How to Use GoHighLevel Email Event Triggers in Workflows

In this guide, you will learn step by step how to trigger workflows in GoHighLevel based on email events such as opened and clicked. If you are also used to ClickUp-style automations, you will find that GoHighLevel offers similarly powerful, yet more marketing-focused, workflow tools for tracking contact behavior and sending targeted follow-ups.

Following the official GoHighLevel documentation, this article walks you through creating an email event trigger, choosing which events to listen for, and deciding what should happen in your automation when a contact opens or clicks an email.

What GoHighLevel Email Event Triggers Can Do

Within GoHighLevel workflows, you can listen for specific email engagement events generated by the system. These events allow you to react in real time when your contacts interact with your emails.

Supported email events inside GoHighLevel include:

• Email Opened
• Email Link Clicked

By combining these events with other workflow actions, you can:

• Move engaged contacts into a special follow-up sequence.
• Tag contacts based on interest in specific content.
• Start or stop campaigns when a contact clicks a key link.
• Refine your audience by behavior instead of just static lists.

Where Email Events Come From in GoHighLevel

GoHighLevel email events are generated whenever the system sends an email to a contact and that contact performs a trackable action, such as opening the message or clicking a link. When this happens, GoHighLevel can pass that event into a workflow and perform automated actions.

Because these events are created automatically by the platform, you do not need extra setup outside of your normal email sending. You simply configure your workflow to watch for the events you care about.

How to Add an Email Event Trigger in a GoHighLevel Workflow

Use the following steps to configure a workflow that starts when a contact opens or clicks an email in GoHighLevel.

Step 1: Open the GoHighLevel Workflow Builder

1. Log in to your GoHighLevel account.
2. Navigate to the Automation or Workflows area in your sub-account.
3. Open an existing workflow or create a new one where you want to use email event triggers.

Step 2: Choose the Email Event Trigger Type

1. Inside the workflow, click Add New Trigger or edit an existing trigger section.
2. From the list of trigger types, select the option related to Email Event. This is the trigger that listens for system-generated email events in GoHighLevel.

Once selected, the trigger options will let you specify the email behaviors that should start the workflow or move contacts into it.

Step 3: Select Email Opened or Clicked Events

Configure which events should activate the workflow:

• Email Opened – The workflow triggers when GoHighLevel detects that the contact opened a particular email.
• Email Clicked – The workflow triggers when GoHighLevel detects the contact clicked one of the links in that email.

Depending on the options shown in your account, you may be able to choose:

• Any email vs. a specific email template or campaign.
• Any link vs. a specific tracked link inside the email.

Adjust these settings so the workflow only starts on the exact engagement you want to track.

Configuring Workflow Actions After GoHighLevel Email Events

After you specify the email event trigger, the rest of the workflow defines what happens to the contact once they open or click your email in GoHighLevel.

Common Follow-Up Actions in GoHighLevel

Here are typical actions you might add immediately after the email event trigger:

• Add or remove tags to mark interest or engagement level.
• Send another email with more detailed content based on what they clicked.
• Create a task for a sales user to call or text the lead.
• Update pipeline stage for deals that advance when a key email is clicked.
• Add to or remove from other workflows if the contact now belongs in a different automation.

Because the email event is the starting point, all later steps in the GoHighLevel workflow can branch or filter based on the contact’s engagement.

Using Conditions for Opened vs. Clicked Emails

You can refine the behavior inside your GoHighLevel workflow further by using conditional logic, such as:

• If email opened but not clicked, send a gentle reminder or a new subject line.
• If email clicked on a specific offer link, send an offer-focused follow-up or book an appointment.

Conditions allow you to treat clicks as stronger intent than opens, which leads to better targeted messaging.

Best Practices for Email Event Workflows in GoHighLevel

For reliable and effective automation, keep these best practices in mind when building email event workflows in GoHighLevel.

Keep Triggers Narrow and Specific

Do not trigger the same workflow from too many broad events, or contacts might enter your automation more than you intend. Instead:

• Use a specific email or campaign whenever possible.
• Limit triggers to the most important links, such as purchase or booking links.
• Avoid overlapping triggers across multiple workflows that respond to the same email.

Use Tags to Track Engagement History

Whenever a contact activates an email event trigger, you can tag them to keep a record of their interaction. In your GoHighLevel setup:

• Apply a tag like Opened Welcome Email or Clicked Pricing Link.
• Use those tags later to build smart lists or additional automations.
• Remove tags when they are no longer needed to keep your data clean.

Combine Email Events With Other Workflow Triggers

Although email events are powerful, they become even more effective when paired with other triggers in GoHighLevel, such as:

• Form submissions
• Pipeline stage changes
• SMS replies
• Manual staff actions

This combination lets you design end-to-end customer journeys that follow contacts from first interaction to final conversion.

Where to Find Official GoHighLevel Documentation

This tutorial is based on the official documentation for workflow actions based on email events. For the exact reference page from GoHighLevel, visit the following external guide:

Official GoHighLevel email event workflow article

You can consult that page whenever you need a concise checklist of configuration steps or want to confirm the latest interface labels.

Next Steps to Optimize Your GoHighLevel Automations

Once you are comfortable with email event triggers, continue improving your GoHighLevel setup by:

• Testing different subject lines and content to increase opens and clicks.
• Segmenting workflows by product line or funnel stage.
• Reviewing performance metrics and adjusting triggers and actions accordingly.

If you want strategic help designing and optimizing funnels, workflows, and CRM implementations around GoHighLevel, you can find expert consulting services at Consultevo.

By using behavior-based email event triggers along with thoughtful follow-up actions, you can transform GoHighLevel into a highly responsive automation engine that reacts instantly whenever a contact opens or clicks your emails.

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