Send a Message Nudge in Campaign Manager (Quick Start)

What is Campaign Manager and how do I set up a campaign?

Campaign Manager is a tool for creating automated messaging experiences that respond to contact behavior and input. Make sure you are sending the right message, to the right student, at the right time!

Instead of sending one-off messages, Campaign Manager helps you design structured, decision-based communication. You define what gets sent, when it gets sent, and how the system reacts to replies.

Click here to learn more about Campaign Manager.

How to create a nudge and campaign

1. Create your first nudge

• Go to the Campaigns tab in your Message web app

• Select your Program

• Click + Add Nudge

2. Name your nudge

Give your message a clear, unique name.

If this nudge is part of a larger campaign, consider numbering them:

• “1 – App Campaign Fall 2027”

• “2 – App Campaign Fall 2027”

3. Select your audience

Decide who should receive this message:

• Send to entire department: Every active in contact in your program

• To send to a segment: Send to a segment of your contacts

  • Click + Add Rule

  • Expand the rule and set your conditions

Example: Send to all contacts in your program / department.

Example:
Send only to in-state contacts by setting a condition like in_state = TRUE

For more on advanced search, see: [Advanced search and rules]

4. Choose your delivery option

Select when your message should send:

5. Write your message

Compose your message using standard messaging elements: merge tags, emojis, images, and links.

Best practices:

• Use full URLs (avoid link shorteners like bit.ly or tinyurl)

• Keep messages under 160 characters when possible

• Use multi-part messages if needed (click + to add another message)

6. Save or publish

• Click Done and Save as Draft

• Publish to make the message live

Once published, your nudge will automatically send to any contact who meets the criteria.

7. Build the rest of your campaign

If your campaign includes multiple messages:

• Click + Add Nudge

• Repeat the process for each step

Tip: Plan your campaign in advance so your messages flow logically and work together.

Enhance your campaign

You can add additional functionality to any nudge by clicking + Add:

• Branching keyword responses
  Send different replies based on how a contact responds

• Save responses
  Capture replies and store them in a contact field

Learn more:

• [Saving responses]

• [Branching keyword responses]