Choosing a message type

You’ve decided to message your users, but the key question is, what kind of message do you want to send them? Leanplum has four main message types:

• Push notifications are best for reaching users outside your app with relevant, timely information. Because push messages will alert users wherever they are, even if they aren't in your app, they are ideal for messages that require immediate action, like a sale that's ending soon. Note that for iOS users, Leanplum can only deliver push notifications to users who have opted in for push notifications.

• Email campaigns are another great way keep users engaged when they aren't always in your app. Email is currently an add-on feature, but it does offer many of the same targeting and delivery options as push and other Leanplum messaging channels. See Email for more information, or talk to your Customer Success Manager.

• In-app messages are perfect for interactions that take place while the user is interacting with you app. You can trigger messages based of different events, like a button tap or a User Attribute change (for example, "Congrats! You just leveled up ⭐️). Leanplum has many In-app message templates to choose from, whether you need a quick alert or a full-screen (interstitial) ad with background images.

• App inbox messages are persistent, inbox-style message that live in an inbox you create in your app. These messages are especially useful for information a user might want to return to later, or longer messages that are better stored in a separate screen. You have to set up the inbox in your app before sending inbox messages — the inbox has no default UI which means that you can code it to match the native look and feel of your app.

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Open source templates 😍

For more customization options, you can create your own templates or customize ours. See Customizing in-app message templates.

All of our messaging channels allow you to set custom targets, delivery times, and other features to ensure you send your message to the right people at the right time. You can also segment messages to send different versions of a message to different people.

We support emojis in messages, too 👍, and you can also add dynamic text (jinja) that changes based on user attributes or other data from your users. For example, you could insert a person's username or the name of a recently viewed item into your message.

Learn more on the different types of messages in Leanplum by creating some test messages on your Registered test device, or read on for more on each specific message type.