Scheduling
Control when your messages appear with start and end dates. Perfect for time-limited promotions, scheduled announcements, and campaign management.
How Scheduling Works
Every message can have:
Start Date
When to begin showing
Immediately (when published)
End Date
When to stop showing
Never (runs indefinitely)
Messages only appear when:
Status is Published
Current date is after Start Date (if set)
Current date is before End Date (if set)
User matches targeting rules
Setting Up Scheduling
In the Message Editor
Open your message editor
Find the Schedule section
Set your dates:
Start Date
Leave empty = show immediately when published
Set a date = show starting from that date
End Date
Leave empty = show indefinitely
Set a date = automatically stop on that date
Date Format
Dates are set to midnight (00:00) in UTC:
Start Date: Message appears at 00:00 UTC on that day
End Date: Message stops at 23:59 UTC on that day
Common Scheduling Patterns
Immediate & Indefinite
No scheduling - shows to all matching users forever:
Start Date: Empty
End Date: Empty
Use for: Onboarding, evergreen announcements
Scheduled Launch
Prepare now, launch later:
Start Date: Future date
End Date: Empty
Use for: Product launches, feature announcements, coordinated campaigns
Limited Time
Run for a specific period:
Start Date: Campaign start
End Date: Campaign end
Use for: Promotions, sales, seasonal content
Future Window
Schedule a specific time window:
Start Date: Dec 20, 2024
End Date: Dec 31, 2024
Use for: Holiday promotions, event-specific content
Examples
Black Friday Sale
Automatically starts on Black Friday, ends after Cyber Monday.
Maintenance Notice
Shows the day before maintenance, disappears after.
New Year Campaign
Runs during the New Year promotion period.
Feature Launch
Launches on a specific date, runs until manually archived.
Scheduling + Targeting
Combine scheduling with targeting for precise delivery:
Example: Trial Ending Soon
The targeting handles the timing based on each user's trial end date.
Example: Holiday Message to Premium Users
Holiday greeting only to paying customers during the holiday week.
Managing Scheduled Messages
View Schedule Status
In the message list, you can see:
Scheduled - Has a future start date
Active - Currently running
Ended - Past the end date
Edit Schedule
You can change dates anytime:
Open the message
Modify start/end dates
Save changes
Changes take effect immediately.
End Early
To stop a message before its end date:
Set the end date to today, or
Change status to Archived
Extend Duration
To run longer than planned:
Clear the end date, or
Set a new future end date
Best Practices
Plan Ahead
Schedule campaigns in advance
Prepare content before launch dates
Review scheduled messages weekly
Use End Dates
Always set end dates for promotions
Prevents stale content from lingering
Keeps your message list clean
Buffer Time
Start a day early for important announcements
End a day late to catch all timezones
Account for UTC timing
Review Calendar
Check for scheduling conflicts
Don't overlap too many messages
Spread out major announcements
Timezone Considerations
Cueflow uses UTC for all scheduling:
EST
-5 hours
7:00 PM EST (previous day)
PST
-8 hours
4:00 PM PST (previous day)
CET
+1 hour
1:00 AM CET
IST
+5.5 hours
5:30 AM IST
Tip: For global audiences, start a day early to ensure coverage.
Troubleshooting
Message not appearing on start date
Check the message is Published (not Draft)
Verify the start date has passed in UTC
Confirm targeting rules match the user
Message still showing after end date
Check the end date in UTC
Clear browser cache
The message should disappear on next page load
Wrong timezone
Scheduling uses UTC. Convert your local time to UTC when setting dates.
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