What are campaign phases?
Every campaign in Campaignly moves through distinct phases as it progresses from initial planning to completion. These phases help you track where a campaign stands and what happens next. Understanding them keeps you and your clients aligned.
Campaign phases overview
Campaignly tracks campaigns through four main phases:
Presale — The campaign exists but hasn't officially started. You're still scoping work, setting timelines, or waiting for client approval. Deliverables aren't due yet.
Onboarding — The client has approved the campaign. You're gathering assets, briefs, and information needed to begin work. This is when you collect brand guidelines, product photos, messaging, or other client materials.
Production — Active work is happening. You're creating content, designing assets, writing copy, or executing the strategy. Most of your campaign time lives here.
Complete — All deliverables are finished and delivered. The campaign is closed out.
How phases work in practice
Phases move automatically or manually depending on your workflow:
- Presale to Onboarding: You move this manually when the client approves the campaign and you're ready to collect materials.
- Onboarding to Production: Move this when you have everything you need and work begins.
- Production to Complete: Move this when all deliverables are done and delivered to the client.
Changing a campaign phase
- Open the campaign.
- Look for the phase indicator (usually at the top or in the campaign details).
- Click the phase dropdown or "Change Phase" button.
- Select the new phase from the list.
- Confirm. The campaign updates immediately.
Some Campaignly plans allow you to set up automation rules that advance phases based on triggers (like all tasks completed), but manual control is always available.
Why phases matter
Phases keep you organized. They signal to team members and clients what stage work is in. They also help you:
- Filter campaigns by status (show me everything in Production)
- Understand timeline expectations (how long do campaigns typically stay in Onboarding?)
- Spot bottlenecks (campaigns stuck in Presale for months)
- Generate reports on campaign velocity
Important notes
Phase changes are permanent — Moving a campaign backward (from Production back to Onboarding) is possible but unusual. Check with your team first if this happens, as it may indicate scope creep or a missed requirement.
Archived campaigns — Completed campaigns can be archived to keep your active list clean. Archived campaigns don't appear in standard views but remain searchable and reportable.
Client visibility — Depending on your sharing settings, clients may or may not see the campaign phase. Check your permissions to confirm what's visible to external users.