Utilize workflows for paywall-related tasks

Last updated: June, 2026

Workflows can help you manage administrative tasks related to paywall purchases, subscriptions, and cancellations within your community. When configuring a workflow, you can select either active and archived paywalls. This article covers the different options for setting up paywall workflows.

ℹ️ Note: When multiple prices are added within a paywall, it's important to note that the events and audience rules discussed here will apply universally to all prices within that specific paywall.

There are various entry rule events available for paywalls within your community. You can utilize these events to automate certain actions for the members.

Utilize the member charge event within your community platform to automate specific actions when a member is charged for paywall access. This event is an ideal choice, especially when you want to trigger automation for paywall purchases with a one-time fee price.

This event activates upon successful charges for paywall purchases (excluding trial periods) and subsequent payments. It includes:

• Initial and recurring subscription payments.

• Initial and remaining installment payments.

• One-time fee paywall purchases.

• Charges for a subscription plan and billing cycle changes.

• Initial payment for subscription or installment after the trial period ends.

Even if a member purchases a paywall with an initial amount of zero due to a coupon, the workflow will still trigger for the member.

ℹ️ Note: It's important to note that this event will not trigger when a member begins a trial subscription. For cases involving trial subscriptions, we recommend using the Trial started event instead.

To use this event in automation workflow:

1. Click the Add trigger button and select Charged for a paywall from the list of available triggers.

2. Under the Inputs section, select your desired paywall from the Which paywall? dropdown menu. If you want to use this event for multiple paywalls, create separate workflows for each paywall.

3. Click Continue to proceed with adding actions to the workflow.

Automate a workflow to take certain actions, such as adding a member tag and sending a DM to members when they subscribe to a paywall. This event is exclusive to paywall purchases with recurring subscription or installment pricing (without a trial period).

It’s important to note that this event triggers only upon the first payment of the subscription or installment purchase and does not activate for subsequent payments or changes in billing cycles or plans. In these cases, we suggest using the Charged for a paywall event.

ℹ️ Note: This event will not trigger when a member begins a trial subscription or continues with a paid subscription when the trial ends. If you would like to create a workflow that triggers when a member starts the trial, we recommend using the Trial started event instead.

To set up this event in automation workflow:

1. Click the Add trigger button and select Subscribed to paywall from the list of available triggers.

2. Under the Inputs section, select your desired paywall from the Which paywall? dropdown menu. If you want to use this event for multiple paywalls, create separate workflows for each paywall.

3. Click Continue to proceed with adding actions to the workflow.

Use this event to create an automation workflow that executes your preferred action when cancellation for a member’s recurring subscription for a paywall is initiated.

This event is exclusive for active recurring subscriptions and encompasses the following key aspects:

• This event activates when the member or admin cancels the member's active recurring subscription paywall.

• If the subscription is set to cancel at the end of the billing cycle, the workflow event activates upon initiation of the cancelation by either you or the member instead of the actual cancelation date.

• Activation of this event also occurs if the member's subscription is canceled due to a failed payment configuration in Stripe.

To set up this event in automation workflow:

1. Click the Add trigger button and select Subscription scheduled to cancel from the list of available triggers.

2. Under the Inputs section, select your desired paywall from the Which paywall? dropdown menu. If you want to use this event for multiple paywalls, create separate workflows for each paywall.

3. Click Continue to proceed with adding actions to the workflow.

If you are offering a trial period for your paywalls, you can use this event to automate certain actions when the member purchases a paywall with a trial period. As the name suggests, this event is exclusive for trial paywall purchases.

To set up this event in automation workflow:

1. Click the Add trigger button and select Trial started from the list of available triggers.

2. Under the Inputs section, select your desired paywall from the Which paywall? dropdown menu. If you want to use this event for multiple paywalls, create separate workflows for each paywall.

3. Click Continue to proceed with adding actions to the workflow.

Utilize this event to create an automation workflow that performs certain actions when a member’s trial is ended without a subscription.

💡 Tip: This is an excellent way to create an automation workflow that sends a DM to the member when their trial is cancelled. You can ask for feedback on their experience during the trial and learn what worked well and what didn't. This information can help you enhance the experience for future members.

This event activates based on the following scenario:

• When a member or admin cancels the trial subscription during the active trial period.

• When a member's trial is cancelled due to a failed payment configuration in Stripe.

To set up this event in automation workflow:

1. Click the Add trigger button and select Trial ended and not converted from the list of available triggers.

2. Under the Inputs section, select your desired paywall from the Which paywall? dropdown menu. If you want to use this event for multiple paywalls, create separate workflows for each paywall.

3. Click Continue to proceed with adding actions to the workflow.

Audience rules within bulk action or scheduled workflows empower you to selectively include members for whom you wish to execute. Within these workflows, two rules are available for paywalls.

This is a great option to execute various actions, such as sending direct messages (DMs), applying member tags, or RSVPing members to events for members who have purchased a certain paywall in your community manually or on a set schedule.

Use this audience rule to include the following members in your bulk action or scheduled workflow:

• Members actively subscribed to a recurring subscription paywall.

• Members who purchased installment paywall.

• Members who have successfully purchased a one-time fee paywall, excluding members with full refunds.

To apply this rule in workflow, follow these steps:

1. Click the Add audience button and then click Add audience rule.

2. From the dropdown menu, select Paywall subscription.

3. In the dialog, select Is and choose your desired paywall from the dropdown menu. If you add multiple paywalls, it will only include members who have purchased all the selected paywalls.

4. 💡 You can pair it with other rules to refine your workflow audience even further.

5. Click Continue to proceed with adding actions to the workflow.

You can see how many community members match the criteria for workflow based on the audience rule configuration. Click the information to open a list of members matching the criteria.

You can use this rule to execute workflow action for members who have their subscription in past due status.

💡 Tip: This is a great way to send a DM to the member who may have their subscription past due status to send them a reminder about updating their payment method or help them with any other concerns.

To apply this rule in workflow, follow these steps:

1. Click the Add audience button and then click Add audience rule.

2. From the dropdown menu, select Past due subscription.

3. Select Yes to include members who have subscriptions in the past due status and click Apply. Select No to exclude members who have subscriptions in the past due status.

4. 💡 You can pair it with the Paywall subscription rule to only include members who are subscribed to a specific paywall in the workflow audience.

5. Click Continue to proceed with adding actions to the workflow.

You can see how many community members match the criteria for workflow based on the audience rule configuration. Click the information to open a list of members matching the criteria.

Within any type of workflow, there are two dedicated workflow actions available for paywalls.

This workflow action enables the creation of a trial subscription for a member with a customizable trial duration. It works for both recurring subscription and installment pricing without upfront payments.

To use this action in workflows:

1. Click the Add an action button and select Subscribe to paywall trial from the list of available actions.

2. Under Inputs, select your desired paywall, and the paywall price from the dropdown menus.

3. In the Trial days field, enter your desired trial duration.

   • Regardless of your paywall’s free trial configuration, you can override these default settings and provide a custom trial period dedicated to this specific action.

   • Adding custom trial days here won’t interfere with your paywall’s free trial configuration.

   • ℹ️ Note: You can only offer a paywall trial with recurring subscriptions or installment pricing without upfront payments.

4. If you want to send an email to your members letting them know you've started a trial subscription for them, turn on the Send member(s) a trial started email confirmation toggle.

5. Click Continue.

You can employ this action within workflows to cancel a member's recurring paywall subscription based on a specific workflow event or audience rules. When executed, this action will schedule the member's recurring subscription for cancellation at the end of their current billing cycle.

To utilize this action in workflows:

1. Click the Add an action button and select Cancel subscription at period end from the list of available actions.

2. Under Inputs, select your desired paywall from the Select paywall dropdown menu. Please note that this workflow action will only work for recurring paywall subscriptions.

3. Click Continue.

📚 To learn more about cancellations, see our guide on Cancel member subscriptions.

• Get to know entry rules and actions in workflows

• Create workflows using templates

• Set up a custom automation workflow

• Set up a custom bulk action workflow