> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.sortment.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.sortment.com/journeys/journey-components/trigger.md). # Trigger Every journey in sortment starts with a **trigger**—this is the condition that determines when a user enters the journey. Without a trigger, the journey doesn’t run. Think of it as the starting gate that opens when certain criteria are met.
As shown in the image above, when creating a new journey, you’re first prompted to **set a trigger** using the sidebar on the right. You can pick from various trigger types depending on the goal of your journey. ## Available trigger types ### 1. User action Use this trigger when you want to start a journey based on specific user behaviour or activity. #### Step 1: Selecting an event Use this trigger when you want to start a journey based on specific user behavior or activity. #### **How it works:** 1. Click **Add a trigger** and select **User action**. 2. Choose from a list of events that have been setup on Sortment. For example, `Ride Completed`, `User Sign Up`, etc. 3. Optionally, you can filter users based on properties. For example:\ “Start this journey only if the **number of rides with low rating** is less than 3.” 4. Decide if you want users to re-enter this journey by enabling the **Re-entry** option. This trigger is ideal for behaviour-based automations — like sending a message after a ride is completed, or triggering a follow-up if a user has had a negative experience. ### Business event Use this trigger to start a journey based on business events like `Sale announcement`. This allows you to trigger a journey for a common set of people based on some action that happens somewhere else. #### **How it works:** 1. Select **Business event** as the trigger type. 2. Pick an event from the list — such as `Sale Announcement`, `Referral Events`, or any other event added to Sortment. 3. Apply filters to determine which users should be enrolled for this journey. 4. Enable **Re-entry** if you want users to go through this flow more than once. This is especially useful for campaign-like journeys or recurring flows based on transactional or funnel-related events. ### Scheduled Use this trigger to start journeys on a recurring schedule — perfect for batch campaigns or regular touch-points. **Example use case:** Push a reminder Email every friday for weekend-only offers. #### **Setup steps:** * Select **Scheduled** as the trigger. * Choose a recurring schedule: Daily, Weekly, or Monthly. * Specify the day and time (e.g., 5th of every week at 8:00 PM). * Apply filters to determine which users should be enrolled. * Enable **Re-entry** if this journey should recur for the same users over time. ### Audience entry or exit Trigger a journey when users enter or exit a dynamic audience segment. **Example use case:** Send a message when a user qualifies for a loyalty tier or drops out of an active user segment. #### **Setup steps:** * Click add a trigger and select Audience entry or exit. * Choose whether to start a journey when users **Enter audience** or **Exit audience**. * Define the audience using filters (e.g., users with a specific property). * Set a **refresh frequency** (e.g., monthly at 12:00 AM) to re-evaluate audience eligibility. * Enable **Re-entry** if users should re-enter the journey when they re-qualify. ### Other journey Trigger a journey from another journey using the **Add to journey** block. **Use case:** Create modular journeys and move users across flows. #### **Setup:** * In a separate journey, use the **Add to journey** block to send users here. * This journey will receive those users. * Apply filter for incoming users if required. * Enable **Re-entry** to allow users to revisit this journey if re-sent from another.