, click Back.
- You’ll be brought back to the trigger panel where you’ll see an overview of the trigger you just created. To continue to add more triggers and conditions, click + Add Trigger and repeat as needed.
Pro Tip: Although there is an option to activate the trigger here, it’s best not to activate your trigger until all workflow steps are set up. This ensures subscribers won’t enter an incomplete flow.
If it's the first trigger, we suggest waiting until the entire workflow has been created and then activating all the steps at once, ending with the first trigger. The workflow gets automated when all of the steps have been activated, signified by when the first trigger gets enabled.
When all looks good, click the black Save button in the bottom right corner of the panel.
- You’ll be brought back to the workflow builder where you’ll see your trigger greyed out if it is inactive or in color if it's already been enabled.
Building the workflow
- Use the Action panel to add steps and continue building the automation as needed.
Click on an action in the panel to select it, then drag it onto the workflow canvas, and drop it into the desired spot. Once placed, click the Configure step icon to open the edit panel for it.
- Each action and trigger that you add to your workflow has its own configuration options that you will need to follow in the left panel, and after doing so, you will always need to click Save in the bottom right corner of the panel. Repeat this for each trigger or action you want to include.
Optional: You can toggle on Activate at the top of the panel, but we recommend waiting until all steps are built and you're ready for the automation to start running.
Activating the workflow
- When the entire workflow is built and ready to go:
- Open each step by clicking the Configure step icon.
- Toggle on Activate.
- Click Confirm on the popup.
- Once confirmed, be sure to click Save in the bottom right corner of the panel.
- After enabling all of your steps they will be in color on your canvas. Return to the first trigger and repeat the process to enable it, click the Configure step icon, then toggle Activate in the left panel.
A confirmation message will appear, reminding you that activating it means that subscribers will start flowing through the steps of the automation once activated. Click Confirm to proceed.
- At the top of the canvas, you’ll see a green Running status once the first trigger is live — your workflow is now active! 🎉
Configuring automation settings
Once you’ve set up your automation workflow, you can go to the Settings tab to further configure settings around how many times and under what conditions subscribers can enroll in the workflow.
This is where you can edit the name of the automation and create settings around re-entry.
Monitoring automation activity
After your automation is activated and subscribers begin enrolling, you can return to the Overview tab to track performance and activity over time.
At-a-glance insights
The top of the Overview dashboard displays key stats about your automation:
- Workflow Steps: The number of steps in the automation.
- Subscribers in progress: Subscribers currently enrolled and moving through the workflow.
- Completed Subscribers: Total number of subscribers who have finished the workflow since it began.
- Days: Number of days since the most recent enrollment.
- Completion Rate: Percentage of subscribers who have completed the workflow.
- Average completion time: How long it typically takes for a subscriber to finish the workflow.
Automation Overview
Below the summary stats, you’ll find visual charts that give more detail on workflow activity. You can toggle between two views: Journey and Performance.
Journey Chart: Displays subscriber movement through the workflow — showing how many have Entered, are In Progress, have Completed, or Exited early. Use the dropdown in the upper-right corner to adjust the timeframe shown.
Performance Chart: Shows how each email in your workflow is performing with metrics for Sent, Delivered, Unique opens, Unique clicks, and Spam reports. Use the search field to find a specific message or adjust the timeframe using the dropdown.
Below the chart, you’ll find a list of the emails that were sent for specific steps in the workflow sorted by the Email subject, number of emails Sent and Delivered, and the percentages for the total Open rate, Click through rate, and Spam rate. This section provides a detailed view of how each email is performing within your automation.
Frequently asked questions about automations
Can I end an automation when a subscriber replies?
Not currently. At this time, automations cannot be triggered to end based on subscriber replies. Our product team is actively exploring this functionality, though we don’t have a timeline to share just yet.
Why aren’t existing subscribers moving into a newly-added step in my automation?
If a subscriber has already completed your automation — meaning they’ve received the final email available at the time — they will not enter any new steps you add afterward. They’re considered to have ‘completed’ the workflow.
However, any subscribers still in progress and any new subscribers who enter the automation after your updates will proceed through the workflow, including any new steps you’ve added.
What does ‘Exited early’ mean on the Journey chart?
‘Exited early’ on the Journey chart in the Automation Overview refers to subscribers who left the automation before completing all steps. This can happen if they didn’t meet a condition, unsubscribed, were removed, or became inactive before an email step.
Can I use one of my saved templates in the automation workflow builder?
Yes. You can save your current automation as a template by clicking Save Template in the upper-right corner of the workflow builder. You’ll then be able to reuse that template for future workflows.
Will beehiiv be adding more automation templates?
Yes. We’re continuing to expand our template library with new workflows designed for common use cases. These will be added to the automation template options over time.