WordPress Automations
Send an Email When a New Comment Is Posted (Before Moderation)
WordPress's own comment notification email can get lost among the rest of your inbox, or you may want a different recipient — a specific moderator, a Slack-forwarding address, or a whole team — alerted the instant a comment arrives, approved or not. Zapify does this with the A comment is posted trigger and the Send an email action — both free.
What this automation does
The automation is one trigger plus one action:
- Trigger: A comment is posted (
WP_COMMENT_POSTED, WordPress) - Action: Send an email (
WP_SEND_EMAIL, WordPress)
Every time a comment is submitted — whether it's auto-approved, held for moderation, or later marked spam — Zapify fires immediately and sends the email with the comment's details.
This is a different moment from a comment is approved: that trigger only fires once a comment goes live, while this one fires the instant it's submitted, which is what a moderation-alert automation actually needs.
Before you start
- Both the trigger and the action are free.
- This trigger runs for logged-out visitors too, since most comments come from people without an account.
How to build the automation
Step 1: Create a new automation
- In the WordPress admin, go to Zapify → Automations.
- Click Add New to open the builder.
- Name it clearly, such as Alert moderators on new comment.
Step 2: Add the "A comment is posted" trigger
- Click Add Trigger.
- Choose WordPress as the app.
- Select the trigger A comment is posted.
- In the Post field, pick a specific post to watch, or leave it on Any post.
Step 3: Add the "Send an email" action
- Click Add Action.
- Choose WordPress as the app.
- Select Send an email.
Step 4: Configure the email
For example:
- To:
moderators@example.com - Subject:
New comment on {{trigger:POST_TITLE}} - Body:
From {{trigger:COMMENT_AUTHOR}}: {{trigger:COMMENT_CONTENT}}— link:{{trigger:COMMENT_URL}}. Approved:{{trigger:COMMENT_APPROVED}}.
Step 5: Set the steps Live and save
- Set both the trigger and the action to Live.
- Click Save.
Tokens you can use
| Token | What it holds |
|---|---|
| Comment ID | The numeric ID of the comment. |
| Comment content | The text as submitted. |
| Comment author | The name the commenter entered. |
| Comment author email | The email address the commenter entered. |
| Comment URL | A link to the comment. |
| Approved | Whether the comment was auto-approved (true) or is awaiting moderation (false). |
| Post tokens | The post the comment was left on. |
| User tokens | The commenter's account, if logged in. |
How to test it
- Leave a test comment on the post you're watching (or on any post, if the field is set to Any post).
- Check the recipient inbox for the email — it should arrive right away, regardless of whether the comment needed moderation.
- If nothing arrives, open Zapify → Logs to see whether the run fired.
Conclusion
With the A comment is posted trigger and the Send an email action, Zapify gets a moderation alert out the instant a comment lands — faster and more configurable than WordPress's built-in notification. Next, close the loop with the commenter once it's live using an email when a comment is approved.
FAQs
What's the difference between "posted" and "approved"?
"Posted" fires the moment the comment is submitted, whether or not it needs moderation. "Approved" fires only once the comment goes live — which could be the same instant, or days later if it sat in the moderation queue. Use "posted" for moderation alerts and "approved" for commenter notifications.
Does this fire for spam?
Yes — Akismet and similar tools usually mark comments spam after this fires, not before, so a spam comment can still trigger the automation. Use the Approved token, or a Conditions filter (PRO), if you want to exclude anything not immediately approved.
Is this feature free?
Yes. Both the trigger and the Send an email action are free.
Do I need to write any code?
No. Everything is configured in the Zapify visual builder.