How to Create Custom Promotions

When & Why to Create a Custom Promotion?

Whether it’s a special dinner, event, seasonal menu, or announcement you'd like to share, Custom Promotions make it easy to reach your guests on your website, by email, text, and social media.

Use custom promotions to spotlight unique or one-time happenings — even your most loyal customers won’t know what’s new unless you tell them!

Custom Promotions are best suited for short-term campaigns. Within a single custom promotion you can set:

A time-limited website announcement (via pop-up or header)
One email blast
Up to twelve social media posts (six for Instagram and six for Facebook)
A single text message

If your campaign is ongoing (promoting reservations, loyalty programs) or recurring (such as holiday events), use a Standard Promotion instead. Those are designed for continuous engagement and allow you to set up ongoing blasts and posts.

Step 1: Open the Promotion Template

Start by navigating to the "Campaigns & Promotion" page under "Marketing."

From the top right of the page, click the green "Create Custom Promotion/Announcement" button.

You’ll be taken to a blank promotion template where you can begin building your campaign.

Alternatively, you can also open the promotion template directly from your calendar homepage.

WATCH: Create a Custom Promotion from Your Calendar Page

Step 2: Set the Promotion Details

The Promotion Name and Call to Action (CTA) are required fields that apply across all marketing channels — website, email, texting, and social media.

Start by filling these out first before customizing the individual sections.

Promotion Name —helps you easily identify and edit the promotion later on the Campaigns & Promotions page.
Call to Action (CTA) — where customers will be directed once they click the CTA button or link.

This can either be a page on your website (for example, Reservations or Menu), or a custom URL that you can copy and paste.

If you choose a website page that isn’t active yet, the CTA will automatically default to "Call to inquire."
Once you’ve filled out the basics, move through each marketing channel section (Website, Email, Texting, Social) to complete your setup.

🌐 Website Pop-Up or Header

This is the first marketing channel where you'll immediately land upon opening the promotion template.

Start by choosing the timeframe when the pop-up or header will show on the website
Choose either a pop-up or a header. The header appears at the top of your homepage, above the navigation bar, while the pop-up displays as a promotional message that appears when visitors load your homepage.

Make sure to select "None" if you do not want to update your website (for instance, you only wish to promote via email or social media).
Add the content of your pop-up (title and subtitle are optional) and upload an image if you'd like to.
Check all fields and confirm the CTA link you've set earlier.
Click "Next" in the lower right corner to move to the next marketing channel.

✉️ Email Blast

Once you are under the Email tab, you can set up the details for your email blast.

You can choose to send one email (only one email blast per custom promotion) or none.
Select "None" if you do not want to send an email blast (for instance, you only wish to create a pop-up).
Set the sending time for the email blast.
Choose the email section template - single or multiple. The default is Single Email Section, which is best for most campaigns.. The "multiple sections" option will add all sections that you have selected under the email template editor.
Add the content of your email blast. That includes an image (optional), email subject, email header & subheader (optional), and email body text.

Make sure to add an eye-catching email subject. If you leave the field empty, the platform will send your email with the Promotion Name as the subject.
Check the entered details and confirm the CTA link you've set earlier (page or URL).
Click "Next" to move to the next marketing channel.

💬 Text Blast

The Texting tab on the promotion template is for creating your marketing text messages.

Choose "1 text" under the Schedule drop-down.

If you do not want to send any texts, just click "Next" as "no text" is the default option.
Choose the date and time for the text blast.
Choose whether you'd like the text to be automatically approved or not.
Add the content of the text.
Double-check the details and confirm the CTA link you've set earlier.
Click "Next" from the lower right corner to move to the next and final marketing channel.

📱 Social Media (Facebook & Instagram)

The Social tab in the custom promotion template is where you create and schedule your social media posts from scratch.

Choose how many posts you wish to schedule.

You can schedule up to 6 posts per platform (6 for Facebook and 6 for Instagram), so 12 posts in total.
Be sure to add an image to each post, as social posts can’t be created without a visual.
Select the time range for your posts by choosing a start and end date. The platform will automatically distribute your scheduled posts across the selected dates within that range.
Add post captions (required) and hashtags (optional).
Check all fields and confirm the CTA link you've set earlier.
Since the Social tab is the last one, you will have a green Save button in the lower right
corner. If all looks good, save the promotion.

Step 3: Previewing the Custom Promotion

After saving your custom promotion, the details will collapse so you can preview how your campaign looks across all channels.

Preview on Website: See your pop-up or header, even if it’s not yet active (for example, when scheduled for a future date).
Preview on Facebook/Instagram: Opens the scheduled social media posts so you can review and make edits if needed.
Preview Email Newsletter: Opens the Email preview page (Marketing → Emails) to review or adjust your scheduled email blast.
Text Message Preview: You can find your scheduled text under Marketing → Texting. You can review and edit the text blast directly from there.

You can access all saved custom promotions on the Marketing → Campaigns & Promotion page under the Custom Promotions section.

Find the promotion you're looking for, hover over it, and click the Edit button.

This will open your saved promotion where you can further customize it if needed.