It is now possible to manage opt-outs in automations by using the 'List Association for Opt-Outs' feature. You can find this feature by clicking on 'Manage Emails' in the top right corner within an automation. This menu allows you to assign list associations to manage from which list(s) contacts should be opted out when they click on the opt-out link.
This article explains how opt-outs work in automations, and how to assign list associations for opt-outs. Please note:
- This feature was released on 27th February 2024. Curious about what this means for existing automations? Take a look at the frequently asked questions: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
- Users will only see the lists for which they have permission to view when using this feature.
In this article
How can I assign list associations for opt-outs?
What happens to opt-outs without an assigned list association?
How do start triggers impact list association and opt-outs?
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
How can I assign list associations for opt-outs?
You can easily select from which lists contacts should be opted out when they click on the opt-out link. This refers to an opt-out link in a campaign originating from an automation. Follow these steps to get started:
- Open the desired automation, and click on 'Manage Emails' in the top right corner
- Under 'List Associations for Opt-Outs', you can click on the dropdown menu. Here you will see which lists are currently assigned to the automation.
- Within the dropdown menu, you can check or uncheck lists to associate them with opt-outs from this specific automation.
Some automation triggers and actions affect the above process for handling an opt-out. The following sections will explain how a trigger or action impacts the list(s) for which a contact is opted out when going through an automation.
What happens to opt-outs without an assigned list association?
When creating a new automation, the automation is automatically set to 'All lists' or to all existing lists in an account. This means that a contact entering the automation will be opted out for all lists when they opt out of a campaign sent from that automation. This is what a configuration for “All lists” would look like:
How do start triggers impact list association and opt-outs?
There are some automation triggers that override the default behaviour mentioned above. These triggers automatically add list associations to the automation and also change the opt-out behaviour.
When these triggers are added to an automation, contacts will opt out from the lists associated with those triggers, in addition to the lists defined in the 'Manage Emails' dropdown. Since these list associations are assigned via the trigger, they can only be removed or modified by changing or deleting the corresponding trigger.
When you have assigned these triggers to an automation, you will see a pre-selected configuration in your list dropdown as shown below. When hovering over this selection, you will see the triggers or actions that modify your automation list associations:
Triggers that impact automation list associations and unsubscribes
The following triggers will update list associations for an automation when added:
List Triggers
Applies to the following triggers: “Subscribes to a list,” “Unsubscribes from a List”
When a specific list is configured for either of these triggers, the chosen list will be associated with the automation and used for unsubscribing the contact. When the trigger is configured for “any” list, the list that triggered the automation will be used for unsubscribing the contact.
Form Triggers
Applies to the following trigger: “Submits a form”
If the form selected for the “Submits a form” trigger also has a "Subscribes to a list" action, then the list(s) selected in the “Subscribes to a list” form action will be associated to the trigger in the automation and used for unsubscribing the contact.
Campaign Triggers
Applies to the following triggers: “Opens an email,” “Replies to an email,” “Forwards an email,” “Shares an email,” “Clicks a link in an email”
The list(s) the selected Campaign was sent to will be associated with the automation. When the trigger is configured for “any” campaign, the list(s) that the triggering Campaign was sent to will be used for unsubscribing the contact.
How “Subscribe to list” actions impact list associations and unsubscribes
Adding a “Subscribe to list” action in an automation will also affect the list associations configured in the automation in the following ways:
- If a contact entering an automation has reached the subscribe action before unsubscribing, then the list(s) configured in this action will be used for unsubscribing the contact.
- If the contact has not reached the action when unsubscribing, the lists configured in the action will not be used in the unsubscribe process.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What happens to contacts who are not on a list that is associated with an automation that they enter?
The contact will be treated as if they are subscribed to the selected list(s) in that automation. If they receive a campaign from the automation and unsubscribe, they will be unsubscribed from the selected list(s). The unsubscribe action will be noted on the contact record and contact activity stream.
Note that this does not mean the contact is automatically subscribed to the selected list(s) upon entering the automation.
What happens to contacts who manually enter an automation and unsubscribe?
They will respect the list configurations made in the automation list association dropdown.
However, if the only configuration saved in the automation list association dropdown is referencing triggers that have assigned list associations, we will have no list information to assign to that contact when entering the automation. This is because the contact entered manually and not through the trigger. In this scenario, the contact will be unsubscribed from all lists.
To prevent this from happening, we recommend manually adding a list association to automations that only have a trigger-related list association. The list association can be any list, including the same list you have configured in your trigger. The selected list will become the default unsubscribe path for contacts who enter manually.
What happens to contacts who are currently in an automation when I change the automation list associations?
Contacts are assigned the list associations at the time they enter the automation. This means that contacts in an automation won't be affected by any changes made to the list associations of that automation. The contacts will continue to respect the automation list associations that existed when they entered the automation.
Why can’t a user see all my lists in the automation list association dropdown?
That user may not have permission to view all lists. If a user is in a group that does not have access to all lists, then they will only see the lists that are made available to that user group. Learn how to set user permissions in user groups.
How does this feature impact my current automations?
Existing automations are generally unaffected (see the next question for entering automation action changes). This additional functionality will give you more precise control over list associations and unsubscribe logic within automations.
How does this change impact contacts who have entered an automation via a “Start an automation” action and their previous list associations?
At the time of this release (February 22, 2024), contacts who enter automations from a “Start an automation” action will no longer carry the list associations established from the previous automation. This behavior was previously supported, but has since been replaced by adding the list association control to automations.