Message Prioritization

Message Prioritization is an optional layer on top of frequency capping. When multiple opted-in messages compete for the same user, prioritization decides which message sends.

Why use Message Prioritization?

Users can only receive so many messages before volume becomes a problem. The messages that reach them should be the ones that matter most to your business.

Most teams control volume with frequency caps. Frequency capping limits how many messages a user receives and sends whatever is due first. They do not decide which of those messages matter most. After a user hits their cap, send timing decides what gets through. A promotion that fires first can take a slot a loyalty reward or time-sensitive message would have used later that day.

Message Prioritization makes business importance, not send time, decide which opted-in messages win that limited space.

Benefits

Message Prioritization offers several benefits:

• Define what matters once: Use categories and ranked rules to encode your priorities—for example, “Loyalty” over “Paid Partnerships.” Every opted-in send honors those rankings automatically.
• Forward-looking evaluations: Braze predicts what a user may receive later. It can hold back a lower-priority message to preserve cap space for a higher-priority one.
• Works across message types and channels: Scheduled campaigns, action-based campaigns, and Canvas steps compete in one ranked pool when they share a frequency cap.
• Retry windows: When configured, a message that isn’t selected as priority can retry if capacity opens up. This improves the message mix without dropping lower-priority sends entirely.

The result is the same capped send volume among opted-in messages, allocated to the messages that matter most.

How it works

Use Message Prioritization to create categories and prioritization rules to rank how your messages are sent.

To manage these settings, go to Settings > Message Prioritization. Only administrators can configure top-level Message Prioritization settings. Users need the “View Message Prioritization” permission to view settings in this section and the “Edit Message Prioritization” permission to edit them.

At send time, Braze compares the message being sent against other messages the user may receive that are opted into prioritization, have a priority category set, and count toward the same frequency capping rule within the same frequency capping window. If sending the current message would prevent a higher-priority message from sending later, Braze deprioritizes the lower-priority message. Depending on the configured retry window, that lower-priority message is either retried later or not sent. For how to decide those categories and rankings before you configure, see Plan your setup.

Message Prioritization can evaluate:

• Scheduled campaigns
• Action-based campaigns
• Canvases

Currently, API-triggered campaigns or Canvases aren’t supported by Message Prioritization and won’t participate in prioritization.

Braze uses its prediction of when each message is expected to send when evaluating whether sending one message now could prevent a higher-priority message from sending later. For more information on how Braze predicts future send timing for campaigns and Canvases, see How does Braze predict when a future message sends?

Supported message channels

Message Prioritization supports the same channels as frequency capping:

• Push notifications
• Email
• SMS
• Webhooks
• WhatsApp
• LINE

For prioritization and frequency capping, iOS push, Android push, web push, and other push notification platforms are treated as one shared push channel, not as separate channels.

These channels are not eligible for Message Prioritization because they aren’t subject to frequency capping:

• Content Cards
• In-app messages
• Banners

In-app messages and Banners use their own priority settings when evaluating which message displays when multiple messages compete for the same trigger or placement. For in-app messages, see Choose a priority. For Banners, see Banner priority.

If a campaign or Canvas step uses only ineligible channels, it won’t participate in prioritization.

Plan your setup

Before you start configuring, three questions can help shape your setup:

• Which messages share a frequency cap? Only opted-in messages that count toward the same cap compete for priority. Start by identifying the frequency-capped campaigns and Canvases that could send to the same user on the same day.
• How do those messages rank by business value? Group them into tiers. A useful framing: if a user can receive only one message today, which one should it be? Work from your most important sends down.
• Which messages must always send? Transactional messages, legal notifications, and any campaign that must never be held back should be opted out of frequency capping before you configure prioritization. For how to opt out, see How can I make sure a message is always sent?.

With those decisions made, creating categories and prioritization rules maps directly to the hierarchy you’ve already identified.

For example, a beauty brand managing email promotions for paid partnerships and loyalty programs starts by asking those three questions. Their frequency-capped emails include loyalty rewards, seasonal promotions, and partner-sponsored campaigns—all counting toward the same daily email cap. When they ask which message should win a slot if a user can only receive one that day, loyalty rewards for long-term members come first. Partner campaigns rank second.

The brand creates two categories and ranks them in this order:

1. Loyalty
2. Paid Partnerships

During the holiday season, when frequency caps fill quickly, a loyalty reward and a partner promotion are both scheduled for the same user on the same day. Braze sends the loyalty reward and deprioritizes the partner campaign. If a retry window is configured, Braze can try the partner campaign again later. For other send-time patterns, see Examples.

Categories

Prioritization rules are based on a ranking of categories, which are labels you can assign to a given campaign or Canvas (similar to a tag). There is a cap on the number of categories you can create at a given time; contact your account manager if you’d like a higher limit.

To add a new category:

1. Go to Settings > Message Prioritization > Categories.
2. Select Create new category.

3. Give the category a name and an optional description.
4. Select Create category.

To edit or delete a category, select the menu.

Prioritization rules

After your categories are set up, you can rank them in a set of prioritization rules. Rules are ranked in descending order of priority. There is a cap on the number of prioritization rules you can create at a given time; contact your customer success manager if you’d like a higher limit.

1. Go to Settings > Message Prioritization > Prioritization Rules to configure your rules.

2. Select Add rule.
3. Select a category from the dropdown.

4. Continue to add rules by selecting + Add rule under your last rule.

To reorder rules, select and drag the icon on a rule. To delete a rule, select the menu and then Delete Rule.

Select Save for your updates to apply.

Frequency capping rules

Message Prioritization works within your existing frequency capping rules. To be eligible for prioritization, a campaign or Canvas step must use a supported channel and be subject to your frequency capping configuration. Messages that are not subject to frequency capping are not eligible for Message Prioritization. For must-send messages, see Plan your setup and How can I make sure a message is always sent?.

A prioritized message can send only if:

1. The relevant frequency capping rule has not been reached yet for that user, and
2. Sending that message would not cause the user to hit a cap before a later, higher-priority message can send.

You can use channel-specific frequency capping rules, category-specific rules, tag filters, or rules that apply to any channel. Message Prioritization works with whichever rules apply to your opted-in messages.

You can also create frequency capping rules by category to manage how many messages a user receives from a given category. This helps prevent a high-priority category from sending too many messages. Select Message prioritization category under Additional filters, and select a category from the dropdown.

Opted-in and not opted-in messages

Message Prioritization ranks only messages that are opted in, assigned a category, and counting toward the same frequency cap. A higher-priority opted-in message can win that ranked pool and still fail to send if an earlier message that is not opted in already used the last slot on that cap.

Messages that are not opted in still send on their schedule or trigger. They still count toward the same frequency caps as opted-in messages. Because they are outside the ranked pool, Message Prioritization cannot hold a slot for a later opted-in message.

For example, a promotion campaign follows frequency capping rules but is not opted into Message Prioritization. It sends at 9 am and uses the user’s last email slot for the day. A loyalty campaign is opted in at Priority 1 and scheduled for 3 pm. Loyalty ranks first among opted-in messages, but it cannot send because the promo already used the cap.

If competing campaigns and Canvas steps should compete on priority for that cap, opt them into Message Prioritization. If a message should send without using a cap slot that opted-in messages need, opt it out of frequency capping and select Don’t count this Campaign toward the frequency capping send limit.

Opting in

To put a campaign or Canvas into the ranked pool, opt it in to Message Prioritization and assign a category. Messages you leave opted out still send and still count toward frequency caps. For how that interaction works, see Opted-in and not opted-in messages.

Campaign opt-in

To opt a campaign into prioritization, select the Opt-in to Message Prioritization checkbox in the campaign’s delivery settings.

Next, assign the campaign to a category by selecting one from the Category dropdown.

Message Prioritization supports scheduled campaigns and action-based campaigns. API-triggered campaigns aren’t supported.

Canvas opt-in

Canvas opt-in works similarly to campaigns. To opt a Canvas into Message Prioritization, enable Message Prioritization in the Canvas settings and assign the Canvas to a category. All steps in the Canvas share that category and the same priority level, which means you can’t set priority individually by step.

Message Prioritization supports scheduled Canvases and action-based Canvases. API-triggered Canvases aren’t supported.

Best practices

After your categories and rules are set, the most common gaps are incomplete opt-ins on messages that follow frequency capping rules, and timing and delivery edge cases.

Opt in every message that should compete

Opt in every frequency-capped campaign and Canvas that should compete for the same cap. A high-volume promo that stays frequency-capped but not opted in to Message Prioritization can send first and use the last slot. Ranking then applies only among the remaining opted-in messages, so a later Priority 1 send can still miss the cap. For details, see Opted-in and not opted-in messages.

Avoid Liquid aborts and last-minute audience drops on prioritized messages

Message Prioritization is evaluated in real time when each message attempts to send. At this point, Braze checks the current message against a predicted list of higher-ranked messages, and aborts if it would block any of them.

Avoid abort_message Liquid on prioritized messages, and keep audience membership stable through send time.

If the higher-ranked message doesn’t end up sending to the user (for example, if Liquid abort logic or an audience change stops delivery), this does not automatically and immediately trigger a retry for lower-priority message that was deprioritized. However, if retry windows are configured, the message retries daily until it reaches the end of the retry window.

For how this affects later ranking, see My message was prioritized but aborted last-minute.

Set a retry window only if a late send is acceptable

A retry window is the only way a message that isn’t selected as priority can send later. Without one, that send is aborted for this occurrence. Set a window only when a delayed send is acceptable.

Retry windows are not available for:

• Action-based campaigns that use exception events
• Content Optimizer steps, because retrying would interfere with the experiment

For configuration details, see Retry windows.

Treat quiet hours, rate limits, and Liquid as separate send-time gates

Message Prioritization allocates frequency cap slots among opted-in messages. Quiet hours, rate limits, and Liquid still apply at send time. Ranking does not bypass those gates. If a ranked message is delayed by rate limiting, Braze still treats it as sent at the originally scheduled time when ranking other messages. See My message was scheduled to send already, but it hasn’t yet because of rate limiting.

Intelligent Timing

With Intelligent Timing, Braze sends a message at each user’s optimal send time, so the same campaign or Canvas message step can reach different users at different times. Message Prioritization takes this into account: instead of assuming the message sends to everyone at its scheduled time, it ranks a user’s competing messages using that user’s optimal send time.

For campaigns and Canvas message steps that use Intelligent Timing, Braze predicts send timing on a best-effort basis until it calculates each user’s per-user send time. For campaigns, Message Prioritization uses that user’s optimal send time for the current occurrence when comparing the campaign against the user’s other eligible prioritized messages. For recurring Intelligent Timing campaigns, Braze uses the optimal send time chosen for that occurrence.

For Canvas message steps, Braze updates this prediction after the user enters the step and Braze calculates that user’s optimal send time for the step. Message Prioritization uses that calculated send time for the current step. On deterministic paths (paths with no branching, where the step sequence is fixed), Braze also reflects that updated timing in the following message steps when determining their expected send times.

Retry windows

When Braze deprioritizes a message, that occurrence does not send. Without a retry window, Braze does not attempt the message again.

A retry window schedules later ranking attempts for a limited number of days. A retry is another attempt, not a send. That attempt can lose ranking again. If a retry wins, Braze records a normal send. There is no separate sent-after-retry event.

The maximum retry window length depends on your Braze platform edition. On each subsequent day, at the same time the message was originally scheduled or triggered to send, Braze attempts the message again. After the last day in the retry window, if the message still has not sent, it is permanently deprioritized and is not retried further.

For recurring scheduled campaigns, the retry window must be shorter than the minimum time between sends for that campaign. Retries always happen one day at a time from the original send time, even if the campaign is not normally scheduled to send on that day. For example, if you have a campaign that sends every Monday and Wednesday, the retry attempt occurs on Tuesday, so the retry window must be set to one day. If you have a campaign that sends every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and the Friday send is retried with a one-day retry window, the retry attempt occurs on Saturday, not Monday.

For action-based campaigns, retries are based on the time the triggered message was originally expected to send.

Action-based campaigns that use exception events do not support retry windows.

Retry windows for Canvas messages are configured at the step level. For supported Canvas messaging steps, if a Canvas Message step is deprioritized and has a retry window configured, Braze can retry that step later within its retry window.

How Braze evaluates messages

When a user is eligible for multiple prioritized messages, Braze evaluates opted-in campaigns and eligible Canvas message steps together on supported channels.

For campaigns, this includes eligible scheduled and action-based sends.

For Canvases, this includes:

• Future scheduled Canvases that the user is eligible to enter
• Canvases that the user is currently in

Canvas prioritization is not all-or-nothing. A higher-priority campaign can cause one Canvas step to be deprioritized while later eligible steps in that same Canvas can still send, depending on category ranking, send timing, and frequency capping rules.

Braze compares prioritized messages only when they share the same applicable frequency capping rule. For example, two email campaigns that count toward the same email frequency capping rule can be prioritized against each other, but a lower-priority email campaign is not deprioritized in favor of a higher-priority SMS message unless both count toward the same rule. Messages that are not opted in still share these frequency cap limits. For how that can block an opted-in send, see Opted-in and not opted-in messages.

Braze evaluates campaigns and Canvases differently because a Canvas can branch and unfold over time.

Evaluate campaigns

Braze compares each eligible campaign message using the time that message is expected to send.

Evaluate Canvases

To evaluate a Canvas, Braze performs a look-ahead: it traverses the Canvas from a starting point to predict which future messages a user may receive, and when. The look-ahead starts from:

• Canvas entry, for future scheduled Canvases
• The user’s current step, if the user is already in the Canvas

As it looks ahead, Braze treats each type of Canvas step differently. The step type determines whether the look-ahead counts it, skips it, stops at it, or splits across multiple paths:

Step category	Effect on the look-ahead
Messaging steps	Counted as eligible messages for prioritization
Continuation steps	Skipped; the look-ahead passes through them
Boundary steps	The look-ahead stops until the user passes the step
Branching steps	The look-ahead follows every possible path

Messaging steps

These steps are counted toward prioritization and added to the set of eligible messages when they send on a supported channel.

• Message step
• Content Optimizer step

Continuation steps

These steps are ignored for prioritization and do not affect the look-ahead.

• Context Update step
• User Update step
• Audience Sync step
• Feature Flag step
• Delay step with a fixed delay

Boundary steps

Braze stops the look-ahead at these steps until the user actually progresses through them in the Canvas.

• Delay step with a personalized delay
• Delay step that follows a branching step
• Action Path step
• Experiment step

Branching steps

These steps split the Canvas into multiple possible paths.

• Decision Split step
• Audience Path step

When a prioritization path contains branching steps, Braze assumes all paths are viable and considers all parallel message steps on supported channels for prioritization. Because frequency capping rules can be channel-specific, parallel message steps are de-duplicated by channel when needed.

For example, if one branch can send email and another branch can also send email, Braze treats those as a single possible email send during the look-ahead. If another branch can send push, Braze also considers that possible push send separately.

For Canvas Message steps that use Intelligent Timing, Braze uses each user’s calculated send time after the user reaches the step. For details, see Intelligent Timing.

Content Optimizer steps are treated like messaging steps because they always send on a specified channel. However, retry windows do not apply to Content Optimizer steps because retrying would interfere with the experiment. Other supported Canvas messaging steps can use retry windows. Canvas steps on unsupported channels do not participate in Message Prioritization.

Examples

Higher-priority campaign versus lower-priority campaign

Suppose a user is eligible for two email campaigns on the same day, and both campaigns count toward the same frequency capping rule. If the higher-priority campaign is expected to send later that day, Braze can deprioritize the lower-priority campaign so the higher-priority campaign can send instead. If the lower-priority campaign has a retry window, Braze can try it again later. See Plan your setup for an example that uses this pattern for a loyalty reward versus a partner promotion.

Higher-priority action-based campaign versus lower-priority message

Suppose a user triggers a higher-priority action-based campaign that is set to send two hours later. During that delay, Braze can consider that upcoming action-based campaign when deciding whether another prioritized message should send first. This helps prevent a lower-priority message from sending now if the higher-priority action-based campaign is expected to send soon.

Higher-priority Canvas versus lower-priority campaign

Suppose a user is eligible for a lower-priority campaign, but is also expected to receive a higher-priority Canvas message later that day. If Braze can already evaluate that future Canvas message, it can deprioritize the lower-priority campaign so the higher-priority Canvas message can send instead.

Higher-priority Canvas with a boundary step versus lower-priority campaign

Suppose a higher-priority Canvas includes an Action Path step, an experiment, or a personalized delay before its next Message step. Until the user reaches and moves past that step, Braze does not look ahead to the downstream higher-priority Canvas message. In that case, a lower-priority campaign may still send first.

Higher-priority branching Canvas versus lower-priority message

Suppose a higher-priority Canvas can send different messages depending on which branch a user follows. Braze evaluates those possible future paths conservatively when comparing messages. This helps prevent a lower-priority message from sending now if a higher-priority Canvas branch could use that same frequency cap later.

Canvas step with Intelligent Timing and downstream steps

Suppose a user enters a higher-priority Canvas Message step that uses Intelligent Timing. After Braze calculates that user’s send time for the step with Intelligent Timing, Message Prioritization uses that per-user send time for the current step and for later Message steps on the same deterministic path. This helps Braze compare downstream Canvas messages against other prioritized sends using the updated timing instead of only the earlier path estimate.

Limitations

Message Prioritization has the following feature limits. Specific limits depend on your Braze platform edition. Contact your customer success manager for details.

• A limit on the number of active opted-in scheduled campaigns and Canvases (combined)
• A limit on the number of active opted-in action-based campaigns and Canvases (combined)
• A limit on the number of prioritization evaluations per month
• A limit on the number of categories per workspace
• A limit on the number of prioritization rules per workspace
• A maximum retry window length
• A Canvas has one category for all steps. You can’t rank a welcome email over a later promo inside the same opted-in Canvas.

Frequently asked questions

How are ties in priority broken between messages in the same category?

When prioritizing two campaigns in the same category against each other, Braze gives higher priority to the one with the earlier send time. If a retry window is configured, Braze uses the end of that retry window when comparing campaigns within the same priority rule. For recurring campaigns, the send time is calculated as the next occurrence as of midnight in company time. For campaigns scheduled in local time, Braze assumes a send time in company time.

For Canvases in the same category, Braze uses Canvas entry timing as the tiebreaker so that all steps in the same Canvas preserve the same relative priority against other campaigns and Canvases.

Can a high-priority opted-in message lose a frequency cap slot to a message that isn’t opted in?

Yes. Ranking applies only among opted-in messages on the same cap. A message that follows frequency capping rules but is not opted in can send first and use a slot. A later opted-in message, including one at Priority 1, cannot send after that cap is reached.

If those messages should compete on priority, opt the earlier send into Message Prioritization. If it should not consume the slot, opt it out of frequency capping and select Don’t count this Campaign toward the frequency capping send limit. For an example, see Opted-in and not opted-in messages.

How can I make sure a message is always sent?

Opt the message out of frequency capping. That also makes it ineligible for Message Prioritization, so it sends on its schedule or trigger.

After you turn Frequency Capping off, choose whether the send still counts toward the cap:

• Count this Campaign toward the frequency capping send limit: The message always sends, but it can still use a cap slot and block other messages, including prioritized ones.
• Don’t count this Campaign toward the frequency capping send limit: The message always sends and does not use a cap slot. Use this for legal and transactional messages.

For those delivery-setting steps, see Delivery rules. Identify these messages before you configure; see Plan your setup.

When are messages actually prioritized? Is there a schedule?

Each message is prioritized based on when it is expected to send. There is no universal evaluation time for prioritized messages.

How does Braze predict when a future message sends?

Braze predicts future send timing differently for each message type:

• Scheduled campaigns: Braze uses the time each campaign is expected to send. For scheduled campaigns that use Intelligent Timing, Braze uses each user’s optimal send time for that campaign occurrence.
• Action-based campaigns: Braze uses the time each triggered message is expected to send, including any configured delay between trigger and send.
• Canvas steps: Braze uses the user’s Canvas entry or current Canvas position, plus the timing of downstream steps. For Canvas message steps that use Intelligent Timing, after a user enters that step, Braze uses the per-user send time it calculates for that user. For following message steps on the same deterministic path, Braze uses that Intelligent Timing send time when determining later expected send timing. Before a user reaches the step with Intelligent Timing, prediction remains best-effort.

My message was scheduled to send already, but it hasn’t yet because of rate limiting or other delays. What does this mean for prioritizing other campaigns?

Braze assumes your message was sent at the originally scheduled time if it is still processing, which determines whether to send other upcoming prioritized messages. When that message does ultimately send, Braze uses the actual send time.

My message was prioritized but aborted last-minute. What does that mean for prioritization?

When a message is prioritized, Braze assumes it was sent at its originally scheduled time. In general for Message Prioritization, we don’t recommend using Liquid aborts. If a message is aborted due to abort_message Liquid logic, we assume it was sent to that user and prioritize future campaigns accordingly.

Let’s say you have two messages: Message 1 and Message 2. If Message 1 is aborted in favor of a future higher-priority Message 2, this doesn’t guarantee that Message 2 actually sends. Message 2 can still abort for any reason, including:

• Liquid abort messages
• The user no longer being in the segment
• Frequency caps because of a message outside of the prioritization rules.

If Message 2 aborts, there is not another attempt to send Message 1.

Note that a user could receive a lower-priority message, but not a higher-priority message for the same frequency capping rule for the following reasons:

• The higher-priority message was frequency capped by a different rule.
• The higher-priority message conflicted with another, future campaign of even higher priority for a different rule.
• At the time of the lower-priority message send, the user was not in the audience for the higher-priority message.
• Both messages should have been able to send, but a message that is not opted in sent before the higher priority campaign could send and used the frequency cap. This is expected unless you opt that message in or exclude it from the cap. See Opted-in and not opted-in messages.

How does Intelligent Timing work with Message Prioritization?

For campaigns, Message Prioritization uses each user’s optimal send time for the current occurrence. For Canvas message steps, Braze uses each user’s calculated send time after the user reaches the step, and reflects that timing in following Message steps on the same deterministic path. For details, see Intelligent Timing.

Is there any reporting or analytics functionality specific to Message Prioritization?

Yes. For abort meaning, Report Builder metrics, Currents events, and how to diagnose ranking outcomes, see Message Prioritization reporting.

Braze also provides Message Prioritization-related events in Currents and data sharing for supported channels, including email, LINE, push notifications, SMS, webhooks, and WhatsApp. These include deprioritized and frequency-capped events, logged as the users.messages.<channel>.Abort event, as well as retry events that show when a message was later retried within the configured retry window, logged as the users.messages.<channel>.Retry event.

You can also use the Messaging Diagnostics dashboard, the existing deprioritized and retried daily stats, and existing Braze reporting functionality to monitor the health and performance of your prioritized campaigns and Canvases.

Related articles

• Message Prioritization reporting