Step-by-step tutorial: Setting up custom notification rules for your challenge

Notifications can make or break a challenge. Used well, they nudge participants at exactly the right moment; used carelessly, they become background noise that people mute within a day. In this tutorial, you'll learn how to create custom notification rules that keep your community engaged without overwhelming anyone.

Why Custom Notification Rules Matter

Every challenge has its own rhythm. A week-long wellness sprint needs frequent, short reminders, while a month-long fundraising campaign benefits from spaced-out milestones and celebratory messages. Default notification settings treat every challenge the same, which is why customizing them is one of the highest-impact things you can do as an organizer. When participants receive timely, relevant prompts, completion rates and daily engagement tend to climb — and when they don't, even the most enthusiastic community can quietly drift away.

Where to Find the Notification Settings

Start by opening your challenge dashboard. From there, navigate to the notification or messaging section, typically found under your challenge's settings or admin tools. Before you build anything, take a few minutes to review what notifications are already active by default. Common defaults include a challenge start announcement, daily reminders, and a completion message. Knowing what's already in place helps you avoid duplicating messages and gives you a clean baseline to customize from.

If you're managing multiple challenges, double-check that you're editing the notification rules for the correct one — rules are usually scoped to a single challenge, not your entire account.

Building Your First Custom Rule

Choose Your Trigger

Every notification rule starts with a trigger: the event that causes the message to be sent. Typical triggers include:

  • A participant joining the challenge
  • A set number of days before the challenge ends
  • A participant missing an activity for one or more days
  • A milestone being reached, such as halfway through the challenge
  • A new post or activity appearing in the challenge feed

Once you've selected a trigger, decide who should receive the message. Most platforms let you target all participants, only those who haven't checked in recently, or specific segments like team captains. Then write your message. Keep it short, warm, and action-oriented — "You're halfway there! Log today's activity to keep your streak alive" works far better than a paragraph of corporate cheer.

Finally, set the timing and delivery channel. Some messages work best instantly (a welcome note when someone joins), while others should be scheduled (a gentle reminder the evening before a deadline). Choose between push notifications, email, or in-app messages based on how urgent the information is.

Test Before You Launch

Never skip testing. Most platforms include a preview or test-send option — use it. Send the notification to yourself or a co-organizer and check three things: does the message read naturally, does it arrive at the intended time, and does the right audience receive it? A reminder meant for inactive participants that accidentally goes to everyone can erode trust quickly. If your challenge runs on a schedule, let one test cycle play out with a small pilot group before rolling rules out to your full community.

Best Practices for Notification Rules That People Actually Appreciate

Once your rules are live, treat them as a living system rather than a set-and-forget task. A few principles to keep in mind:

  • Less is more. Three well-timed messages beat ten scattered ones. If participants can predict your next ping, you're probably over-sending.
  • Match tone to the moment. Celebratory for milestones, gentle for missed days, urgent only for real deadlines.
  • Review your engagement data. If open rates or check-ins drop after a new rule goes live, adjust the frequency or wording.
  • Give participants control. Where possible, let people adjust their own notification preferences — respect for attention is central to digital wellbeing.
  • Refresh messages mid-challenge. Reusing identical wording for weeks makes reminders invisible; small variations keep them noticeable.

Custom notification rules take only a few minutes to set up, but they shape the entire participant experience. Build them thoughtfully, test them honestly, and refine them as your community grows — your completion rates will thank you.

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