Messages are a powerful tool that enables operators to increase guest engagement by communicating directly with them through personalized updates and promotions. With the improvements in our new Incentivio Dashboard, creating and sending messages is now easier than ever.
This article provides an in-depth, step-by-step guide to creating a new message in the Dashboard.
Contents
Creating a New Message
To create a new message:
- In the Incentivio Dashboard, navigate to Communications > Messages.
- Select + Create Message.
- Enter the internal title and select the appropriate campaign.
- Select the appropriate message type:
- Private: This message is sent directly to your customers to share brand news. Customers cannot share this message on social media.
- Shareable: This message is sent to customers but also displays a Share button, allowing customers to share the message on Facebook or Twitter/X.
-
Referral: This message type allows customers to refer friends to the app. When a customer shares the message on social media, a customized referral code will be included, which new users can enter when signing up.
The Title, Campaign, & Type can be edited at any point by selecting the pencil icon next to the field:
Target Audience
This section controls which customers are eligible to receive this message.
- If this message should be sent based on the customer completing a specific activity (e.g., completing a transaction, entering a promo code, etc.), toggle on Activity Based. Otherwise, it will be sent automatically to users based on the Targeting Rules.
- Select whether this message targets Customer Tags, Custom Targeting Rules, or Segments.
- Customer Tags - Target specific customer tags so this message will only be sent to loyalty accounts with the desired tag.
- Custom Targeting Rules - Target pre-set rules (such as Everyone, Average Basket Value, or Journey Stage) to control who receives this message.
- Segments - Pre-set groups of targeting rules that can target the same group of customers across communications. For more information about creating Segments, refer to this guide: Creating a Segment
- Creating separate Targeting Rule Groups using custom targeting rules is now possible, allowing for more flexibility and reducing the need to create duplicate messages targeting different groups.
For example, you can create two targeting groups within a single message if you'd like to target users who have at least 5 orders per month and are considered Sliders OR users who have at least 3 orders per month and are considered Churned: -
Store Targeting
-
Enabling this toggle will only target users who have been assigned a reach location. Keeping this disabled will send to everyone in your selected targeting rule despite their assigned reach location.
-
Availability
- Select how often customers can receive this message:
- One time only - Customers will only ever receive this message once.
- One active message at a time - Customers can only have one copy of this message in their inbox at any given time. Once it has been deleted, they will receive another copy if the message is still active and they still qualify, based on the rules set in the Target Audience section.
-
Multiple messages at once - Customers can receive multiple copies of this message. This should only be used with activity-based messages to prevent overcrowding inboxes with duplicate communications.
- Select when this message will be sent:
-
Start Date
- At Next Time Slot - This message will be sent out at the next available time slot or once customers complete the necessary activity.
- Custom Date - This message will begin sending out on the date selected at the first available time slot or once customers complete the necessary activity.
-
End Date
- Never - This message will not stop sending new copies until it has been deleted from the Dashboard or until the end date has been changed to Custom Date and a specific end date has been entered.
- Custom Date - This message will stop sending customers new copies after the selected date, which is the last day customers will receive new copies.
-
Advanced Options
-
Time zone - Set the time zone that controls the time slots during which this will be distributed.
- Distribution Timing Distribution timing is not localized by store.
- Days of the week - Set which days of the week this message will be distributed on (All Days will be selected by default).
- Time slots - Set which time slots this message will be distributed during. By default, 7 a.m.—8 a.m. will be selected.
-
Distribution limits - Set an (optional) maximum number of distributions.
This limit applies to all distribution channels for this communication. Once reached, sends will stop across email, push, account messages, and SMS. This is NOT per customer, but rather the total number of messages that can be sent out.
-
Time zone - Set the time zone that controls the time slots during which this will be distributed.
-
Start Date
Look
- Select how this message will be sent to customers. Multiple options can be selected, and customers will receive them through the channels they have opted into:
- Account - This cannot be unselected. All communications they qualify for will be sent to their account (in-app) inbox.
- Push - Customers will receive a push notification if this permission is enabled in-app and in their app-specific settings.
- Email - Customers will receive an email notification if they have opted in to email marketing communications.
-
Text Message - Customers will receive an SMS notification if they have opted in to SMS marketing communications.
- If Text Message is selected, you can also set a distribution limit of Unlimited or Fixed Amount, which can help control costs.
- If Text Message is selected, you can also set a distribution limit of Unlimited or Fixed Amount, which can help control costs.
- Create the display content, which users will see in their inbox/email.
-
- Enter the display title, short description, and long description.
Please note: The short and long descriptions each have a maximum character count of 500 characters. - Upload both a small image (square, 1:1 ratio) and a medium image (rectangle, 25:14 ratio.) Our new in-page image cropping tool helps ensure that the image is displayed to customers exactly how you intended. You can upload a GIF here as well!
- If using Text Message: Set the SMS display content.
Please note: The character limit is only 70 characters per SMS when using emojis in SMS communications. Otherwise, it is 160 characters. If the character count exceeds these limits, multiple SMS will be sent, which will incur additional costs.
- Enter the display title, short description, and long description.
-
Review
The Review page will display each section of the communication. This page can be used to spot-check your set up, identify any missing configurations when in draft mode, and easily navigate to the section you would like to adjust.
- Each set up step is outlined in its own section. This contains a summary of the configuration for each step.
- If there is any information missing that is required to publish a communication, a validation error will appear at the top of the section, with a notice about which field is missing within the section itself.
- Selecting the edit button of a section will bring you to the page itself, where you can edit any settings as desired.
- You will not be able to publish an offer until all validation errors on the review page are addressed.
Saving a Message
If you would like to pause during set up, you can always save your offer as a draft and continue working on it at a later time. When you're ready to go live, select Publish
Draft Mode
When you create a Message, the new record is created in Draft status by default. Draft mode gives you time to review and update the configuration before the message goes live.
What to know about Drafts:
- Draft Messages appear in the standard Message list alongside active, scheduled, and expired offers.
- You can filter the offer list by Draft status to find and manage your drafts.
- Draft offers get automatically saved each time a field is edited. (Active messages do not have auto-save)
- A draft cannot be published and then reverted back to Draft — once published, the status cannot be rolled back.
Duplicating an Existing Message
Overview
The Duplicate feature allows you to create a copy of an existing message directly from the Dashboard. Rather than building a new communication from scratch, you can duplicate a previous setup and adjust only what needs to change, saving time and reducing the chance of configuration errors.
How to Duplicate a Message
From the Table View
- Locate the message you want to duplicate.
- Click the "…" (More Actions) menu in the message's row.
- Select Duplicate.
Once duplicated, a new record will open pre-filled with the original's settings. The title will automatically update to "Original Title (Copy)" — you can rename it before saving. The copied message will open to the Review Step so you can easily review the settings and jump to any page that needs updating.
Draft Mode
When you duplicate a message, the new record is created in Draft status by default. Draft mode gives you time to review and update the configuration before the message goes live.
What to know about Draft messages:
- Draft messages appear in the standard message list alongside active, scheduled, and expired messages.
- You can filter the message list by Draft status to find and manage your drafts.
- Draft messages are automatically saved each time a field is edited. Active messages do not have auto-save.
- A draft cannot be published and then reverted back to Draft — once published, the status cannot be rolled back.
- Complete all required fields before changing the status to Active or Scheduled.
What Carries Over vs. What Resets
Most of the message configuration duplicates as-is. The exceptions are time-based fields, which are intentionally excluded to prevent accidental reuse of expired or outdated settings.
Highlights:
- Message name - defaults to "Original Title (Copy)", update as needed
- Distribution Dates - new distribution dates must be configured.
- Location access restrictions / Store Targeting - store targeting does not carry over to the new draft. Review targeting and delivery settings after duplicating to confirm the message is configured correctly before publishing. Store Targeting will respect your specific location permissions, even if you duplicate a draft made by a user who targeted stores you do not have access to.
You will be prompted to complete these fields before the duplicated message can be saved.
Tips
- Use Duplicate when setting up recurring or seasonal campaigns with the same structure.
- Always review location targeting after duplicating to confirm it reflects your intended setup.
- Use Draft mode to stage messages for review before scheduling or activating.
Next lesson - Lesson 21: Email Templates