Set Up Automated Journeys

Use Tightknit’s gamification features to design clear member journeys, celebrate meaningful milestones, and recognize contributors in ways that support your community and business goals.

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Overview

Tightknit’s Gamification module lets you:

• Map Journeys that reflect how members progress in your community
• Define Milestones that track specific behaviors along those journeys
• Create Awards (badges, framed profile photos, and credentials) that recognize and celebrate completion

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1. Access gamification in Tightknit

1. Open the Tightknit app from your Slack sidebar.
2. In the Tightknit Home view, navigate to the Gamification section.

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2. Create member journeys

Journeys represent the paths you want members to take in your community (for example: “New member → Confident participant”). A Journey is a collection of Milestones. Members must complete each Milestone in the Journey, in any order, to receive the Journey’s reward.

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Access the journeys list

In the Gamification module, click the Journeys button. This opens the Journeys List panel, where you can:

1. Create new Journeys
2. Edit existing Journeys
3. Manage Milestones within each Journey

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Configure a journey

When you create or edit a Journey, you can configure:

• Name — The name of the Journey as members and admins will see it.
• Completion Window — The time period during which members’ actions count toward this Journey.
  • Start Date — When actions begin counting toward Milestones in the Journey.
  • End Date — When actions stop counting. Once a Journey passes its End Date, it is set to Inactive. If you leave End Date blank, the Journey stays open indefinitely.
• Award (optional) — The Award a member receives when they complete all Milestones in this Journey.
• Activation — The publication status of the Journey:
  • Active: visible and available to members.
  • Inactive: hidden from members and not trackable.

Members can only complete Milestones for a Journey if:

• The Journey is activated, and
• Their actions occur within the Journey’s completion window.

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3. Define milestones for each journey

A Milestone is a specific goal or behavior a member must achieve as part of a Journey. Each Milestone belongs to exactly one parent Journey.

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Manage milestones for a journey

1. In the Journeys List panel, find a Journey.
2. Click the menu next to that Journey.
3. Select Manage Milestones.

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Create a new milestone

From the Manage Milestones view:

1. Click the Create Milestone button.
2. Configure the Milestone:
   • Name — The label for this Milestone (for example, “Introduce Yourself”).
   • Action — The action type that will count toward this Milestone, such as “Post in channel” or “Reply in thread”.
   • Count Threshold — For supported action types, the number of actions required to complete the Milestone. Example: for a “Post in channel” Milestone with Count Threshold = 1, a member must post 1 time in that channel to complete the Milestone.

Use Milestones to reflect the behaviors you want more of, such as:

• Posting helpful questions or updates in key channels
• Replying with thoughtful answers in support or discussion threads
• Participating in events (RSVPs, live chat, follow-up threads)

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Completing a journey

When a member completes all Milestones in a Journey:

• They receive a private notification.
• If an Award is configured for that Journey, it is automatically given at completion.

This keeps recognition tightly connected to the specific behaviors you care about.

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4. Set up awards and recognition

An Award is the core recognition object in Tightknit gamification. It can include one or more of:

• A badge
• A profile photo frame
• A credential / certificate

You can connect Awards directly to Journeys, or give them manually for special contributions.

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Badge

A Badge is a visual marker or icon that:

• Recognizes specific achievements (for example, completing a Journey)
• Indicates exclusive status (for example, membership in a Group)

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Profile photo frame

A profile photo frame lets recipients generate a framed version of their profile photo:

• Members can show off achievements clearly within the community.
• Framed photos can also be used externally (for example, on social profiles).
• Helps other members quickly identify contributors and experts

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Credential / Certificate

Awards can include credential-style elements that:

• Support LinkedIn sharing
• Provide a more “official” artifact of the achievement

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Create an award

1. In the Awards section of the Gamification module, click Create Award.

Configure the Award:

• Name
• Award Description — What this Award represents and under which conditions it is given.
• Default Award Message — The default message sent to the member when they receive this Award. This can be overridden when giving an Award manually.
• Can be given by non-admins — If enabled, members with the “Give Award” permission via a Permission Set and admins can give this Award. If disabled, only admins may give this Award.
• LinkedIn Sharing — If enabled, the notification includes an Add to LinkedIn button. This opens a pre-filled form to add a new License & certification entry to the member’s profile. The framed profile photo message also includes instructions for sharing the award in a LinkedIn post.

You can also:

• Upload a badge image or frame for the Award (see branding guide for badge templates).

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Types of awards (recommended patterns)

Use clear categories so members understand what they are being recognized for. On-ramp awards (for newer members)

• First Post
• First Answer
• First Event

Consistency awards

• Weekly Helper
• Steady Contributor

Impact awards

• Most Helpful Thread
• Best How-To
• Product Pioneer

Community awards

• Connector (introduces people)
• Cheerleader (encourages others)
• Culture Keeper (models values)

Pair these Awards with specific Journeys and Milestones so that:

• Members see a clear path to earning them.
• Recognition maps directly to the behaviors you want more of.

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Receiving an award

When a member receives an Award, they get a private notification that includes:

• Who sent the Award (unless it was sent anonymously)
• The Award message
• The badge image (if configured)
• The Award description
• Action buttons (for example, add to LinkedIn, view profile, etc.)

This turns recognition into a concrete moment of celebration and sharing!

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5. Connect gamification to real community goals

To avoid “points for points’ sake,” always tie Journeys, Milestones, and Awards back to real goals.

• Double-check that every rewardable action supports a real outcome, such as:
  • Better support quality — More accurate answers in support or security channels.
  • Deeper product adoption — Members sharing use cases, playbooks, or best practices.
  • Stronger cohort engagement — Participation in premium or programmatic channels, events, or cohorts.
• Decide how you will celebrate milestones, beyond the automated Award:
  • Shout-outs in #celebrations or recap posts.
  • Access to special channels, cohorts, or events.

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6. Monitor impact in Tightknit Studio

Use Tightknit Studio to see whether gamification is driving the right behavior.

1. Open Tightknit Studio in your browser.
2. Select a time range that starts before you launched gamification and extends at least 1–2 weeks after.
3. Track changes in:
   • Total messages and replies
   • Active members vs. total members
   • Activity in channels tied to your Journeys and Milestones
4. Qualitatively assess whether:
   • The quality of conversation is improving
   • New contributors are participating, not just existing power users

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Troubleshooting