The Drip Folder plugin allows you to distribute app content based on user actions.

Content gets released as each user completes a step in the sequence. The second step won’t be available until the first step is complete. The third step won’t be unlocked until the second step is complete, and so on.

With the Drip Folder plugin, you’re also able to use time in conjunction with the actions to release content. For example, once a step in the sequence is completed, the next step won’t necessarily be available right away. You can “drip” the next step so that it’s available in a certain number of hours after the previous step was completed.

The Drip Folder plugin works directly with the Drip Text plugin. Each step will actually be created within the Drip Text plugin, and then organized in the Drip Folder.

The Drip Folder plugin features are pretty straightforward. Most of what you’re doing here is simply customizing the settings for the content you’re creating in the Drip Text plugin.

Using these features is simple. You’ll start by creating stages for the sequence in the Drip Text plugin. Then you’ll add those stages to the Drip Folder, and customize the settings for how they get released.

For example, if you’re creating a 30-day workout routine, you can set Day 2 to be available 24 hours after Day 1 is completed.

The Drip Folder plugin has a wide range of potential use cases. Here are some of the most popular ways we’ve seen the plugin used for BuildFire apps:

The plugin is perfect for any piece of content with sequential steps that need to be unlocked.

Follow the step-by-step guides below to walk your way through the Drip Folder plugin.

Before you can organize a sequence in the Drip Folder, you need to create that content in the Drip Text plugin.

For example, let’s say you’re creating a 30-day fitness challenge. You’ll have 30 different customized Drip Text plugins.

All of the text, images, videos, and more will be created and customized in the Drip Text.

Make sure you populate the form field for “Go to Follow Up Page Button Label.”

App users will click this button to officially complete a step, day, or stage within the sequence.

We’re still in the Drip Text plugin. Each time you create a new day or step within the sequence, you’ll need to assign the Drip Folder as the parent plugin.

You can find this option at the bottom of the “Content” tab.

Just click on the “not selected” button and then search for the “Drip Folder.”

Choose your selection, and click “Add New Feature.”

When you return to the content tab of the Drip Text plugin, you’ll see the “Drip Folder” listed as the parent plugin.

Once this happens, any changes here will be recognized in the Drip Folder.

Now head over to the Drip Folder plugin. Click the “Add Feature” button below the text area of the “Content” tab.

Now search for the content you created back in step #1 within the Drip Text plugin.

For the purposes of this tutorial, I’ve started building a 30-day fitness challenge.

Again, each of these feature instances are coming directly from the Drip Text plugin (as you can see in the screenshot above).

Once all of your stages of the sequence have been added to the Drip Folder, you need to customize your drip settings.

Navigate to “Drip Settings” in the content tab, which can be found below the features you’ve previously added.

Select the frequency in number of hours. You can bring this number all the way down to 0 or make it as high as you want. In most cases, people tend to choose 24 hours as the max, but you can do whatever you’d like.

A countdown timer will begin on the user end once they complete the first stage of the sequence.

In this example, I set the drip frequency to 1 hour. So when a user completes Day 1, their screen will look like this:

In this example, Day 2 will be unlocked in 58 minutes.

Just below the drip frequency section, you’ll find unchecked boxes for “enable only current stage” and “hide locked stages.”

Here’s what happens if you check off those boxes:

These settings all come down to personal preference.

Using the 30-day fitness example, do you want users to be surprised by the next day? If so, hide the locked stages. Do you want them to know that Day 10 is abs and Day 15 is biceps? Then leave the default settings unchecked.

After seeing so many apps use the Drip Folder plugin, we’ve learned a few things about how to have success with this plugin. Keep these pro tips and best practices in mind as you’re building your app.

It’s much easier to stay organized in the Drip Folder if all the content you’re adding has already been created. For example, let’s say you’re creating a 10-step sequence.

Don’t add anything to the Drip Folder until you’ve finished all 10 steps. It’s inefficient to bounce back and forth between both plugins.

Even though you won’t be adding any content to the Drip Folder yet, make sure you have it created.

Remember, you need to assign the Drip Folder as the parent plugin for all of your content in the Drip Text plugin. This can’t be done if the Drip Folder hasn’t been created yet.

In the step-by-step tutorial, we talked about the “Drip Settings.” But those aren’t the only settings that can be customized. You can also change the settings to the plugin itself.

Just navigate to the “Settings” tab at the top of your plugin dashboard, in between “Content” and “Security.”

From here, there are two different types of settings that you can customize:

This is the content that the users will see when they begin a new sequence, and when they finish a step in the sequence. Use this option to create screens like “Are you ready to get started?” or “Congrats on completing the step!”

Overall, this will help improve the user experience.