Guides

How to Send Campaigns

What it is A campaign is a message you send to a whole group of contacts at once, instead of one recipient at a time. On Convert, you can build a campaign for any of your three channels: Email, WhatsApp, or SMS. Every campaign you've sent (or saved as a draft) lives in your Campaigns list, where you can see its channel, audience, how many messages went out, and its status. Campaigns are how you reach more than one person without repeating yourself. Instead of writing and sending 500 individual messages, you write the message once, pick who it goes to, and Convert handles sending it to everyone in that list, while tracking delivery for each one. That delivery data feeds straight into your Analytics, so you can see exactly how a campaign performed after it goes out. Campaigns also respect the limits of each channel. WhatsApp, for instance, has a daily sending cap, Convert shows this to you live as you build a campaign, so you're never caught off guard by a failed send. Before you start Make sure you have: - A connected channel for whichever you're sending through, WhatsApp needs a linked number, SMS needs an approved Sender ID, Email needs a root domain only, without a path or email address. see guide on how to setup your email channel - A contact list ready to send to (or a small test list, if this is your first campaign) - Your message content drafted, or at least an idea of what you want to say, since you'll write or design it directly in the campaign builder - If sending WhatsApp or promotional content: confirmation that your recipients have opted in How to set it up: step by step Step 1: Click "New campaign" From the Campaigns page, click New campaign in the top right. Step 2: Choose your channel Select WhatsApp, SMS, or Email. This is the one decision that shapes everything after it, each channel has its own fields, message format, and rules. Step 3: Name your campaign and pick an audience Give it an internal name (e.g. "June promotion") just for your own tracking, then select which contact list to send to. If you're testing, choose a small Test Users list instead of your full audience. Step 4: Write or design your message For WhatsApp and SMS, write your message directly (type {{ to insert personalization like first name); WhatsApp also lets you attach an image. For Email, use the visual email builder to design the body, plus a subject line and sender. Step 5: Check the live preview As you type or design, the Live message / Recipient preview panel on the right updates in real time, showing exactly what the recipient will see. Step 6: Check any sending limits For larger audiences, watch for a notice like "8 recipients fit within your daily WhatsApp limit of 100. Messages will still be paced individually." This confirms your send is within range before you commit to it. Step 7: Send a test Before sending to your full list, run the campaign against your test list first. Confirm the test recipients actually receive it, and that formatting, images, and personalization all look right. Step 8: Send now or schedule Choose Send now, or Schedule for later to set a future send time. For Email, you'll click Proceed first, Convert reviews your sender and delivery timing before the campaign actually sends. Final checklist before sending to a real audience - The right channel is connected and shows as active (WhatsApp linked, Sender ID approved, or Email sender confirmed) - Your audience list is the correct one, not a test list - The message has been proofread, and personalization variables render correctly - Any image (WhatsApp) or design (Email) displays properly in the live preview - Recipients are opted in, where required - A test send was delivered successfully first - You've confirmed you're within any daily sending limit for that channel Common problems The audience list is empty or shows 0 contacts: Double-check you selected the right list, and that it actually has contacts uploaded (see your Contacts page). Personalization variables show up blank or literal (e.g. {{first_name}}): This usually means the contact record is missing that field. Check the contact's details, or fall back to a generic greeting for that list. WhatsApp campaign won't send: Confirm your WhatsApp number shows as Connected under Settings → Channels, and that you haven't exceeded your daily sending limit. SMS campaign fails to send: Check that your Sender ID has been approved; SMS can't send on a pending or rejected Sender ID. Email campaign stuck after clicking Proceed: Make sure you have a confirmed, active sender address selected — an unconfirmed sender will block the review step from completing. Test recipients didn't receive the message: Verify their number/email is correct and in the right format, and that the relevant channel is connected and healthy. What's next Once a campaign is sent, head to Analytics to see how it performed, delivery rate, opens, clicks, bounces, and cost.

Forms: What They Are and How to Create One

What it is A Form is a signup or lead-capture widget you build in Convert and place on your website, a newsletter signup, a waitlist, an event registration, or a lead-gen form. Every submission automatically becomes a contact in your workspace, ready to reach through Email, SMS, or WhatsApp. Your Forms live under the Forms tab in the sidebar, where you can see each one's views, submissions, and conversion rate. Why it matters Campaigns need an audience to send to, and Forms are one of the main ways that audience grows organically. Instead of manually uploading a spreadsheet of contacts, a Form captures leads directly from your website (or a shared link) and adds them straight into your contact lists, with their consent already built in via a checkbox. Because every submission becomes a real contact, the people you capture through a Form are immediately available for campaigns, personalization, and segmentation, no extra import step needed. Before you start Have ready: - A clear purpose for the form, what you're trying to capture (newsletter signups, event registrations, leads, etc.) - A decision on where it will live, embedded in your website, a popup, or a standalone hosted link - The contact list you want new submissions saved to (or use the default) How to set it up: step by step Step 1: Click "Create form" Step 2: Choose your form's purpose Pick a starting template based on what you're building: Newsletter signup, Generate leads, Request a demo, Waitlist, Event registration, Email signup, WhatsApp signup, SMS signup, or Start from scratch. Every template stays fully editable afterward, so don't overthink this — it's just a starting point. Click Continue. Step 3: Choose how it should appear Select a display type: - Embedded: placed inside a page or footer on your website - Popup: appears over your site after a delay or on scroll - Hosted: a ready-to-use Convert link you can share anywhere, no website required Click Continue. Step 4: Name your form and set where contacts go Give the form an internal name (only visible to your team, you can change it later), and choose which contact list new submissions should be added to. This is optional; contacts are saved even without selecting a list. Click Create form. Step 5: Build your form in the editor You'll land in the form builder, split into two tabs on the left: Blocks tab, drag in content and fields: - Content: Heading, Paragraph, Image, Divider, Spacer - Contact fields: Email, Phone, First name, Last name, Full name, Text, Long text, Number, Dropdown, Radio, Checkbox - Actions & permission: Consent, Hidden value, Submit button Form tab: configure settings: - General: internal name, display type - Audience: which contact list to save to, and tags to apply automatically - Success: what happens after submission (show a message, redirect, etc.) Step 6: Style your form Open Form style in the right-hand panel to adjust background and text color, button color, corner radius, form width, content alignment, and fonts, all reflected live in the preview. Step 7: Preview on desktop and mobile Use the toggle above the live preview to switch between desktop and mobile views, making sure your form looks right on both before publishing. Step 8: Save a draft or publish Click Save draft if you're not ready to go live, drafts appear on the Forms page with a Draft status. When you're ready, click Publish to make the form live and start collecting submissions. Step 9: Install your published form Once published, you'll land on a confirmation screen: "Your form is live." From here: - Install on your website, copy the embed snippet shown (a <div> plus a <script> tag) and paste it into your site's HTML wherever you want the form to appear. Click Open form to preview the live, published version, or Back to editor if you need to make changes. - Next best step: Follow up while intent is fresh, Convert suggests using the form.submitted webhook event to automatically trigger a follow-up email, WhatsApp, or SMS message the moment someone submits. Click Configure a webhook to set this up. This is also the moment to actually grab your embed code, you won't need to hunt for it elsewhere, since Convert surfaces it right after publishing. Final checklist before publishing - Form purpose and template match what you're actually trying to capture - Display type fits where you're placing it (embedded, popup, or hosted link) - Required fields (like Email) are marked, and a Consent block is included if you're collecting for WhatsApp/SMS - The correct contact list is selected under Audience - A success message or redirect is set up - Styling has been checked on both desktop and mobile preview - You've tested a submission yourself before sharing it publicly Common problems Submissions aren't showing up as contacts: Check that a contact list is selected under the Form tab's Audience section, and confirm the form has actually been published, not just saved as a draft. Consent checkbox is missing: If you're planning to message these contacts on WhatsApp or SMS, add a Consent block from Actions & Permission: this documents their opt-in and keeps you compliant. Form looks broken on mobile: Switch to the mobile preview toggle while editing and adjust Form width or Content alignment until it renders cleanly at that size. Embedded form doesn't appear on my website: Double-check the display type is set to Embedded and that you've copied the correct embed snippet into your site (rather than the Hosted link). What's next Once your form is live and collecting submissions, head to Contacts to see new signups landing in your chosen list, and consider building a Welcome campaign to greet new subscribers automaticall

Templates: What They Are and How to Create One

What it is A Template is a saved, reusable message, Email, WhatsApp, or SMS, that you design once and reuse across campaigns, automations, and API sends. Every template gets a unique ID (e.g. tpl_11ztntjd), lives under Templates in the sidebar, and tracks its own send history and performance over time Why it matters Some messages you send over and over, a welcome email, an OTP, a low-balance warning, a delivery confirmation. Building these from scratch every time wastes effort and risks inconsistency. A template solves this once: design it, save it, and reuse it anywhere — in a campaign, triggered automatically by an event, or called directly from the API with template: "tpl_xxxx" and a set of variables. Convert even auto-generates some transactional templates for you (like "Sender ID approved" or "WhatsApp disconnected") so key account notifications go out without extra setup. Before you start Have ready: - A clear idea of what the message is for and which channel it belongs to (Email, or WhatsApp/SMS) - Your brand details if building an email, company name, tagline, logo — since these appear in the footer - Any personalization you want to include, like a first name or order number How to set it up: step by step Step 1: Click "Create template" From the Templates page, click Create template in the top right. Or, if you know you want an email specifically, go to the Email tab in the sidebar first, then click New email template. Step 2: Name your template Give it a clear internal name (e.g. "Welcome Message") in the field at the top, this is what you'll recognize it by later. Step 3: Build the email with blocks In the Visual email builder, click Add block to see your content options: - Text: paragraphs, headings, lists - Image: with flexible spacing - Button: a call to action - Divider: a visual separator - Container: a grouped content area - HTML: paste your own raw email HTML - Footer: company, legal, and social links Click any block to add it to the canvas, then click it again to edit its content directly in the right-hand panel. Step 4 — Edit your text and personalize it Select a Text block to open the Text editor, format with bold, italic, underline, lists, or links, and type {{ to insert a personalization variable (like {{first_name}}). Adjust alignment, font, size, and weight from the same panel. Step 5: Add an image or button Select an Image block to set its URL (or choose from your library), alt text, alignment, width, and layout (Contained or Full width). Select a Button block to set its text, destination URL, width, size (Xs–Lg), shape (Rectangle, Rounded, Pill), and colors. Step 6: Set up your footer Click Edit footer (or select the Footer block) to fill in Brand & contact details, company name, tagline, logo URL or upload, logo width, address, plus Links & legal for your privacy policy link. Choose between a Visual or Statement footer style. Note: the Unsubscribe control and "Powered by Convert" mark always stay in the footer, these can't be removed, as they're required for reliable delivery. Step 7: Review your personalization variables Scroll to the Personalization variables panel at the bottom of the builder. Anything you wrote as {{name}} shows up here automatically, you can mark each one Required to send, set a default value (used if the field is left blank), and a sample value (used only in previews). Step 8 Preview and create Click the eye icon to preview your template, then click Create template (or Save changes if editing an existing one) to finish. Creating WhatsApp or SMS templates The process is similar but simpler, since there's no visual builder, just a message editor with a live phone preview. From Templates → WhatsApp + SMS, click to start a new one, choose a Message type (Transactional or Promotional), write your message (type {{ to personalize), and optionally attach an image. The Live preview panel shows exactly how it will render on WhatsApp or as an SMS as you type. Using a template Once saved, a template can be used in three places: - In a campaign, select it from the Template dropdown when building a WhatsApp, SMS, or Email campaign - Via the API, click Use via API on the template's detail page to copy its template ID and ready-made code snippets (cURL, Node, Python, PHP, Flutter, Go) - Automatically, some system templates (like "Sender ID approved") send themselves when the relevant event happens Checking template performance Click into any template to see its detail page: the Template ID, total submissions, and full Analytics, recipients, sent, delivered, failed, opened, clicked, and unsubscribed, plus a Variables table showing which are required, and a Recipients section logging delivery activity for everyone the template's been sent to. From here you can also Edit, Duplicate, or Delete the template. Final checklist before using a template - [ ] Template name clearly describes its purpose - [ ] All personalization variables are reviewed — required ones are marked, and sensible defaults are set - [ ] Footer brand details (company name, logo, contact info) are filled in correctly - [ ] You've previewed the template before saving - [ ] For WhatsApp/SMS: Message type (Transactional vs Promotional) matches what the message actually is Common problems A variable shows up literally (e.g. {{first_name}}) in a sent message: Check the Personalization variables panel; if it's marked Required but no value was supplied at send time and no default is set, this can happen. Add a default value to prevent it. Can't remove the "Powered by Convert" footer mark: This is intentional and can't be turned off; it's part of what keeps delivery reliable. Template shows 0 sends after creating it: This is normal until the template is actually used in a campaign or API call; check the Recipients section on the template's detail page after it's been sent at least once. Image not showing in the email: Confirm the Image URL is a direct, publicly accessible link, or use Choose from library instead of pasting an external URL. What's next Once you have a solid set of templates, head back to Campaigns to put them to use, or explore the API docs if you want to trigger a template send directly from your own application