Messages and campaigns: how they work together

If you have used email platforms like Mailchimp or Brevo before, you may be used to creating a "campaign" as a single object — content and send settings in one flow. In Flexmail, these are two separate things: a message and a campaign. This article explains why, and what it means in practice.

The two-step model

In Flexmail, you always start by creating a message. A message is the email content and design — the body of the email. The subject line and preheader are set when you create the campaign, not in the message itself. The message exists on its own, independent of any send.

Once your message is ready, you decide how to use it. That could be:

In a campaign — a one-time or scheduled send to a contact list or segment.
In an automation — as a step in a triggered sequence.
As a transactional email — sent via API in response to a specific event.

The message itself does not change depending on how you use it. You create it once, and it is available for all of these purposes.

Example

You design a monthly newsletter as a message. You send it as a campaign in January. In February, you reuse the same message as a starting point, duplicate it, update the content, and send the new version as a new campaign. The original message stays intact.

Why Flexmail works this way

Separating messages from campaigns has a few practical advantages.

Reusability

A message can be used as a template or starting point for future sends without creating a new campaign each time. This is especially useful for recurring content like newsletters or onboarding emails.

Rights and access control

Because messages and campaigns are separate, you can give different people access to different parts of the process. A copywriter or agency can have access to create and edit messages without being able to send campaigns or see contact data. A campaign manager can take approved messages and schedule sends without being able to change the content.

This is useful for teams where content creation and sending are handled by different people, or for agencies that build emails on behalf of clients.

Flexibility across channels

The same message can feed into a campaign, an automation, or a transactional flow. You do not need to recreate the content for each context.

What this looks like in practice

When you open Flexmail, you will find Messages and Campaigns as separate menu items. The typical workflow is:

Go to Campaigns > Messages and create your email.
When the message is ready, go to Campaigns > Manage campaigns (or Automation) and create a new send.
Select the message you want to use, choose your audience, set the timing, and send.

Support tip

If you are just getting started, do not worry about the distinction too much. Create your first message, then create your first campaign and select that message. The separation will start to make sense as your team or workflow grows.

Next steps

See "Get started with the Email builder" to get started with your first message.
See "Campaigns" to learn how to create a campaign and select a message.
See "Get started with workflows" if you want to use messages in a triggered sequence.