Definition
Broadcast and triggered emails are two core ways messages get sent. A broadcast (also called a blast or campaign) is created, scheduled and sent to a chosen audience all at once or on a schedule, such as a newsletter or a sale announcement.
A triggered email fires automatically when a subscriber takes a specific action or a condition is met, such as signing up, abandoning a cart, making a purchase or going inactive. Each message goes to the right person at the right moment without manual work.
Broadcasts are great for time-bound announcements to a segment, while triggered emails excel at timeliness and relevance. The strongest programs use both: broadcasts for awareness and triggered messages for behavior-driven conversion.
Why It Matters
This matters because the choices you make here show up directly in your results. The strongest programs use both: broadcasts for awareness and triggered messages for behavior-driven conversion. When this is handled well it supports engagement, delivery, and the trust subscribers place in your brand; when it is neglected, the effects tend to show up in declining performance and harder-to-fix problems further down the line.
Best Practices
- Start with the fundamentals of Broadcast vs Triggered Email and build from a clear baseline, so later improvements are measurable rather than assumed.
- Keep Broadcast vs Triggered Email consistent with how the rest of your email programme works, so no single initiative works against another.
- Review how Broadcast vs Triggered Email is handled in your own data and adjust from what you see, rather than copying what another brand does.
- Test one change at a time and measure the effect before rolling it out more widely.
- Revisit your approach to Broadcast vs Triggered Email regularly, because audience behaviour and inbox technology keep moving.
- Make sure the basics — relevance, timing, and honesty — are solid before chasing more advanced tactics.
Was this useful?
Related Glossary Terms
Abandoned Cart Email
An abandoned cart email is a triggered message sent to online shoppers who added items to their cart but did not complete the purchase.
Abandoned Cart Sequence Flow
An abandoned cart sequence is an automated flow of emails that reminds shoppers who left items in their cart, over several sends, to return and complete their purchase.
Abandoned Cart Email
An abandoned cart email is an automated message sent to customers who added items to their online shopping cart but left without completing the purchase. It is one of the highest-converting email types in ecommerce.
Back-in-Stock Email
A back-in-stock email is a triggered message sent to shoppers who requested notification when an unavailable product becomes available again.
Batch Sending
Batch sending is the practice of delivering a single email campaign to a large list in groups or waves rather than all at once.
Behavioral Email
Behavioral email is a message triggered by a subscriber's action, inaction, or engagement pattern, making it more relevant than scheduled broadcast sends.
Frequently Asked Questions
A broadcast is a message you create and send to a chosen segment at a set time, like a newsletter or promotional announcement, rather than one triggered by individual behavior.
A triggered email sends automatically when a subscriber does something specific, like signing up or abandoning a cart, so the message arrives at the most relevant moment.
Triggered emails are highly timely and relevant, and typically see much higher engagement and conversion than broadcasts because they react to the subscriber's own actions.