Campaigns that convert: A practical guide to using Events in OneSignal

Events guide hero

That goldmine of user data you've been sitting on is about to pay off.

Fun fact: The faster you act on behavior, the more it's worth.
Not-so-fun-fact: Most marketers are forced to move at the speed of their tools, not their users.

It’s why so many campaigns rely on static tags, stale segments, and a whole lot of hoping for the best.

OneSignal Events changes that.
Now you can respond the moment behavior happens—or doesn’t. Whether someone skips a step, opens your app, or leaves money on the table, that window to connect is brief. No more settling for "close enough" manual campaigns. They’re moments for Journeys that trigger themselves.

The way we see it, your segmentation should think like a marketer, instead of a database admin. That's why this guide exists—to help you make the shift and finally build the kind of messaging your users expect.

What is an “Event”?

An Event is any action—or inaction—that reveals something about your users' intent. It could be as clear as a button click or as subtle as silence after signup.

There are two main types of Events in OneSignal:

Message Events

These Events are based on how users interact with your messages sent from OneSignal. Did they open that push? Click the link? Ignore it entirely? Add them to a Segment and trigger a Journey based on those actions (or inactions) out of the box.

Custom Events

These are behavioral signals from your app or website, like completing a purchase or abandoning a signup flow. You define them, and OneSignal can trigger real-time messages without developer overhead once they're ingested.

Here are some examples of events you can use:


Whether it’s a one-time action or a pattern over time, OneSignal Events let you act on what users are actually doing, instead of what you assume they’re doing. You can immediately start a Journey when any of these actions occur. Or, for more advanced logic, you can build an *Event-based segment composed of multiple events (like “started a free trial but hasn’t returned since day one”) and trigger a sequence from there.

Either way, you’re turning real-time user behavior into revenue-driving moments.

*Event-based Segmentation will be available in Q4

Journeys: Automate every step of the user experience

Capturing user behavior is one thing. Acting on it, across the right channels and at the right time, is how you boost LTV without blowing your budget.

OneSignal Journeys connects the dots between real-time events and fully automated, omnichannel campaigns. 

When a user takes or skips a key action (opening an app, missing a payment, abandoning onboarding) you can drop them into a Journey right then and there while intent is still at its peak, and without needing to create a segment. 

Suddenly, things that once took a tedious dev sprint or a lengthy workaround become point-and-click: nudging churn risks before they vanish, reactivating stalled users automatically, upselling at just the right moment.

And hey, it’s a win-win: you get to build campaigns without begging for dev time, and your engineers get to finally stop pretending they’re into lifecycle marketing.

How to get Events into OneSignal (without losing your mind)

We built Events to work with the data you already have (and actually want to use.) Whether your team leans on a CDP, a data warehouse, or product analytics tools, we make it easy to pull in meaningful user actions. 

Here’s how you can start piping in events:

Data warehouses

Connect platforms like BigQuery or Databricks via partners like Census to stream behavioral events directly into OneSignal.

CDPs (like Segment)

Already syncing your user data to Segment? Great—you can automatically forward relevant events into OneSignal without adding another layer of custom setup.

Product analytics (Amplitude)

Use Amplitude to track what users do? Those same insights can now trigger timely messages and journeys.

OneSignal SDK or API

Want to track in-app moments like “finished tutorial” or “started a workout”? You can send those events straight from your app using our SDK or API.

What to send (and when)

Six essential lifecycle plays, powered by OneSignal Events.

1. Onboarding: Drive more activations

A message event like “opened first push” lets you respond the moment a user shows intent and tailor the experience from there. It’s a low-lift way to separate warm leads from window shoppers.

Custom Event

Created an account but didn’t fund it within 3 days

This is your moment: 
Signups are just the beginning. Real value starts when users take their first meaningful action. This is your moment to guide, encourage, and remove friction.

Custom Event
Journey Example

Triggered Response: Launch a conversion-focused Journey that nudges users to fund their account with confidence and urgency.

💡 Quick win: Use messaging delays to space out reminders and catch users while they’re still in a high-intent window, but not overwhelmed. 

Or use Intelligent Delivery to automatically determine the optimal send time for each user in your target audience

Journey Example

2. Engagement: Keep users coming back

Interest fades fast if you don’t reinforce it with timely, relevant content. With Events, you keep users engaged by responding to their unique signals of interest, not just their last login.

Event-Based Segment

Read 3+ articles in one category but hasn’t returned in 5 days

What most teams miss:
Not all readers are casual. When someone digs deep into a topic, that’s a signal worth responding to… especially if they’ve gone quiet.

Event-Based Segment
Journey Example

Triggered Response: Reignite interest by surfacing what they’ve missed, and invite them back with personalized content.

💡 Quick win: Use Data Feeds to auto-fill emails with the latest articles from a user’s followed topics, so every message stays fresh without manual updates.

Journey Example

3. Conversion: Turn interest into action

Whether it’s placing a first order, upgrading to a subscription, or unlocking a promotion, conversions depend on timing, relevance, and context. Use OneSignal Events to strike while intent is high—automatically—without waiting on dev tickets or static campaign windows.

Event-Based Segment

Opened cart twice but didn’t complete purchase

Where the ROI lives:
Opening a cart twice is a strong signal of interest, but if no purchase follows, the clock is ticking. A well-sequenced follow-up can help seal the deal and recover lost revenue.

Event-Based Segment
Journey Example

Triggered Response: Create a Segment and send a follow-up Journey that adds context, value, and a hint of urgency. Your follow-up must add to the user experience, without pestering them with repetitive messaging for the sake of repetition.

💡 Quick win: Test different urgency angles: scarcity (“Almost sold out”), speed (“Ready in 20 mins”), or social proof (“Most ordered near you”).

Journey Example

4. Retention: Catch drop-offs before they churn

Users rarely disappear all at once. They disengage in small, trackable ways. Now you can spot early signs of drop-off and intervene with timely, personalized nudges that reignite momentum before it’s gone for good.

Custom Event

No gameplay in 7 days

The turning point:
Disengagement is a slow drift. This trigger gives you a clean opportunity to bring users back while there’s still momentum to recover.

Custom Event
Journey Example

Triggered Response: Kick off a win-back Journey that taps into progress, rewards, or FOMO to bring players back.

💡 Quick win: Frame rewards as “you earned this” based on their past activity (even if the incentive is re-engagement-driven.) It creates continuity and feels like progress, not bribery.

Journey Example

5. Re-engagement: Win back lapsing users

Reactivating dormant users goes beyond good timing. It requires empathy for why they dropped off in the first place. With Custom Events, you can re-engage users based on behavioral gaps and make the message feel like support, not pressure.

Event-Based Segment

Logged in but hasn’t transacted in 30 days

This is where to pay attention:
If users are logging in but not taking meaningful action, there’s friction—or doubt. You can’t afford to let that silence linger.

Event-Based Segment
Journey Example

Triggered Response: Start a “financial check-in” Journey that offers insights, encouragement, and easy next steps.

💡 Quick win: Re-engagement doesn’t always require a discount! Try positioning a non-transactional feature (like savings insights or goals) as the “hook” to bring users back into the experience.

Journey Example

6. Loyalty: Grow LTV with your best users

Your most engaged users aren’t just the ones who stick around. They’re the ones who spend more, refer others, and deepen the value of your product over time. You must be able to recognize these behaviors in real time and guide loyal users toward their next milestone, upgrade, or reward—without sending everyone the same message.

Message Event

Clicked push for a previous promo or reward campaign

The opportunity:
Power users respond to recognition, and they’re most receptive when they’ve just engaged. Build on that momentum with a loyalty track that feels personalized.

Message Event
Journey Example

Triggered Response: Create a Segment and trigger a VIP-style Journey that rewards behavior, while introducing the next tier of value.

💡 Quick win: Gamify your upsell by making it feel like progression. Framing a subscription as “Level Up to VIP” can outperform traditional pricing language, especially with players already in achievement mode.

Journey Example

The tools are here. Now it’s your turn.

Your users are constantly signaling what they want, from the first tap to the final conversion. The real question is: are you equipped to act on it?

With OneSignal Events and Journeys, you don’t have to settle for sending the same message to everyone or waiting days to react to what just happened. You can respond in the moment, with messaging that actually reflects what users are doing in your app. No workarounds. No dev queue. Just thoughtful, well-timed campaigns that feel personal to your users and manageable for your team.

Want to put this into practice, without piling more work on your dev team?

The OneSignal Growth Plan gives you everything you need to start using Events right away. It’s a great fit for marketing teams who are ready to move faster, personalize messages based on real behavior, and finally connect the dots between engagement and growth.

Put Events to work