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Build a Birthday or Date-Based Automation

Send an Edition automatically on or around a date stored against each subscriber — a birthday, sign-up anniversary, contract renewal, or policy expiry. Unlike welcome or drip journeys that count from an entry event, a date-based automation checks a date field every day and sends when it matches your timing rule.

Before you begin​

  • A subscriber field that holds the target date (for example, a birthday or renewal date) populated for the subscribers you want to reach. Empty or malformed dates are skipped.
  • The Edition you want to send, built and ready in a Folder.
  • An audience or segment that includes only subscribers who have the date field.
  • Confirm your account's timing options (send on the day, or a set number of days before or after) (confirm the exact steps in your account).

Steps​

  1. Create a new automation and choose the date-based (or anniversary) trigger type.
  2. Select the subscriber date field the automation should watch.
  3. Set the timing rule — for example, on the date, 7 days before, or 3 days after — and the send time of day and time zone.
  4. Choose whether it recurs every year (birthdays, anniversaries) or fires once per date value (a one-time renewal).
  5. Attach the Edition to send and select the audience or segment to evaluate.
  6. Personalize the Edition with the relevant date or name tokens so the message reads correctly.
  7. Activate the automation and send yourself a test where possible.

Result​

The automation evaluates the date field daily and creates a Broadcast to each matching subscriber at your chosen time. Check the automation's activity or reporting view to confirm sends are firing on the expected dates.

Canonical terms: Author, Edition, Folder (Project Folder), Broadcast. See the Glossary.