REVSET LABS · EXPERT GUIDE·Marketing & Campaigns

How to Activate Paused or Draft Campaigns in GoHighLevel

653 words·3 min read·Updated 28 April 2026·beginner·

Arsalan ZaffarLinkedIn

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Quick Answer

To activate a paused or draft campaign in GoHighLevel, navigate to Marketing → Campaigns. Locate your desired campaign, click the three dots menu next to it, and select Activate Campaign or Publish Campaign. This essential process typically takes about 1-2 minutes.

Key Takeaways

✓Always check your campaign's status in the 'Marketing' section to ensure it's active and running as intended.
✓Understand the difference between 'Paused' (temporarily stopped) and 'Draft' (never launched) to apply the correct activation method.
✓Regularly review your campaign list to identify any campaigns that might have been unintentionally paused or left in draft.
✓Before activating, quickly verify your campaign's settings and content to prevent sending incorrect or outdated information.
✓Use the 'three dots' action menu for quick access to status changes, editing, and other management options for each campaign.

Why Are Your Campaigns Paused or in Draft?

Understanding why a campaign is paused or in draft status is the first step to getting it live. Campaigns can be manually paused by you or another team member, often to make edits or temporarily stop communication. A campaign is in 'Draft' status if it was created but never fully published or activated. This means it has never sent any messages to contacts.

✅ Leaving campaigns in draft or paused means your audience isn't receiving your crucial messages, potentially impacting your outreach and lead nurturing efforts.

How to Locate Your Campaigns in GoHighLevel

The primary place to manage your outreach sequences is within the 'Marketing' section of GoHighLevel. This central hub allows you to view all your created campaigns, regardless of their current status.

Access the Main Menu — From your GoHighLevel dashboard, look for the main navigation menu on the left side of your screen. Click on Marketing.

Navigate to Campaigns — Within the 'Marketing' section, you will see several options. Click on Campaigns to view your list of existing campaigns.

Identify Campaign Status — On the 'Campaigns' page, you will see a list of all your campaigns. Each campaign displays its current status, such as 'Active', 'Paused', or 'Draft'. Visually scan this list to find the campaigns needing activation.

🔥 Pro Tip

Use the search bar or filters at the top of the campaigns list to quickly find specific campaigns, especially if you have many created.

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Activating a Paused Campaign

A paused campaign has been active before but was temporarily stopped. Activating it resumes its sequence from where it left off for any contacts currently in the campaign, or allows new contacts to enter it.

Locate the Paused Campaign — On the Marketing → Campaigns page, find the specific campaign that is currently marked as 'Paused'.

Open the Action Menu — To the right of the campaign's name, locate and click the three dots icon. This action opens a dropdown menu with various management options.

Select 'Activate Campaign' — From the dropdown menu, click on Activate Campaign. GoHighLevel will immediately change the campaign's status to 'Active'.

Confirm Activation — A small notification typically appears, confirming that the campaign is now active. Verify the status column for that campaign shows 'Active'.

⚠️ Be cautious when activating a campaign that has been paused for a long time. Review its content and settings thoroughly to avoid sending outdated information.

✅ Activating a paused campaign will resume sending messages to any contacts who were already enrolled in it when it was paused.

🔥 Pro Tip

Before activating, quickly click 'Edit' from the three dots menu to ensure all settings and messages are still relevant and up-to-date.

Publishing a Draft Campaign

A draft campaign has never been live and requires publishing to become active. This process makes the campaign available to send messages to new contacts who meet its entry criteria.

Locate the Draft Campaign — On the Marketing → Campaigns page, find the specific campaign that is currently marked as 'Draft'.

Open the Action Menu — To the right of the campaign's name, click the three dots icon. This reveals a dropdown menu with available actions.

Select 'Publish Campaign' — From the dropdown menu, click on Publish Campaign. This action changes the campaign's status from 'Draft' to 'Active'.

Confirm Publication — A confirmation message will appear, and the campaign's status will update to 'Active'. Your campaign is now live and ready to enroll new contacts.

⚠️ Ensure all campaign steps, email content, and SMS messages are finalized before publishing a draft campaign. You cannot make structural changes to a campaign once it has contacts in it.

✅ Publishing a draft campaign means it's now live and will start enrolling contacts based on its triggers or manual additions.

🔥 Pro Tip

Always test a new campaign thoroughly using a test contact before publishing it to your entire audience.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

⚠️ I don't see the 'Activate' or 'Publish' option.

Ensure you are clicking the three dots menu next to the campaign's name, not clicking on the campaign name itself. If the option is still missing, your user role might lack the necessary permissions. Contact your account administrator.

⚠️ The campaign status remains 'Paused' or 'Draft' after clicking 'Activate/Publish'.

Refresh your browser page. Sometimes the UI takes a moment to update. If it still shows the old status, try the action again. If the issue persists, clear your browser cache or try a different browser.

⚠️ My campaign is active, but contacts are not entering it.

Check the campaign's entry triggers. Go to the campaign's edit screen and review the 'Add to campaign' section. Ensure your contacts meet the specified criteria or that you are manually adding them correctly.

⚠️ I activated a campaign, but no messages are sending.

Verify that your Twilio (for SMS/calls) and Mailgun (for emails) integrations are correctly set up and have sufficient credits. Also, check the campaign's internal delays and time windows to ensure messages are scheduled to send at appropriate times.

⚠️ I accidentally paused an active campaign and need to restart it for existing contacts.

Simply follow the steps to 'Activating a Paused Campaign'. For contacts already in the campaign when it was paused, it will resume from where they left off. New contacts can also enter immediately.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

→Forgetting to check campaign entry triggers after activating a campaign, leading to no contacts being added.
→Not reviewing campaign content (emails, SMS) before activating, resulting in outdated or incorrect messages being sent.
→Confusing 'Paused' campaigns with 'Draft' campaigns and expecting a draft to send messages without publishing.
→Assuming an activated campaign will automatically start sending to *all* contacts, rather than just those who meet entry conditions or are manually added.
→Ignoring error messages or notifications from GoHighLevel about integration issues (e.g., Twilio balance, Mailgun setup) that prevent messages from sending even if the campaign is active.

Frequently Asked Questions

QWhat is the difference between a 'Paused' and a 'Draft' campaign?

A 'Draft' campaign has been created but never launched, meaning it has never sent any messages. A 'Paused' campaign was previously active and sending messages but has been temporarily stopped. When you activate a paused campaign, it resumes for existing contacts. When you publish a draft, it starts fresh for new contacts.

QCan I edit a campaign while it is paused or in draft status?

Yes, you can freely edit a campaign's steps, content, and settings while it is in 'Paused' or 'Draft' status. This is the ideal time to make changes before it becomes active again. Once active with contacts, certain structural changes become difficult or impossible.

QWill contacts who were in a campaign when it was paused resume from where they left off?

Yes, when you activate a paused campaign, any contacts who were actively enrolled in that campaign when it was paused will resume their journey from the exact step they were on. They will continue to receive messages according to the campaign's sequence and delays.

QWhat happens if I forget to activate a campaign?

If you forget to activate a campaign (leaving it in 'Draft' or 'Paused' status), it will not send any messages or enroll any new contacts. This means your intended marketing outreach will not occur, potentially leading to missed opportunities for engagement and lead nurturing.

QAre there any notifications if my campaign automatically pauses?

GoHighLevel typically does not automatically pause campaigns unless there's a critical system-wide issue or an account-level problem (e.g., billing). However, it's good practice to regularly check your campaign statuses. If a campaign unexpectedly pauses, check for any associated error messages or account notifications.

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Arsalan Zaffar

Revset Labs · Revenue Systems · 78+ GHL Builds

Arsalan writes GHL guides from real build experience — 78+ systems, $9.2M in client pipeline. Wharton, CXL & Google certified.

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Tags:GoHighLevelCampaign ManagementMarketing AutomationLead NurturingCustomer EngagementGHL Campaigns