What a blast actually is
A blast is the single most powerful tool a Founder has on In Eden. One tap, one message, three delivery channels:
- Push notification to every member of your group.
- Email to every member of your group.
- In-app card at the top of every member's Home feed.
All three fire as one blast unit. You don't choose channels — that decision is intentionally taken out of your hands so the experience for members is predictable: a blast is always a blast.
The first blast — what to say
There's a real "first day of class" energy to the first blast a member receives from you. The ones that land best share three traits:
- Warm, not promotional. Members opted in to your community, not your marketing list. "I want to invite you to something" beats "Sign up now!"
- Specific. A blast with a date, a place, and a reason performs measurably better than a blast with three of those things missing. "Sunday at 8am, Cowles Mountain trailhead, slow hike + breakfast after" reads as a real plan. "Excited for what's coming!" reads as filler.
- Short. A blast is not a newsletter. Two or three sentences. If you need more space, link to a Resource in your group's portal.
A drafted blast goes into the composer, you can preview exactly how it'll look in push, email, and in-app, and then you send.
The rate limit, and why
5 blasts per rolling 24 hours per group. This is not adjustable.
The cap exists because the difference between a Founder members trust and one they mute is roughly five blasts a day, in our research from comparable platforms. Going hard on volume kills your open rate within two weeks and eventually drives members to leave the group entirely. We'd rather make that mistake impossible than let it happen.
If you legitimately need to send more than 5 blasts in a window — say, day-of-event logistics for a retreat — email support@ineden.app and we'll raise the cap manually for the day.
Members can mute you specifically
Every member can mute any specific Founder's blasts independently of any other notification preference. This means a member who loves your group but doesn't want your push notifications can stay in the group with the blasts off. You won't see who muted you — we never expose that — but if your open rate drops sharply, it's a real signal.
A muted member will still see in-app cards on her Home feed when she opens the app. She just doesn't get the push or the email.
Every blast is reportable
A small Report button sits at the bottom of every blast in-app. Members can report blasts for the same categories as any other content — spam, harassment, inappropriate content, off-brand for In Eden, other. Reports land in a separate, higher-priority admin queue specifically because Founder content has broader reach.
Two reports against your content in 30 days auto-pauses you pending admin review. During the pause, you can't send blasts, post events, or publish resources. We restore you within 24–48 hours after review unless the reports surface a real issue.
This isn't an "if" rule — it's a "when." Even excellent Founders eventually get a report or two over a long enough timeline. The system is designed so one or two reports don't pause you, but two in a tight window do. Treat the auto-pause as a calibration moment, not a punishment.
What blasts are not for
A short list of things a blast is the wrong tool for:
- DMing one specific member. If you only need one person, send a DM. Blasts go to everyone.
- Reacting to one person's post on your message board. Reply in-thread. Don't blast about it.
- Generic affirmations with no plan. "So grateful for this community 🙏" once is sweet. Three times in a week is noise.
- Sales pitches for paid offerings outside In Eden. A blast about your upcoming retreat or paid program is fine when it's relevant to your group's purpose. A blast that feels like an ad will get reported and we'll back the report.
When to send
The blast send time is up to you, but a few patterns help:
- Weekday mornings, 7–9am local to your city, get the highest open rates for general updates.
- Weekday evenings, 6–8pm, for event invitations members may want to discuss with someone before committing.
- Avoid sending between 10pm and 7am. Members' quiet hours will suppress the push anyway, and the email will land in a less-read window.
You can schedule blasts in v1.1 (deferred at launch). For now, send time = compose time.