How to create and use 'Link Triggers' in ConvertKit.
Firstly, let's look at exactly what 'link triggers' are and how they can be used to take care of automated tasks for us.
What is a link trigger?
The clue's kinda in the name... it's a 'link' that 'triggers' something to happen, based on your configuration.
You can use them to automatically fire an email sequence, a tag to be added to, or removed from, a subscriber's profile, add or remove subscribers from sequences, or update the value of a custom field.
Essentially, you can think of a 'link trigger' as an "if this happens, then do this...", and we get to decide on what happens, when - they're so powerful!
Creating a 'link trigger'
As you'd imagine, link triggers live under the 'Automate' menu in ConvertKit, and then accessed via the 'Rules' sub-menu option.
When you've clicked the 'Rules' option, you'll see a screen that looks something like this one below; yours may well be empty, but that's expected so no worries.
Start by clicking the '+ New rule' button at the top-right; this will open up the screen shown below;
On the left-hand side of the screen, under the 'Trigger' section, you'll see one entitled "Clicks a link" - this is the one you want to create a 'link trigger'. This will change the screen to look like this; (below);
You now have two fields to complete, the first one is optional, but I recommend you use it because it'll help you in future when you have lots of 'Rules' to distinguish one from another.
In my example, above, in the "Name" field you can see I have named my link trigger "Interested in my PAYG mentorship" - this is purely for ease of reference when scrolling through my list of 'Rules' in ConvertKit.
The "Destination URL" is mandatory because when a subscriber clicks a link, ConvertKit forces you to give them somewhere to 'land'. Clicking a link with no visible outcome can be confusing for subscribers. This destination can be any page of your choosing - I tend to use web pages on my WordPress site, that way, I give a consistent experience to my subscribers.
So, just to recap - this 'Trigger' part is what we're telling ConvertKit to constantly watch out for, and if ever it gets triggered (i.e. a subscriber 'clicks' the link), then go do the "Action" part of the link trigger...(see below)
In the "Action" list, we can choose what we want to happen every time a subscriber clicks our link - in my example above, I add a tag to the subscriber's profile.
Also, note that it's possible to add multiple 'Actions' to a link trigger, if that's something you want to do to enhance your system. To add more 'Actions', click the '+' icon under the first action and you'll see a list of options to choose from (see below);
Once you've configured it to behave the way you want it to, remember to click the 'Save rule' button to enable your link trigger.
Historical use of link triggers
You can check each link trigger to see how many times it's been fired, giving you the details of which subscribers have been triggering it - see the example below (names have been blurred to protect their identities);
The history is shown in chronological order, with the details of each triggering click. Since link triggers work 24/7/365 behind the scenes, it's good to be able to look at the data to see how many times they've been getting clicked.
Using link triggers in your emails
Once you've created your link trigger, you'll want to use it inside your emails. You can use them both in linked text and under clickable buttons - let's look at an example of each one;
In the screenshot below, I have inserted a button into my email, asking subscribers to click on it if they are interested in one of my services; if they click on the button, it will trigger the 'link trigger' that I've shown in the example above (the one entitled "Interested in Email Marketing Mentorship (PAYG)";
This snippet is actually from one of my follow-up emails inside a sales sequence, hence the reference to "still interested", however, the button is linked to my link trigger - this is how to use it in the email;
Click the '+' icon in the email editor and select 'Button';
With the focus (i.e. cursor/mouse) on the button, go to the URL section at the top-right of the screen;
Click the 'Link Trigger' option and select (from the drop-down menu) the link trigger you want to use - in my example, I'm adding the tag to note interest in my service.
Once selected, it should look like the screenshot below, with your link trigger showing as the one that will be fired whenever a subscriber clicks on the button;
Using link triggers under text
To use link triggers from the linked text (rather than a button) the process is the same, only where you select the trigger from changes from being at the right-hand side of the screen to the top editor bar that has the 'link' icon (see below);
⚡️Summary
The 'Link Trigger' in ConvertKit is an extremely useful and powerful feature, one that can make our lives so much easier and our system much less prone to human error or forgetfulness!
They just work - set them up and let them do their thing! Once you begin to craft your first few link triggers, you'll begin to come up with more creative ways to use them, saving you time and effort, and giving your subscribers a much richer experience of being your subscriber.
So, go have a go yourself - create your first simple link trigger, add it to a button, and send yourself a test broadcast. You'll be amazed at how simple, yet effective, they are, and I guarantee you won't stop at just one - they're a bit like Pringles! 😳