Campaign communication: Discord, reminders, and creator community messages

Community campaigns have several independent communication controls. Connecting Discord, creating a Cruva campaign chat, scheduling a reminder, and notifying winners do different jobs. Configure each destination you intend to use.

Discord connection and joining requirement

Connect your shop's Discord server through Integrations before configuring its campaign options. In the campaign's Discord community settings, choose whether creators must connect Discord to join.

With Require Discord on, the creator needs a linked Discord account. Cruva can add them to the brand's connected server when their campaign participation is approved. Someone who connected Discord before server-joining permission was included may be asked to reconnect Discord. Follow that reconnect prompt; repeatedly refreshing the campaign is not a substitute for granting the required permission.

With the requirement off, creators without Discord can join if they meet the other requirements, but they will not receive Discord-specific onboarding.

If Cruva reports it cannot check Discord right now, retry the check. Do not diagnose that message as a rejected campaign application. If the brand disconnected the server or the bot lost access, the brand should repair the integration; the Discord gate may no longer apply as configured.

What happens on approved joining

Three separate switches control Discord onboarding:

For auto-approved campaigns, onboarding happens on joining. For campaigns requiring approval, it happens when the brand approves; a pending applicant should not expect their campaign role or private-channel access yet.

The welcome DM supports [shop_name], [campaign_name], [campaign_link], and [brand_hub_link]. A creator brief selected in the editor inserts its link. Keep the message within Discord's message length limit; the onboarding message is limited to 2,000 characters.

Discord actions are best-effort after approval. A failed role assignment or blocked DM does not automatically undo a successful campaign join. If an approved creator is missing access, check the linked Discord account, server connection, bot permissions/role hierarchy, selected role/channel, and the creator's DM privacy settings. A welcome DM, a public announcement, and a Cruva in-app message are separate deliveries.

Automated deadline reminders

Add a message and a days before deadline value of at least one for each reminder. Enable each delivery channel you want:

A Discord or Lark announcement is one group message, not a separate DM to each participant. Turning on a phone-number requirement does not turn on reminders by itself and does not override SMS opt-outs.

Reminders are sent by scheduled processing associated with data syncs, not at an exact minute chosen in the form. Use Reminders History to review delivery results rather than assuming every eligible message has already arrived.

Which deadline do reminders use?

Fixed campaigns use the campaign's deadline in its configured timezone. Recurring campaigns use the relevant recurring period instead of always counting down to the first period's end.

Dynamic retainers have different deadlines per creator. Individual SMS and Cruva chat DM reminders use each creator's active deal window, anchored to the first qualifying post when available and the deal date as fallback. Use those individual channels for personal countdowns; a shared Discord/Lark/channel announcement is not a personalized reminder for every creator's different deadline.

For dynamic reminders, grace normally does not add extra posting time. When Allow new posts during the grace period is enabled, that additional posting time is included in the relevant deadline calculation.

Message variables

Click the variable badges offered by the editor for that campaign and destination. Spelling and case matter, and the available variables differ between individual messages and group announcements.

Individual SMS examples include:

• [name], [shop_name], and [campaign_link].
• Retainer/race progress such as [videosLeft].
• Leaderboard [ranking] and [topPrize].
• Contest [progressRemainingToNextTier].
• Bingo [cellsCompleted] and [prize].
• Race [prizesRemaining] and [prizePoolLeft].

Group announcement examples include [shop_name], [campaign_name], [campaign_link], and supported campaign-specific variables such as [top_prize], [leaderboard], [prizes_remaining], or [prize_pool_left]. A Discord leaderboard can use Discord mentions where identities are linked; a Cruva chat leaderboard is plain text.

Do not paste an individual [ranking] or [videosLeft] variable into a broadcast and assume it will become a different value for every reader. Use the badges shown for the destination, and use an individual reminder for personal progress.

Cruva creator community messages

Enable the campaign channel to create a shared conversation for campaign participants in Cruva. Set its initial posting policy to everyone can post or brand only. The creation-time policy is not a guarantee that editing the campaign later changes an existing channel's permissions; check the channel's own controls.

Separately choose DM or Off for private lifecycle messages:

• Application approval/rejection status.
• Payment notifications.
• Winner notifications, controlled in the winner settings.

These private cards are sent to the creator's conversation with the brand, not announced to all participants. Turning off a lifecycle card does not reverse the underlying approval or payment. Negotiation offers and responses have their own structured conversation cards.

Scheduled chat reminders are another setting. Choose campaign channel for a shared reminder or DM for personal delivery. Channel reminders need the channel enabled; otherwise they are skipped. DM reminders do not require a shared campaign channel.

New campaigns and older campaigns may have different saved defaults. Inspect the actual switches before telling a creator that chat or notifications are enabled.

Winner notifications

Choose whether to send email, text, and Cruva chat winner notifications on campaign completion. Email and SMS have separate controls. Enter an optional custom winner message or leave it blank for the default. The editor offers [shop_name] and [campaign_link] for this message.

These notifications are separate from scheduled pre-deadline reminders, approval messages, and Discord welcome DMs. A winner notification announces an outcome; it does not prove a bank transfer has completed.

One-off reminders and payout-setup messages

Use the campaign's reminder tools when you need a manual follow-up, and review its recipients and channel before sending. The payout interface also provides payout-setup reminders through available SMS, email, and Cruva chat destinations. A payout-setup message asks the creator to finish receiving-account setup; it is not a new campaign invitation or a fresh prize.

Why a message did not arrive

Check the specific channel, its enable switch, saved message and day offset, participation status, correct period/deadline, and delivery history. For SMS, check phone and consent. For Discord, check account connection, bot/channel permissions, and DM privacy. For Lark, check the integration. For chat channel reminders, check that a campaign channel is enabled. For dynamic retainers, check that there is an active agreed period and use individual reminders for individual deadlines.

Do not resend payouts just because a payment notification is missing. Inspect payment history and held payouts separately.