A multi-step journey is an automation that runs more than one action after its trigger. You build it on the automation canvas by chaining actions together, inserting time delays between them, and optionally branching with conditional outcomes. One trigger can lead to a whole sequence of emails, text messages, field updates, delays and branches.
Chaining actions
- After your trigger, click Add an action to add the first action.
- After any action, click Add an action again to add the next one. There is no need to stop at a single action.
- Actions run in the order you place them (subject to any delays and branches).
- You can mix action types freely in one journey — for example, send an email, update custom fields, wait, then send a text message.
Inserting delays
- Add a Delay automation action between two steps to pause the journey.
- Set the Duration and Timeframe in Seconds, Minutes, Hours, Days, or Weeks.
- The action after the delay only runs once the delay has elapsed.
- Use delays to stage a journey over time — for example, a welcome email immediately, then a follow-up email three days later.
Adding branches within a journey
- Add an Add conditions (If/Then) action to split the journey into named branches (conditional outcomes).
- Place the actions for each path underneath its branch (for example, a different email per branch).
- See the conditional outcomes guide for full detail on setting up branches.
Example structures
- Welcome series — Trigger (Form submitted) → Send an email (welcome) → Delay automation (3 days) → Send an email (follow-up).
- Notify and tag — Trigger (Custom field updated) → Send an email to internal team → Update custom fields (set status).
- Routed follow-up — Trigger (Form submitted) → Add conditions (If/Then) → per-branch Send an email.
Saving and publishing a journey
- Click Save & close to keep the journey as a draft while you continue building.
- Click Publish to make it live so it runs whenever the trigger fires. See the save vs publish guide.