Schedule, start, and pause a campaign
Control when a Tantra calendar campaign runs. Schedule a future start, start it now, or pause and resume sending at any time.
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Overview
You control when a calendar campaign sends. You can schedule it to begin at a future time, start it right away, or pause and resume sending at any point. This article covers each control and what it does behind the scenes.
How it works
A campaign moves through a small set of states as you control it. The ones that matter here are Scheduled, Active, and Paused. For the full list, see Calendar campaign statuses explained.
Scheduling a future start
In step 4 of the create wizard, turn on Schedule for later and set a start date and time. The campaign is saved as Scheduled and waits. A background process checks every 5 minutes for scheduled campaigns whose time has arrived and activates them automatically. You do not need to come back and press start.
If you leave Schedule for later off, the campaign starts processing right after you launch.
Starting now
You can start a Draft or Scheduled campaign yourself from the Campaigns list using its Start Campaign action. Starting sets the campaign to Active and sends the first batch of each event immediately. On success you see a message such as Campaign started! N invites sent, M events created. Attendees added to existing events.
A campaign can only be started from Draft or Scheduled. If a scheduled start is still in the future, starting normally keeps it waiting until that time.
Pausing and resuming
Pause an Active campaign with its Pause Campaign action. Pausing sets the status to Paused and clears any queued sending work, so no further batches go out while it is paused. A campaign must be Active to pause. Trying to pause a campaign that is not active is rejected.
Resume a paused campaign with Resume Campaign. Sending picks back up on its normal batch schedule.
Screens and controls
All three controls live on the Campaigns page, on the Calendar Campaigns tab, in each row's action menu:
- Start Campaign appears for a draft or scheduled campaign.
- Pause Campaign appears while a campaign is active.
- Resume Campaign appears while a campaign is paused.
The Schedule for later switch is in step 4 of the create wizard, not on the list.
Field reference
| Control | Where | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Schedule for later | Create wizard, step 4 | Saves the campaign as Scheduled until the set time. |
| Start Campaign | Campaigns list, row action | Sets Active and sends the first batch of each event. |
| Pause Campaign | Campaigns list, row action | Sets Paused and stops further batches. |
| Resume Campaign | Campaigns list, row action | Returns to Active and resumes the batch schedule. |
What happens next
- After scheduling, the campaign sits as Scheduled. It activates on its own within a few minutes of the set time, then the first batch goes out.
- After starting, the first batch of each event sends immediately and the status moves to Active. Later batches follow every 24 hours. See How invitations are batched and sent.
- After pausing, no new batches go out. The status shows Paused until you resume.
- After resuming, the next due batch is picked up on the normal 5 minute background cycle.
Best practices
- Schedule sends so the first batch lands during your audience's working hours in their time zone.
- Pause rather than delete if you need to stop temporarily. Pausing preserves progress so you can resume.
- Give a scheduled campaign a few minutes past its start time before worrying. Activation runs on a short cycle, not to the exact second.
Common mistakes
- Trying to start an already active campaign. Start only works from draft or scheduled.
- Trying to pause a campaign that is not active. Pause only works while active.
- Expecting a paused campaign to keep sending. Pausing stops all further batches.
Troubleshooting
| Symptom | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled campaign has not started | Its start time has not passed, or only just passed | Wait a few minutes past the set time. Activation runs every 5 minutes. |
| Start does nothing | The campaign is not in draft or scheduled | Only draft or scheduled campaigns can be started. |
| Cannot pause | The campaign is not active | Pause is only available while a campaign is active. |
| Start fails with a queue message | The background queue service is briefly unavailable | The message is Server queue service is unavailable. Please try again in a few minutes. Retry shortly. |
FAQ
Do I have to press start on a scheduled campaign?
No. A scheduled campaign activates on its own within a few minutes of its start time.
What happens to invitations already sent when I pause?
They stay sent. Pausing only stops future batches. Invitations already delivered are unaffected.
Can I resume a paused campaign later?
Yes. Resume returns it to active and continues the batch schedule from where it left off.
Can I start a campaign before its scheduled time?
Starting a scheduled campaign normally keeps it waiting until the set time. Change the schedule if you want it to run sooner.
Where do I confirm the current state?
The status badge on the Campaigns list shows Draft, Scheduled, Active, Paused, Completed, or Error. See Calendar campaign statuses explained.
Related articles
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Related articles
- Calendar campaign statuses explainedUnderstand every calendar campaign status in Tantra, from draft to completed, and why a campaign stays active for days.
- How invitations are batched and sentTantra sends calendar invitations in batches over several days. Learn how batching works and why a campaign takes time to finish.