> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.ycloud.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Journey best practices

> Plan clear, relevant, and measurable WhatsApp follow-up journeys.

# Journey best practices

A Journey is most effective when it supports one clear customer outcome. Build focused flows, keep follow-up relevant, and review the Journey before you activate it.

## Start with one customer outcome

Define the outcome before you add components.

For example, your Journey might aim to:

* Welcome new contacts.
* Follow up after a template message.
* Identify contacts who have replied.
* Apply tags that help your team organize follow-up.

Keep one Journey focused on one outcome. If you need to support a different audience or follow-up goal, create a separate Journey.

## Define the right entry conditions

Use the Trigger to define who should enter the Journey.

Before you activate the Journey, review:

* The conditions under **When to send**.
* The selected **Sender**.
* Any optional **Audience** conditions.
* Blocklist and WhatsApp unsubscribe filters.
* Whether contacts should enter once or every time they match the conditions.

Choose the entry rule carefully. Re-entry can be useful for recurring use cases, but it can also cause contacts to enter the same follow-up flow more than once.

## Keep messages relevant

Use templates that match the reason a contact entered the Journey.

Before sending a template:

* Confirm that the template is available for the selected Sender.
* Configure every required template variable.
* Make the next action clear to the contact.
* Avoid adding unnecessary follow-up messages.

## Use timing and response paths thoughtfully

Use **Wait** when the next action should happen after a defined delay.

Use **Message status rule** when the next action depends on whether a contact reads or replies to a template message. Configure both the matched and unmatched paths so that each contact has an appropriate next step.

For example:

1. Send a template message.
2. Check whether the contact replies.
3. Add a tag for contacts who reply.
4. Send one relevant follow-up to contacts who do not reply.

## Define completion and stopping conditions

Use a **Goal** to measure whether the Journey achieves its intended outcome.

Use an **Exit rule** when a contact should stop receiving the remaining Journey steps after they meet a condition. A Goal records completion but does not stop the Journey by itself.

## Review before you activate

Before you save a Journey as **Active**, check:

* Every required component is configured.
* Every connection leads to the intended next step.
* Both paths of each Message status rule have an appropriate follow-up.
* The Sender and template message match the intended audience.
* The Journey has a clear Goal or Exit rule when you need to measure completion or stop follow-up.

For setup instructions, see [Create a Journey](/en/documentation/journey/create-a-journey).


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