# When to use the Invitation e-mail vs. an E-mail campaign > The Invitation e-mail for the first wave after importing contacts, a campaign for everything else. - Canonical article (Help Center): https://help.happenee.com/en/articles/42-when-to-use-the-invitation-e-mail-vs-an-e-mail-campaign - Česká verze: https://aidocs.happenee.com/cs/kdy-pouzit-zvaci-e-mail-a-kdy-kampan.md - Collection: Communication and invitations - Updated: 2026-09-21 --- > **Overview** > In Happenee there are two modules for outbound e-mails side by side — the **Invitation e-mail** and **E-mail campaigns**. Organizers often confuse them. Short rule: send the **Invitation e-mail** as the **first wave of invitations** after you import contacts. For everything else (reminders, follow-ups, segmented messages, follow-up invitations to new contacts), use **campaigns**. Campaigns do everything the Invitation e-mail does, plus group targeting, scheduling, and follow-up to newly assigned contacts. ## Getting started - If you are sending the very first invitation to assigned contacts and you only need to target by status (not invited), the **Invitation e-mail** is fine. - If you need to target a specific group (VIPs, speakers, one language), schedule a send for a date, or use a different header from the rest of the event — use a **campaign**. - For most larger events, it is simpler and cleaner to **handle everything through campaigns**, including the first invitation. ## Details ### What the Invitation e-mail can and cannot do The Invitation e-mail is a **legacy module** in the product — it predates campaigns. It has: - An editor with variables. - A registration button (direct or public link). - Individual sending (one by one) and bulk sending by **attendee status**: - *Not invited* — who has not yet received the Invitation e-mail. - *Did not open the Invitation e-mail*. - *Not registered (no response)*. It does not have: - **Targeting by groups**. - **Scheduling** a send to a specific date. - A **custom header image** for an individual send. - **Resending to newly assigned contacts** without affecting history. - Reporting connections at the same scale as campaigns. ### What campaigns add on top An E-mail campaign covers everything the Invitation e-mail does and adds: - **Targeting by groups** (VIPs, speakers, language, a group from a discount code, and so on). - A **scheduled send** to a specific date and time. - A **custom header image** used only for that campaign. - **Resend campaign to newly assigned** — sends only to contacts that joined the event after the mailing started. - A **PDF ticket with a QR code** as an attachment (typically the morning e-mail on event day). - A **history of mailings** with per-recipient delivery tracking. ### Typical use case for the Invitation e-mail **The first wave of invitations after import.** You import a contact list, assign them to the event, double-check the invitation text, and in the Invitation e-mail you choose to send to "Not invited." All assigned contacts then receive the first invitation in a single, consistent form. For this step, the Invitation e-mail is ready to go and this is its historical role. ### Typical use cases for campaigns - **Reminder one week / three days / one day before the event** — schedule it ahead, it goes out by itself. - **Guest list for a paid event** — a campaign set to *Individual free admission*, sent to a selected list of imported contacts. - **Follow-up to non-responders** — target only the *No reaction* status with a softer tone. - **Info for VIPs or speakers** — target the group, send them special information that others do not get. - **Morning e-mail on event day** — the ticket with the QR code and a short text, targeted to the *Registered* status. - **Post-event follow-up** — thank-you, photos, a link to feedback. - **Different segments by language** — when you want a different text for Czech speakers than for English speakers. - **Reaching new sign-ups** — run the campaign again with *Resend campaign to newly assigned* so only the newcomers receive it. ### Why people confuse them The product author puts it openly: organizers find themselves "drowning a bit in the fact that there's an Invitation e-mail and there are E-mail campaigns." Organizers ask why there are two modules and do not know which one to reach for. The reason is historical — the Invitation e-mail came first. Campaigns were added because organizers needed to target by groups, schedule, and follow up. Consolidation into a single module is on the roadmap, but right now both are in the product. ### Direction over time The product is moving long-term toward routing **all invitation communication through campaigns**. If you run repeating, similar events, get used to using campaigns even for the first invitation — you will save yourself the habit change once the Invitation e-mail merges into campaigns. ### Decision rule - **First invitation, all assigned contacts, one text** — Invitation e-mail *(or campaign — both fine)* - **Invitation only for VIPs / speakers / one group** — Campaign - **Reminder on a specific date** — Campaign (scheduled) - **Follow-up invitation to no-response** — Invitation e-mail *(by status)* or campaign *(status + group)* - **Campaign for new sign-ups** — Campaign (*Resend campaign to newly assigned*) - **Free guest list at a paid event** — Campaign *(Individual free admission)* - **Post-event follow-up** — Campaign - **Morning ticket on event day** — Campaign (with PDF ticket attached) - **Custom header for a single send** — Campaign ### Heads-up — the Confirmation e-mail is a third thing Invitation e-mail ≠ Confirmation e-mail ≠ campaign. The Confirmation e-mail is sent **automatically** after registration and has its own module. The Invitation e-mail and campaigns are for **active outreach** — you decide when they go out. ## Common pitfalls ### An organizer wants to invite only VIPs but does it through the Invitation e-mail, where group targeting does not exist To target a specific group, use a **campaign**. The Invitation e-mail targets only by status. ### An organizer sets up a reminder one week before the event in the Invitation e-mail and waits for the system to send it The Invitation e-mail **cannot schedule a send**. For timing on a specific date, use a campaign and choose *Schedule send*. ### An organizer sends the same invitation again to everyone because they want to reach new sign-ups — and the original recipients receive it for the second time On the sent campaign, open the **Mailings** tab, use the **Resend campaign to newly assigned** panel and the **Newly assigned** button. Only the people who have not received it yet get the campaign. ### An organizer does not understand why two modules exist side by side and uses the Invitation e-mail for everything, complicating segmentation If your routine includes reminders, follow-up invitations, or group targeting, start using **campaigns as your main channel**. Keep the Invitation e-mail for a simple first invitation, or skip it altogether and send the first invitation as a campaign too. ## Related articles - [How the Invitation e-mail works](https://aidocs.happenee.com/en/how-the-invitation-e-mail-works.md) - [Creating and sending an E-mail campaign](https://aidocs.happenee.com/en/creating-and-sending-an-e-mail-campaign.md) - [Targeting communication by groups and statuses](https://aidocs.happenee.com/en/targeting-communication-by-groups-and-statuses.md) - [How the Confirmation e-mail works](https://aidocs.happenee.com/en/how-the-confirmation-e-mail-works.md) - [Managing contacts and groups in your workspace](https://aidocs.happenee.com/en/managing-contacts-and-groups-in-your-workspace.md) - [Using Notifications in the attendee app](https://aidocs.happenee.com/en/using-notifications-in-the-attendee-app.md) - [Using the Invitation e-mail as a save-the-date](https://aidocs.happenee.com/en/using-the-invitation-e-mail-as-a-save-the-date.md) - [Planning follow-up communication after the event](https://aidocs.happenee.com/en/planning-follow-up-communication-after-the-event.md) - [Communication flow before the event](https://aidocs.happenee.com/en/communication-flow-before-the-event.md)