Automations in Substy allow you to send smart, targeted messages to fans automatically — and now do much more. This guide explains how to set them up, what each option means, and how to use them strategically for agency accounts.

🚀 Step 1: Create a New Automation

Go to Automations Messages → Create automation in your Substy dashboard.
You’ll see a five-step process on the left:

1. Trigger – define what activates the automation

2. Audience – choose who receives it

3. Start Automation – decide when it begins

4. Frequency – control how often it sends

5. Actions – configure what happens when triggered

⚡ Step 2: Set the Trigger

A trigger is what causes your automation to start.
Choose one of the available events from the dropdown:

💡 Tip: If multiple automations share the same trigger, Substy will randomly choose one to send, ensuring your messages stay varied.

Keyword Filtering (Fan sends a message trigger)

When using the "Fan sends a message" trigger, you can optionally filter by keywords:

1. Keyword list: Add words or phrases that should trigger the automation (e.g., "custom", "sextape", "private video")

2. Matching style:

   • Contains – Matches if the fan's message includes the keyword anywhere in the text

   • Exact match – Only matches if the entire message equals the keyword exactly

Keywords are case-insensitive and you can separate phrases using commas or the "Add keyword" button.

Leave the keyword list empty to trigger on every inbound message.

🎯 Step 3: Define Your Audience

Fan Lists

You can target specific fan groups.
Use the search bar or select from your default lists:

• Fans – all your current subscribers

• Recent (last 24 hours) – fans active or subscribed in the last day

• Following – people who follow but aren’t paying subscribers

Each list can be toggled to Include, Exclude, or stay Neutral.

✅ Included = fans will receive the message
❌ Excluded = fans will not receive it
⚪ Neutral = fans ignored in targeting logic

If every lists are neutral it will do 0 targeting.

⚙️ Step 4: Add Include & Exclude Filters

Include Filters

Refine which fans you target:

• Total Spend – minimum total amount spent

• Tips Received – minimum tip amount

• Subscription Duration – only include fans subscribed for a certain time

• Online Status – limit to those currently online

Exclude Filters

Avoid overlapping or irrelevant targets:

• Recently Messaged Fans – skip those who recently received messages (set a timeframe)

• Media Viewers – exclude fans who already viewed specific content

• Unread Messages – skip fans with pending messages

• Creator Accounts – exclude other creators if they appear in your fan list

These filters help prevent spammy repetition and keep your automations feeling human.

⏱ Step 5: Choose When to Start

Decide when the automation activates:

• Start right away – triggers immediately when conditions are met

• Wait random delay – adds a delay before sending, useful to avoid simultaneous bursts for multiple fans

🔁 Step 6: Configure Frequency & Scheduling

Control how often and when automations run:

• Send once per fan – only triggers the first time a fan meets the condition

• Send every time – triggers each time the condition is met (e.g., every time a fan comes online)

Then choose when to send:

• Immediately – right after trigger

• Scheduled date – set a specific time or day

And decide expiry:

• Never expire – runs indefinitely

• Scheduled expiry – stops after a date you choose

🎬 Step 7: Configure Actions

This is where you define what happens when the automation triggers. You can enable multiple actions simultaneously.

Available Actions

Send a Message

Deliver a templated or AI-generated reply automatically.

Message Settings

• Unsend messages – automatically delete sent messages after a certain delay

• Stop message sequence – stops sending further messages if the fan replies

Message Sequences

You can create multiple messages in a sequence:

1. Click Add message

2. Add messages, images, or media

3. Set delays between messages (hours/minutes)

4. Optionally, select to generate message with AI (only available with "Fan comes online" and "Fan just subscribed" triggers)

Note: Multiple sequences are only available when "Send every time the fan matches the trigger" is selected in Frequency settings. You can still add multiple messages within a single sequence.

💡 Example: A "Welcome" automation could include:

• Message 1 (immediate): "Hey! Glad to see you here 💙"

• Message 2 (after 3h): "are you hereeeee???"

Stop AI Chatbot

Temporarily pause AI replies for a specific fan.

⚠️ AI will stand down: When this automation runs, the AI chatter automatically disables for the targeted fan and hands control back to your team.

This is particularly useful for:

• Custom content requests

• Complex negotiations

• Sensitive conversations

• High-value fan interactions

Notify Employee on Telegram

Send a Telegram ping to your employees when the automation triggers.

1. Recipients – Select which team members should receive the notification

2. Additional note (optional) – Provide extra context for your teammate

You can insert dynamic variables using the quick-insert buttons:

• + Price – Insert the relevant price

• + Conversation URL – Direct link to the fan's conversation

• + Fan Name – The fan's display name

Add Fan to a List

Automatically enroll the fan into one of your segments.

1. Select lists – Choose one or more lists to add the fan to

Fans will be appended to the selected list(s) immediately after the automation runs. This is useful for:

• Organizing fans by behavior or interests

• Building segments for future campaigns

• Creating multi-step automation workflows

💡 Tip: Combine with other automations to build multi-step workflows. For example, add fans to a "Custom Requests" list, then create another automation targeting that list for follow-ups.

🧩 Example Use Cases

⚠️ Best Practices

• Use Exclude Filters to avoid over-messaging.

• Combine multiple actions for powerful workflows (e.g., stop AI + notify + add to list)

• Use keyword filtering carefully — avoid common words that might trigger false positives

🧾 Summary