Neither should be confused with Aampe Labels. Topics help you organize Message Groups according to a shared theme, user journey stage, product feature, or content-map category. Composer has a dedicated Topic Management area where you can create Topics, view related Message Groups, add or remove Message Groups, and edit Topic names or descriptions. The important difference is that Topics are managed content groups, while Tags are filterable markers. Examples:
| Topic | What belongs inside it |
|---|---|
| New User Onboarding | Message Groups that help new users understand the product and take first actions |
| Browse Abandonment | Message Groups that bring users back after browsing without continuing |
| Premium Plan | Message Groups that explain or promote paid-plan value |
| Payment Failure | Message Groups related to failed payments, retries, and account recovery |
| Tag | What it may be used for |
|---|---|
| Indonesia | Identifying content for a specific country or team |
| Podcast | Identifying messages tied to a vertical or product area |
| Seasonal | Identifying seasonal content |
| Needs Review | Identifying content that needs cleanup |
Important: Tags are not Labels. Tags are organizational markers. Labels are a separate Aampe concept and should not be used as another word for Tags.
The Short Rule
Use Topics when you want a clear, managed way to group Message Groups by content area. Use Tags when you need filterable markers across Message Groups, especially for reporting, operational review, team ownership, country, language, or vertical. If you are creating a durable content structure from scratch, start with Topics.Key Differences
| Capability | Topics | Tags |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Group related Message Groups into a managed content structure | Mark Message Groups so they can be filtered or isolated |
| Selection | One Message Group can belong to one Topic | One Message Group can have multiple Tags |
| Dedicated management area | Yes, Topic Management | No full tag management surface |
| Can edit the organizing object | Yes, Topic names and descriptions can be edited | Tag names are not currently editable after creation |
| Can delete unused/mistake values self-serve | Topic deletion exists, with Message Groups moved to No Topic | No full self-serve tag cleanup/management flow |
| Best for | Content maps, lifecycle stages, product areas, customer situations | Team ownership, country/language, verticals, temporary reporting needs |
| Customer value | See how content is grouped and where coverage gaps exist | Filter or isolate tagged content in current views |
Why This Matters
Topics and Tags can both help organize content, but they answer different questions. Topics answer:“What content area does this Message Group belong to?”Tags answer:
“What marker do I need to filter or identify this Message Group by?”Tags were being used heavily before Topics because customers needed some way to sort and isolate content. For example, teams used Tags for countries, teams, verticals, languages, or reporting views. That is useful, but Tags are open-ended and can become inconsistent quickly. Topics were introduced because Tags did not give customers a meaningful way to understand how many Message Groups existed against a content map, theme, product feature, or customer journey stage.
When to Use Topics
Use Topics when the grouping should be durable and visible as part of your content strategy. Good Topic use cases:| Use case | Example Topic |
|---|---|
| Lifecycle stage | New User Onboarding, Winback, Retention |
| Customer situation | Browse Abandonment, Payment Failure, Trial Ending |
| Product area | Premium Plan, Referrals, Wallet |
| Content map category | Activation, Education, Conversion |
| Major recurring business motion | Renewal, Upgrade, Cross-sell |
| Question | Why Topics help |
|---|---|
| Do we have enough content for this journey stage? | Message Groups can be reviewed together by Topic |
| Which areas of our content map are missing in Composer? | Topics can mirror your content map |
| Which Message Groups are still uncategorized? | The No Topic folder makes gaps visible |
| Do we need to rename or reorganize a category later? | Topics can be managed after creation |
When to Use Tags
Use Tags when you need a filterable marker, not a managed content group. Good Tag use cases:| Use case | Example Tag |
|---|---|
| Identify team or country ownership | Indonesia, Thailand, Growth Team |
| Identify a vertical for filtering or reporting | Podcast, Ride Hailing, Grocery |
| Mark a language or localization grouping | English, Bahasa, French |
| Mark an operational state | Needs Review, Migration Batch 1 |
| Add a temporary reporting marker | Q2 Promo, Holiday 2026 |
How to Decide
Use this decision table when setting up or cleaning up content.| If you are trying to… | Use | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Build a new content organization system | Topic | Topics are managed and visible in Topic Management |
| Mirror a content map or lifecycle journey | Topic | Topics are better for durable structure |
| Organize Message Groups by product area | Topic | Product areas usually need ongoing management |
| Group content by customer situation | Topic | Customer situations are durable enough to manage |
| Understand whether content coverage is broad or narrow | Topic | Topics show where Message Groups cluster |
| Filter messages by country, team, language, or vertical | Tag | Tags are useful filter markers |
| Add multiple markers to a Message Group | Tag | A Message Group can have multiple Tags |
| Mark content for cleanup or migration | Tag | Tags can support lightweight operational workflows |
| Rename or govern the organizing structure over time | Topic | Tags are harder to manage once created |
Examples
Example 1: Premium Plan
A subscription app has many Message Groups about its paid plan. Some are onboarding nudges, some are upgrade prompts, and some explain premium features. Use a Topic for the durable content area:| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Topic | Premium Plan |
| Field | Example values |
|---|---|
| Tags | English, Growth Team, Needs Review |
Example 2: Country or Team Organization
A regional customer has multiple teams or countries managing content. They may need to isolate content by country in result pages or message overview pages. Use Tags for those markers:| Field | Example values |
|---|---|
| Tags | Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam |
Example 3: Product Vertical
A customer wants to see sends for a particular vertical, such as podcast content or grocery content. If the vertical is a durable product/content area, it may be a Topic:| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Topic | Podcast |
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Tag | Podcast |
Example 4: Same Message Across Languages
If the same Message Group exists across several languages, do not rely only on Tags to make that structure understandable. Use a Topic for the content theme:| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Topic | New User Onboarding |
| Field | Example values |
|---|---|
| Tags | English, French, Bahasa |
Do’s and Don’ts
| Do | Don’t |
|---|---|
| Use Topics for primary Message Group organization. | Do not use Tags as a substitute for a content map. |
| Use Topic Management to create, review, and edit content categories. | Do not expect Tags to provide the same managed grouping experience. |
| Use Tags for filterable markers like country, team, language, vertical, or review status. | Do not create many near-duplicate Tags with similar meanings. |
| Keep Tag naming consistent. | Do not create Tags casually; cleanup is harder later. |
| Use multiple Tags when a Message Group needs multiple markers. | Do not treat Topics as multi-select; one Message Group belongs to one Topic. |
| Keep Tags and Labels separate in your vocabulary. | Do not call Tags Labels. |
Common Customer Questions
Can one Message Group have multiple Tags?
Yes. A Message Group can have multiple Tags.Can one Message Group belong to multiple Topics?
No. One Message Group can be related to one Topic. A Topic can have many Message Groups.Do Topics affect which messages agents send?
No. Topics are organizational. They help your team group and review related Message Groups, but agents do not learn on Topics.Do Tags affect which messages agents send?
Treat Tags as organizational and filterable markers. Do not assume that adding a Tag changes send logic, targeting, frequency, or agent decisions.Are Tags and Labels the same thing?
No. This is an important distinction. Tags are organizational markers used for filtering and identifying Message Groups. Labels are a separate Aampe concept. Do not use “Tag” and “Label” interchangeably. If you are unsure which one your team is looking at, ask your Customer Success contact before making bulk changes.Should Topics replace Tags?
Topics should replace Tags as the main way to organize content by theme, journey stage, product area, or content-map category. Tags are still useful for filtering and reporting markers such as country, team, language, vertical, migration batch, or review status.What if our team already has many Tags?
Do not keep expanding the Tag list without a naming convention. First, identify which Tags are actually durable content categories. Those are usually better represented as Topics. Then review the remaining Tags separately. Keep Tags that are useful for filtering or reporting, and avoid creating duplicates with slightly different names.Can we edit or delete Tags?
Tag management is limited. Current guidance from internal product notes is that customers have needed a better way to view all available Tags, edit Tags, and delete unused or mistaken Tags. If your account needs Tag cleanup, ask your Customer Success contact for the current support path.When should we ask Aampe for help?
| Situation | Why help is useful |
|---|---|
| You have a large existing message library | Aampe can help map old content into a cleaner Topic structure |
| Your Tags and Topics overlap | Aampe can help decide what should become a Topic |
| You have many duplicate or unclear Tags | Tag cleanup needs care because tag management is limited |
| You are unsure whether a term is a Tag or a Label | Aampe can confirm before you make bulk changes |