Add messages to your journey

Last updated: June 02, 2026 11:52

You can add messages such as guides and emails to your journey and orchestrate when eligible visitors receive them. A journey, and the messages it contains, can be displayed across multiple apps. Eligible visitors receive a sequence of messages until they’ve accomplished the journey's goal. A journey must contain at least one message.

This article covers how to create, clone, and edit messages in a journey. For more information on how to tailor messages to your users according to their use case and behavior, see Personalize a journey with conditional splits.

Add a guide

You can add a message to your journey by creating a new guide or cloning an existing one. After adding a guide, you can customize the content, set a schedule, and localize it for different audiences.

Go to Orchestrate > Journeys.
Open an existing journey or create a new one. For help, see Create a journey.
In the Journey tab, select Add step. If your journey already has a message, select the + icon to add another.

Choose how to add your guide

Select one of the following options:

Create a new guide

Choose Create new guide to build a guide from scratch.

In Create guide, select the app where the guide will appear.
(Optional) Select a guide category.
Choose a layout from your saved or default layouts.
The guide is added to the journey map.

Clone an existing guide

Choose Clone existing guide to copy a guide that was created outside of Orchestrate. You can clone guides from any app in your subscription, not just the app the journey is assigned to, however, you will need permission to view the associated apps.

In the Select guide page, choose the application you want to clone the guide from.
Filter by product area, guide category, status, or creator.
Select the guide you want to use. A preview displays in the side panel.
(Optional) Select the guide name to open it in a new tab.
Select Next, then Clone guide.

Note: Cloning copies only the guide content. Edits to the cloned version don't affect the original.

Customize and configure your guide

After adding a guide (new or cloned), you can edit the content, set the schedule and an optional event trigger, and localize it as needed.

Edit guide content

Select the guide in the journey map to open the side panel.
Hover over the guide and enter your app's URL.
Select Launch designer to open the Visual Design Studio.
Make your changes and select Save.

To delete the guide, select the trash icon in the top-right corner of the side panel.

Schedule and trigger the guide

In the Overview tab of the side panel:

Set how many days the guide should display before moving to the next message.
(Optional) Add an event-based trigger. For details, see Scheduling and triggering messages.

Localize your guide

Use the Localization tab to translate your guide into supported languages. For help, see Localize your guide using AI.

Add an email

You can add an email to your journey by creating a new email or cloning an existing one, from any app in your subscription. After adding an email, you can customize the content, set a schedule, and customize the email settings.

Note: You must verify your email domain in Pendo before you can send or test emails. For help, see Set up and verify your email domain in Pendo.

Go to Orchestrate > Journeys.
Open an existing journey or create a new one.
In the Journey tab, select Add step. If the journey already has a message, select the + icon instead.

Choose how to add your email

Select one of the following options:

Create new email

In Create email, select the application.
Hover over a layout and select it.
The email is added to the journey map and opens in the side panel.

Clone an existing email

You can also clone an existing email to reuse content and settings. You can clone emails from any app in your subscription, not just the app the journey is assigned to, however, you will need permission to view messages in the associated apps.

Select Clone existing email.
Choose the application you want to clone the email from.
Filter by Status and Created by.
Select the email. A preview appears in the side panel.
(Optional) Select the email name to open it in a new tab.
Select Next, then Clone email.

Note: Cloning an email copies only the content. It does not include the segment, scheduling, or email settings. Changes to the cloned version don't affect the original.

Customize and configure your email

Edit email content

Select the email in the journey map to open the side panel.
Hover over the email and select Edit layout.
Make your changes and select Save.

To delete the email, select the trash icon in the top-right corner of the side panel.

Schedule and trigger the email

In the Overview tab of the side panel:

Set the number of days to wait before sending the next message after this email.
(Optional) If global email throttling is turned on, turn on Ignore email throttling using the toggle to send this email even if a visitor has reached their limit.
(Optional) Add an event-based trigger. For details, see Scheduling and triggering messages.

Add email details

To send or test an email, you must complete the details in the Settings tab:

Subject line: The subject for your message.
Preview text (optional): The text preview that displays before the email is opened.
Sender name: The name shown to recipients.
Email domain: The verified domain used to send the email.
From address: The sender email address.
Reply-to address (optional): The email where replies are directed.
Recipient metadata: Metadata field that defines recipient information.

Select Save changes when complete.

Send a test email

You can send a test version of the email to verify formatting and delivery.

In the Overview tab under the email Content preview, select Send a test email.
Enter one or more email addresses and press Enter after each.

Select Send email.

Add a HubSpot email

If you've integrated HubSpot with Pendo, you can add HubSpot emails into a journey to track email engagement.

Journeys support HubSpot marketing emails only. HubSpot transactional emails aren't supported. To send transactional emails in a journey, use Orchestrate emails instead.

You can only add one HubSpot email to each journey. Any dynamic content or personalization set up in HubSpot applies when the email is sent through Pendo. However, you need to configure this directly in HubSpot before adding the email to the journey.

Note: There's no limit imposed by Pendo for sending HubSpot emails in a journey, but any limits set by HubSpot, for example, based on your HubSpot plan, apply.

Note: We recommend only using content that’s not re-used by HubSpot or a HubSpot 3rd party. If the content you're using is re-used, we recommend copying or cloning the content.

For information on the HubSpot integration, see Send HubSpot emails from a journey in Orchestrate.

To add a HubSpot email:

Go to Orchestrate > Journeys.
On the Journey page, select the journey you created or create a new one. For more information, see Create a journey.
In the Journey tab, select Add message and then select Add HubSpot email from the dropdown list. Alternatively, if the journey already has a message, select the plus icon and select Add HubSpot email from the dropdown list. A side panel opens on the right-side of the screen.
In the panel, select the required email from the list. Alternatively, you can use the Search field to search for a specific email. The list includes only emails that have already been published in HubSpot. You can add a HubSpot email only if it isn’t linked to another journey.

Important: You can only send HubSpot marketing emails from a journey. HubSpot transactional emails aren't supported. For your HubSpot emails to show in the list in Pendo, make sure that when you create and save them in HubSpot, you set the email type to Marketing and convert them to Single send API.
Select Add to journey. The email is added to the journey map.
In the side panel, set the number of days you want the next message in the journey to be sent.

Note: You can’t edit or view the email here. You can only make changes to the email in HubSpot. Deleting an email in HubSpot that's part of your journey stops the journey and disables it.

Monitor HubSpot emails

You can monitor performance data metrics on the Results page of your email. Performance data that's tracked includes total sends, delivery rate, unique open rate, unique click rate, click-to-open rate, unsubscribe rate, spam rate, and bounce rate. For more information, see View email metrics.

To access the Results page for a HubSpot email, select the email from the Journey breakdown table. For more information, see Monitor journey results.

Add an Oracle Eloqua email

If you've integrated Oracle Eloqua with Pendo, you can add Eloqua emails to a journey to track email engagement.

You can only add one Eloqua email to each journey. Any dynamic content or personalization set up in Eloqua applies when the email is sent through Pendo. However, you need to configure this directly in Eloqua before adding the email to the journey. There's no limit imposed by Pendo for sending Eloqua emails in a journey, but any limits set by Eloqua apply.

Note: We recommend only using email content that isn't reused by Eloqua or an Eloqua third party. Instead of reusing email content, copy or clone the content so analytics don't include activity that didn't originate from an Orchestrate journey.

To add an Oracle Eloqua email:

Go to Orchestrate > Journeys.
On the Journey page, select the journey you created or create a new one. For more information, see Create and customize journey.
In the Journey tab, select Add step and then select Add Oracle Eloqua email from the dropdown list. If the journey already has a message, select the plus icon and select Add Oracle Eloqua email from the dropdown list. A side panel opens on the right side of the screen.
In the panel, select the required email from the list. You can also use the Search field to search for a specific email by name, ID, subject, or folder. The list only includes emails from an active Eloqua campaign. You can only add an Eloqua email if it isn't linked to another journey.
Select Add to journey. The email is added to the journey map.
In the side panel, set the number of days you want the next message in the journey to be sent.

Note: You can't edit or view the email content in Pendo. You can only make changes to the email in Oracle Eloqua. If you delete the email or deactivate the campaign in Eloqua while it's linked to a journey, the journey won't send the email, and you won't receive a notification that it failed.

Monitor Eloqua emails

To access the Results page for an Eloqua email, select the email from the Journey breakdown table. For more information, see Monitor journey results.

Add a Marketo email campaign

Note: This offering is currently in closed beta, available to select Pendo customers for testing. The information that follows isn't a commitment, promise, or legal obligation. The development, release, and timing of any features or functionality described here are subject to change at the discretion of Pendo, which can occur without notice. If you're interested in getting early access and providing feedback, contact your Pendo account representative.

If you've integrated Marketo with Pendo, you can add Marketo campaigns into a journey to track email engagement.

You can only add one Marketo campaign to each journey. We highly recommend you only add one email to each campaign. This makes it easier to track email engagement in Orchestrate.

Once that email is added, it can’t be reused. We recommend only using content that’s not re-used by Marketo or a Marketo third party. If the content you're using is re-used, we recommend copying or cloning the content.

Any dynamic content or personalization set up in Marketo applies when the email is sent through Pendo. However, you need to configure this directly in Marketo before adding the email to the journey.

To add a Marketo campaign:

Go to Orchestrate > Journeys.
On the Journey page, select the journey you created or create a new one. For more information, see Create a journey.
In the Journey tab, select Add message and then select Add Marketo campaign from the dropdown list. Alternatively, if the journey already has a message, select the plus icon and select Add Marketo campaign from the dropdown list. A side panel opens on the right-side of the screen.
In the panel, select the required campaign from the list. Alternatively, you can use the Search field to search for a specific campaign. The list includes only emails that have already been published in Marketo. You can add a Marketo email only if it isn’t linked to another journey.
Select Add to journey. The campaign is added to the journey map.

Monitor Marketo emails

To access the Results page for a Marketo email, select the email from the Journey breakdown table. For more information, see Monitor journey results.

Scheduling and triggering messages

Each message in your journey must have a schedule to control when the next message is sent. You can also add a trigger so the next message sends when a specific event occurs.

To schedule a message:

Select the message in the journey map.
In the Overview tab of the side panel, enter the number of days to wait before the next message appears.

To add an event-based trigger:

In the same Overview tab, select + Add trigger.
Choose an event from the dropdown. Events can include:
- Any product usage event
- New usage by the visitor or account
- Message engagement (from Guides or Orchestrate)
- Session properties
- Listen events
- Visitor or account metadata
Set the conditions for the event.
Select Save.

When adding an event trigger you must still set a schedule. The next message appears either when the schedule is met or the event occurs—whichever happens first.

Example: Guide after email click

An email invites visitors to log in and complete an action. You want a guide to appear immediately after they log in—but only if they clicked the email.

To do this:

Add a trigger based on this same email’s click event.
Add a fallback schedule of 10 days.

This ensures:

If the visitor clicks the email and logs in, they immediately see the guide.
If they don’t click the email, the guide appears 10 days later.