How can I use a wait step in an automation?

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When you use the 'Send an email' action in an automation, it is wise to add a wait step afterward. This gives your contacts time to open and respond to the email. This is especially important if you send multiple emails in a row or use an if/else split based on actions such as opening, clicking, or replying to an email.

In this article, you will learn how to add a wait step in an automation and which settings you can use.

 

💡 Tip: Are you modifying an active automation? Set it to inactive first. Once you're done, reactivate the automation. This ensures contacts continue through the flow and prevents technical issues.

 


Table of Contents


 

How do you add a wait step to an automation?

  1. Click on 'Automations' in the left menu.
  2. Select the automation you want to modify and click 'Edit'.
  3. Click on 'Conditions and Workflow' in the right panel.
  4. Drag the 'Wait' action into your automation.
  5. Choose the type of wait action you want to use. (See the different options below.)
  6. Follow the further steps to configure the wait action.
  7. Click 'Save'.

 

 

What types of wait steps are there?

MailBlue offers four different options for wait steps. The one you choose depends on what you want to achieve with your automation:

Below, you'll find details on each type and when to use them.

 

Wait for a certain period

Sometimes, you may want a contact to wait for a fixed amount of time before proceeding to the next step in your automation. This wait step allows you to specify a delay in minutes, hours, days, weeks, or even months. It’s useful for creating a natural flow in your email campaign, ensuring that messages aren’t sent too quickly in succession.

Whether you want to send a follow-up email three days after a sign-up or a reminder seven days after a purchase, this wait step ensures there is a logical time buffer in your automation.

 

 

Examples:

  • A contact receives an email immediately and then waits 3 days before receiving the next email.
  • A contact waits 1 hour after signing up before receiving a welcome message.
  • A reminder email is sent 7 days after an initial purchase.

 

Wait until a specific day and/or time

Would you like your automation to consider specific days and times? Then this wait step is the perfect solution. It allows you to set a precise day and time for a contact to proceed in the workflow. This is particularly useful if you want to send weekly newsletters or promotional emails at a fixed moment.

Additionally, you can ensure that important messages, such as payment reminders or appointment confirmations, are sent at the most relevant time. This helps prevent contacts from receiving your emails at inconvenient moments and increases the likelihood of engagement.

 

 

Examples:

  • A contact waits until Monday at 09:00 AM before receiving a new email.
  • All contacts wait until the first of the month before receiving a payment reminder.
  • A contact waits until 12:00 PM in their time zone before a discount offer is sent.

 

Wait until a custom date field matches

In some cases, you might want a contact to proceed in the automation only when a specific date in their profile has been reached. This could be a birthday, subscription renewal date, or another significant milestone. With this wait step, you can perfectly time automated communication based on custom date fields you’ve set up. Additionally, you can also indicate whether a contact should continue with the automation or if the automation should be terminated.

For example, you could create a birthday campaign where a contact only receives a greeting on their actual birthday, or you could send a reminder email a few days before a membership expires. This ensures a highly personalized and relevant experience for your contacts.

 

 

Examples:

  • A contact waits until their birthday matches the current date and then receives a birthday email.
  • You set up a contact to receive a reminder 5 days before their contract expiration date.
  • A customer automatically receives a service email on the date of a scheduled appointment.

 

🚨 Note: Make sure you set up a custom date field before adding the wait step. 'Date and time' fields do not work with this option.

 

Wait until certain conditions are met

Not every action in an automation needs to happen at a fixed time. Sometimes, you may want a contact to move to the next step only after meeting specific criteria, such as opening an email, clicking a link, or receiving a particular tag.

This wait step helps make your automation smarter and more dynamic by responding to your contacts' behavior and interactions. If you used wait steps for the last update on January 28, 2025, this is part of the wait step function as you may already be accustomed to.

For instance, you can set it up so that a reminder email is only sent if the previous email wasn’t opened, or ensure that a follow-up step is triggered only after a customer has approved a quote. This makes your automation more effective and relevant to each recipient.




Examples:

  • A contact waits until they have opened an email before the next email is sent.
  • You let a contact wait until they have clicked on a specific link in an email.
  • A customer remains in the wait step until a quote is approved and then continues in the automation.

 

💡 Tip: The configurations for specific dates and date fields set up with 'Wait until a specific day and/or time' or 'Wait until a custom date field matches' are also available in the segment builder. Use this feature especially if you want to combine date conditions with other criteria, such as 'Tag is' or 'Is subscribed to the list (active)'.

 

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