Who This Is For / When to Use
Course or membership owners tracking student progress.
Teams sending automated emails when a module or category begins.
Accounts needing internal visibility when members start key content sections.
What the Category Started Trigger Does
Fires once per contact per category.
Triggers when a contact first interacts with a category.
Can be filtered by product and category.
Prevents duplicate emails or notifications for repeat visits.
Where Categories Exist in a Membership
Categories live inside membership products and group related lessons, posts, or assessments.
How to Add the Category Started Trigger
Step 1: Add a New Trigger
Open your workflow.
Click Add New Trigger.
Select Category Started.
Step 2: Configure Trigger Filters
Set filters to control when the workflow runs.
Available filters:
Product – The membership product the category belongs to.
Category – The specific category that starts the workflow.
Both filters support selecting one or multiple values.
Step 3: Save the Trigger
After selecting filters, save the trigger to activate it.
The workflow will now enroll contacts when the selected category is started.
Sending a Personalized Email After Category Start
Add a Send Email Action
Use category custom values to personalize the email.
Common use cases:
Welcome email for a new module.
Automatically sending lesson resources.
Explaining what to expect in the category.
You can reference category-related custom values in:
Subject line
Email body
Adding an Internal Notification
Why Use Internal Notifications
Alert your team when a category is started.
Track student engagement milestones.
Capture timestamps for reporting or follow-up.
Internal notifications support category custom values to dynamically reference:
Category name
Contact details
Time the category was started
Using Conditions for Multiple Categories
Branching by Category
If the trigger includes multiple categories, use a Condition (If/Else) action to branch the workflow.
Example:
If Category = Module 1 → Send Intro Email
If Category = Module 2 → Send Advanced Resources
This allows one workflow to handle multiple category paths.
Common Issues and Fixes
Trigger fired only once
This is expected behavior. The trigger fires the first time a contact starts a category.
Email sent multiple times
Check for duplicate workflows or additional triggers tied to the same category.
Wrong category triggering
Confirm the selected category belongs to the correct product.
FAQ
How can I make follow-up emails more personal when using this trigger?
You can insert category-related custom values into the subject or body of the email. These automatically reference the category the contact started.
What is the purpose of adding internal notifications?
Internal notifications alert your team when a category is started and can include timestamps and category details for tracking or follow-up.
Can I create branches in my workflow based on the category started?
Yes. Use a Condition (If/Else) action to branch the workflow when multiple categories are included in the trigger.
What should I include in internal notifications?
Include category name, contact information, and timestamps so your team understands what content was started and when.
How does this trigger work with course structures?
The trigger fires when a contact starts a category within a course, allowing you to automate module-specific actions.
Can I use this trigger for multiple categories in one workflow?
Yes. Select multiple categories in the trigger and branch using conditions.
Can I combine this trigger with other workflow actions?
Yes. It works with emails, internal notifications, tagging, task creation, and more.
Does this trigger fire every time a student clicks the category?
No. It fires only the first time a contact interacts with that category to avoid repeated messages.