Definition
An email campaign and an email journey are two different ways of sending email. A campaign is a single, manually-triggered message sent to a chosen segment at a chosen time, such as a promotional blast or a launch announcement.
An email journey is a multi-step, automated flow that runs over time and branches based on how each subscriber behaves. Rather than one message, it is a sequence: a subscriber enters a trigger, moves through steps, and can take different paths depending on their actions.
The line blurs because journeys often contain campaigns as steps, and campaigns sometimes feed into journeys. The distinction helps you plan: use campaigns for time-sensitive announcements and journeys for ongoing, behavior-driven relationship building.
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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 campaign is a single, manually-scheduled message to a segment. A journey is an automated, multi-step sequence that reacts to subscriber behavior over time.
Use a journey when the ongoing behavior matters, like onboarding, cart recovery or post-purchase follow-up. Use a campaign for one-time, time-sensitive sends.
Yes. A journey's steps are often campaigns themselves, and a broader journey can branch into different campaign variants based on how subscribers respond.