Enable and Configure In-App Messages for Braze

Overview

This guide explains how SmarterSends triggers Braze In-App Messages (IAM) using a Braze IAM campaign + custom event + Liquid templating, and then walks through enabling IAM in SmarterSends, creating IAM templates, and sending an IAM campaign.

Prerequisites

• A Braze account with API access enabled
• The Braze integration enabled in SmarterSends (REST endpoint + API key)
• At least one Braze app configured (iOS and/or Android)
• SmarterSends admin access
• Your mobile app is already configured for Braze In-App Messages (Braze SDK installed and IAM display enabled)
• Your mobile app supports receiving SmarterSends “silent push” and forwarding a custom event to Braze. Braze Developer Documentation

How SmarterSends triggers a Braze IAM (required pattern)

SmarterSends triggers a Braze In-App Message using this flow:

1. In Braze, create an IAM Campaign that is triggered by a Custom Event.

2. In the Braze IAM content, use Liquid to render data from `event_properties`, for example:

     - {{ event_properties.${image_url}}}
     - {{ event_properties.${headline} | default: 'Headline'}}

3. When you “send” an IAM campaign in SmarterSends, SmarterSends sends a silent push notification to the selected user(s) that contains:

   - The custom event name

   - The event properties (the content the campaign creator entered in SmarterSends)

4. Your mobile application receives the silent push and forwards the custom event + properties to Braze.
5. Braze receives the custom event, which triggers the Braze IAM campaign for that user, and the IAM renders using the Liquid `event_properties`.

Because of this pattern, the Braze custom event name and the Liquid variables you reference in Braze must match the keys SmarterSends sends and your app forwards.

Braze setup

1. Create the IAM Campaign
   1. In Braze, create an In-App Message Campaign.
   2. Set the campaign trigger to your chosen Custom Event.

2. Configure IAM content using Liquid

   1. In the IAM message body, use Liquid placeholders that pull from `event_properties`.
   2. Example: use `{{ event_properties.${image_url} }}` for an image URL that will be provided at send time.

   

3. Confirm the mobile app flow
   1. Confirm your app can receive SmarterSends silent push.
   2. Confirm your app forwards the event name + event properties to Braze.

4. Enable In-App Messages in SmarterSends

   1. In SmarterSends, go to: Tenant Settings → Integrations → Mobile Push.
   2. Select Braze as your provider (if not already selected).
   3. Enable the “In-App Messages” toggle.

   Note: Push Messaging and In-App Messaging share the same integration area in SmarterSends. Your team may configure Push variation IDs separately.

5. Create IAM templates in SmarterSends

   SmarterSends IAM templates let you standardize structure and make campaign creation fast and consistent.

   Supported IAM template types

   1. Full Screen
   2. Modal
   3. Slide Up

   Create Content Aread

   1. Each content area should be named to match the liquid field you added in the Braze template. This is critical to allow the SmarterSends data to line up with the Braze template

      
      

   Common IAM fields

   The exact fields vary by template type, but typical templates include content areas for:

   1. Headline / title
   2. Message body
   3. Media (image URL)
   4. Click action (URL or deep link)
   5. In-app event name (the Braze custom event used to trigger the IAM)
6. Create and send an IAM campaign
   1. Go to Campaigns → Create Campaign.
   2. Filter by Type: In-App (IAM).
   3. Select the IAM template you want (Full Screen, Modal, or Slide Up).
   4. Compose your message:
      1. Fill in content areas (headline, body, image URL, etc.).
      2. Ensure the event name matches the Braze campaign trigger event.
      3. Ensure the content area keys match the Liquid keys used in the Braze IAM (event_properties).
   5. Choose audience.

   6. Test (recommended):

      Send yourself a test to confirm the silent push → event forwarding → Braze IAM trigger → Liquid rendering.

7. Send now or schedule.

Troubleshooting & best practices

• IAM never shows: confirm the Braze IAM campaign is active and the trigger event name matches exactly.
• Liquid renders blank: confirm the property keys in SmarterSends (and forwarded by your app) match the keys referenced in Liquid `event_properties`.
• No event in Braze: confirm the app received the silent push and actually logged the event to Braze.
• Clicks not working: verify deep link registration in your app, or use a valid HTTPS URL.
• Images not showing: confirm the image URL is accessible and supported.

Summary

SmarterSends triggers Braze IAM by sending a silent push that instructs your app to log a custom event (with properties) to Braze. Braze then triggers the IAM campaign and renders the message using Liquid event_properties. Once this pattern is in place, SmarterSends templates make IAM creation and sending fast and consistent.