Automation 2.0 sends emails that are created and managed in Keela Email Marketing. When you add a Send Email action to a workflow, you can select either:
- An email that has already been sent
- A draft email that has been enabled for automation
This lets you prepare and update email content in Email Marketing, then reuse the same email in one or more Automation 2.0 workflows. You cannot create a new email from inside the workflow builder.
Note: Enabling a draft email for automation does not prevent you from using it as a regular Email Marketing email. You can still review, edit, schedule, and send it as usual.
Before you begin
To use an email in an Automation 2.0 workflow, the email must either have been sent previously or be a draft that has been enabled for automation.
Before a draft can be enabled, complete all the below information required for the email to send:
- The sender email (From)
- The reply-to email address
- The subject
- The content
The Enable for Automation option remains disabled until the required setup is complete.
Enable a draft email for automation
- In Keela, open Email Marketing.
- Create a new email or open an existing draft.
- Fill in the required email fields to enable: From, Reply-to, Subject, and Content fields.
- Select Enable for Automation, then select I understand in the pop-up confirmation; You should see an Enabled for automation badge and banner after confirming the email is ready for automation use.
- Return to your Automation 2.0 workflow. You should now be able to search and select that email in the Send Email action emails dropdown.
Reuse an email across workflows
The same Email Marketing email can be selected in multiple Automation 2.0 workflows. This allows you to manage shared content in one place instead of maintaining a separate copy for every workflow.
For example, multiple donor follow-up workflows could use the same thank-you email. When you need to update that message, open the email in Email Marketing and edit it there and all your workflows using that email will be updated.
Edit an email used by active workflows
You can return to Email Marketing and edit an automation-enabled email at any time.
When you open an email that is enabled for Automation 2.0 workflows, Keela displays a banner explaining that the email can be used by active workflows. Keep the following in mind:
- Editing the email does not pause the workflows using it.
- Active workflows may continue sending the email while you are making changes.
- After you save, future sends from workflows using that email will use the updated content.
- If the email is shared by multiple workflows, your saved changes apply everywhere that email is used.
Review changes carefully before saving, especially when the email is connected to an active workflow.
Delete or archive an email used by an active workflow
If you delete or archive an Email Marketing email used by an active Automation 2.0 workflow, the workflow will remain active. However, the Send Email action will fail when the workflow attempts to use that email. The failure will be recorded in the workflow’s Activity log.
Before deleting or archiving an email, replace it in any active workflows that use it to prevent email actions from failing.
Important things to know
- Automation 2.0 does not create or store separate copies of Email Marketing emails.
- Sent emails and automation-enabled drafts are available in the Send Email action dropdown.
- One email can be reused across multiple workflows.
- Editing a shared email can affect multiple active workflows.
- Automation-enabled drafts can still be edited and sent as regular Email Marketing emails.