If you're juggling emails, social, events, and maybe even Slack groups to keep your community engaged, you know the pain: messages get lost, people tune out, and your efforts often disappear into the void. This guide is for anyone who’s trying to actually move the needle on engagement—not just tick boxes—using Gradual to run multi channel campaigns that don’t annoy or overwhelm your audience.
Let’s cut through the noise and get real about what works.
Why Multi Channel Campaigns (Usually) Fall Flat
Before we get into the how-to, let’s be honest about the usual problems:
- Too many channels, not enough consistency: If your message changes from email to LinkedIn to Slack, people get confused.
- Spray and pray: Sending the same message everywhere, hoping someone bites, just makes you look desperate.
- Zero measurement: You won’t improve what you don’t track. Most people don’t know what’s working.
Gradual can help, but only if you’re thoughtful about how you use it.
Step 1: Get Clear on Your Goal (Seriously)
Don’t start with “let’s do a campaign.” Start by answering:
- What’s the one thing you want people to do? (Sign up for an event, join a group, finish onboarding, etc.)
- Who’s your audience? (Be specific: new members, power users, lurkers...)
If you can’t answer those, stop. You’ll just waste time and annoy people.
Pro Tip: Don’t try to do everything at once. Targeting too many goals means you’ll hit none.
Step 2: Map Out Your Channels in Gradual
Gradual supports several channels—emails, in-app notifications, event invites, and sometimes integrations like Slack or calendar reminders. Here’s what you should actually use:
- Email: Still the most reliable if you want people to see something. But open rates aren’t what they used to be.
- In-app notifications: Good for engaged users, invisible to inactive ones.
- Events/webinars: Great for driving action, but only if the topic is strong.
- Slack/Discord: If your community lives there, don’t ignore it—but don’t spam.
What to ignore: Automated social posts from Gradual usually feel generic. If you want real engagement on social, write natively for each platform.
Step 3: Build Your Campaign in Gradual
Now, let’s get into the weeds.
1. Create Your Campaign
- In Gradual, campaigns are built around a goal (e.g., “Get 50 sign-ups for our upcoming AMA”).
- Use the campaign builder to select your audience segment. Don’t blast everyone—pick people based on behavior (e.g., registered but not engaged, event RSVPs, etc.).
- Choose which channels you’ll use for each touchpoint.
2. Set Up the Message Cadence
- Don’t send everything at once. Space out messages so you’re not overwhelming people.
- Example: Email first, then a nudge in-app two days later, then a last call on Slack one day before your event.
- Keep the message consistent, but not identical. Tailor for the channel (short for Slack, more info in email).
3. Personalize (But Don’t Get Creepy)
- Gradual lets you use merge tags—first name, company, etc.—but keep it light.
- Reference recent activity if it makes sense (“We saw you joined X group—don’t miss this!”).
Pro Tip: If you have to choose, relevance beats clever personalization every time.
Step 4: Set Up Tracking and Measurement
This is where most campaigns fall apart—don’t skip it.
- Track by channel: Gradual shows you open rates, clicks, RSVP conversions. Look at each channel separately.
- Define success ahead of time. If you’re not getting the engagement you want after a couple of touches, don’t just blame the channel—review your message or your target.
- A/B test sparingly. Testing is great, but don’t get lost in the weeds unless you have real volume.
What doesn’t matter: Vanity metrics like “impressions” or “delivered.” Focus on actions: clicks, sign-ups, attendance.
Step 5: Adjust Based on What Actually Works
Campaigns aren’t “set it and forget it.” After each round:
- Check your numbers: See where people are dropping off.
- Ask for feedback: A quick poll or follow-up email can tell you more than any dashboard.
- Refine your audience: Maybe your segment was too broad. Narrow it down for next time.
- Kill what’s not working: If Slack posts never get engagement, stop wasting effort there.
Pro Tip: Most engagement comes from the first or second touch. If people don’t bite after that, move on.
What Works (and What Doesn’t) in Gradual
Works Well
- Segmented audiences: The more specific, the better.
- Multi-step campaigns: Gradual shines when you plan a sequence, not just a one-off blast.
- Event promotion: If you have a strong event, the built-in RSVP and reminders are solid.
Doesn’t Work So Well
- Generic, all-member blasts: Engagement tanks when you treat everyone the same.
- Relying only on in-app or email: If your users aren’t active, you need to meet them where they are.
- Automated social pushes: As mentioned, these rarely get real traction.
Common Pitfalls to Avoid
- Over-automating: Just because you can schedule a dozen touchpoints doesn’t mean you should.
- Ignoring time zones: Gradual can schedule by user local time. Use it, or risk annoying people at 3am.
- Not cleaning lists: Sending to old or inactive users hurts your numbers and your sender reputation.
Pro Tips for Keeping Engagement High
- Less is more: One well-timed, relevant message beats five generic ones.
- Make it actionable: Every message should have a clear next step.
- Mix up formats: Sometimes a short video or a poll in-app beats another text-heavy email.
- Follow up individually for key targets: Automation is great, but a personal DM or email to a handful of high-value members can make all the difference.
Wrapping Up: Keep It Simple, Iterate Fast
Managing multi channel campaigns in Gradual isn’t about using every feature—it’s about picking the right channels, targeting the right people, and being ruthless about what’s actually working. Start small, measure honestly, and don’t be afraid to ditch what doesn’t move the needle. Engagement is built over time, not with one big blast. Keep it simple, review your results, and tweak as you go. That’s how you actually get people to care.