So you want to start sending automated push notifications—real ones, not just the “Hello World” you see in every getting started guide. Maybe you’ve got a website, app, or both, and you’re tired of reminders that never reach anyone. Or maybe you’ve used manual blasts and want to actually automate things. Either way, you’re in the right place.
This guide is for people who want to set up automated push campaigns in OneSignal without drinking the marketing Kool-Aid. We’ll skip the hype and walk through what you actually need to do, what features work well, and what you can safely ignore.
Let’s get your first real automated campaign out the door.
Step 1: Get your basics sorted
If you already have OneSignal set up for your app or site, good—skip ahead. If not, here’s what you need:
- A OneSignal account (free is fine for most starting out).
- Your app or website: You’ll need to “add” it to OneSignal, which just means registering it with their system.
- SDK integration: This is the part most people trip over. You have to add OneSignal’s SDK to your app or website. Follow their docs for your platform (web, iOS, Android—whatever you need). Don’t ignore the steps about permissions—if you skip these, your users won’t get anything.
Pro tip: Set this up in a test environment first. You don’t want to accidentally ping your whole user base with a test message.
Step 2: Understand what “automated” actually means in OneSignal
There’s a difference between “I send a push to everyone manually” and “OneSignal sends a push automatically when something happens.” Automation is about triggers—events, user actions, or schedules.
Here’s what you can automate in OneSignal:
- Drip campaigns: Send a series of messages to users after they opt in (e.g., onboarding).
- Event-based pushes: Trigger a notification when a user does (or doesn’t do) something (e.g., abandoned cart, hasn’t logged in for 7 days).
- Scheduled/recurring sends: Automate pushes to go out at certain times or intervals.
What’s not automated: One-off manual campaigns. You have to set up a trigger, segment, or schedule for true automation.
Step 3: Plan your campaign before you touch the dashboard
Don’t start clicking around in OneSignal yet. Figure out:
- Who do you want to reach? (Everyone? New users? Users who haven’t opened the app in a week?)
- What’s the trigger? (Signup, purchase, inactivity, specific event…)
- What’s the goal? (Come back? Finish onboarding? Buy something?)
- How many messages, and when? (Just one? A sequence? How soon after the trigger?)
You’ll save a ton of time if you sketch this out—even just in a notebook.
Pro tip: Be realistic. Less is more. You’re not Amazon, and nobody wants 15 push notifications a week.
Step 4: Set up your segments
Automation in OneSignal is only as good as your targeting. Segments let you target groups of users based on data and behavior.
How to create a segment:
- Go to the OneSignal dashboard, then “Audience” > “Segments.”
- Click “New Segment.”
- Define your filters (e.g., “Last Session > 7 days ago,” “Subscribed to Push = true,” “Country = US”). These can be as broad or specific as you want.
Some segment ideas: - New users (signed up in the last week) - Dormant users (haven’t visited in 30+ days) - Power users (multiple sessions in last week) - Abandoned cart (started checkout but didn’t finish)
Don’t overthink it at first—start simple, then get fancy later.
Step 5: Create your automation (OneSignal calls this “Automations” or “Journeys”)
Here’s where the real magic happens.
Option 1: Automations (simple event- or time-based triggers)
- In the dashboard, go to “Messages” > “Automations.”
- Click “New Automation.”
- Choose your trigger:
- Event-based: E.g., “User completed purchase,” “User opened app.”
- Time-based: E.g., “X days after subscription,” “X days after last session.”
- Set up the message(s) to send. You can add delays, conditions, and multiple steps if you want.
- Choose the segment to send to (from Step 4).
What works: Automations are best for straightforward stuff—welcome messages, inactivity nudges, simple reminders.
What doesn’t: Don’t expect deep, multi-branch logic here. It’s not a full marketing automation platform.
Option 2: Journeys (fancier, multi-step campaigns)
If you want more complex flows (e.g., send Message A, then Message B only if user doesn’t respond, etc.), use Journeys.
- Go to “Messages” > “Journeys.”
- Click “Create Journey.”
- Build your flow visually—drag and drop triggers, messages, waits, and conditions.
- Test every path. Seriously—Journeys can get confusing fast.
Be honest: Journeys are powerful, but also easy to overcomplicate. Unless you really need branching logic, stick to basic Automations to start.
Step 6: Write your push messages (keep it tight)
Push notifications interrupt people—don’t waste their time. Write like a human, not a marketer.
- Be brief. You get maybe 100 characters before your message gets chopped off.
- Be clear. What do you want the user to do? Spell it out.
- Personalize if you can. Use the user’s name, reference their action (“You left something in your cart”).
- Avoid exclamation overload. You’re not a spam bot.
What not to do: Don’t copy/paste email subject lines. Push needs to be shorter and punchier.
Step 7: Test everything (seriously, do this)
OneSignal lets you send test notifications to yourself or specific users. Do not skip this.
- Test every trigger and path.
- Check how messages look on different devices.
- Make sure users aren’t getting spammed with repeats (especially if you set up loops by accident).
Pro tip: Check analytics after a few days. If nobody’s opening your notifications, tweak your copy or timing.
Step 8: Set your sending limits and quiet hours
It’s easy to annoy users with too many pushes. OneSignal lets you set frequency caps and quiet hours (times when notifications won’t be sent).
- In the dashboard, look for settings like “Frequency Capping” or “Do Not Disturb.”
- Set reasonable limits (e.g., max 1 notification per day).
- Respect users’ time zones, if you can.
What to ignore: Don’t get lost in A/B testing every message to death at first. Just avoid obvious mistakes (like 3 messages in 10 minutes).
Step 9: Monitor and iterate
Once your automation is live, check the results:
- Delivery rate: Did your pushes actually go out?
- Open rate/click rate: Are people engaging?
- Unsubscribes: Did you annoy people into leaving?
Adjust your timing, message, and segments based on real data—not wishful thinking.
What works: Small tweaks over time. Don’t expect one campaign to “crack the code.” This stuff needs tuning.
Pro Tips, Pitfalls, and What to Ignore
- Don’t over-segment at first. You don’t need 20 segments. Two or three is plenty to start.
- Ignore the shiny features until you’re comfortable. Things like in-app messages, SMS, or advanced personalization can wait.
- Avoid spamming users during onboarding. One or two well-timed pushes beats a flood.
- Double-check opt-in permissions. Especially on iOS—if users don’t grant permission, they’ll never see your notifications.
- Watch your language. Push notifications that are too aggressive (“Come back NOW!”) turn people off fast.
Wrap-up: Keep it simple and keep improving
Automated push campaigns in OneSignal can be as basic or as complex as you want. But simple, well-timed, relevant notifications almost always outperform fancy, overengineered flows.
Start with a single automation, watch how users react, and tweak from there. Don’t buy into the hype that you need a 10-step journey to see results. Get the basics right, and you’ll be ahead of most.
Now get your first campaign live—and see what works for your audience.